My dear family in Christ,

I just finished my first reading of Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te – On the Love of the Poor. Our Holy Father took up the responsibility of completing this letter begun by Pope Francis. In it, we have the voices of two successors of the Apostle Peter reminding us that care for the poor is not something extra to our life of faith, but something that is essential to it.

The Pope provides a reflection on the place of the poor in Scripture and in the long history of the Church, while also highlighting those holy women and men who have heeded to call to see Christ in every person, most especially the poorest and most needy among us. He also reminds us that people can suffer from poverty in many forms, including spiritual poverty.

Pope Leo XIV also calls attention the the aspects of contemporary society that emphasizes personal gain and the hoarding of personal wealth at the expense of those who, due to societal, educational, and economic forces, are reduced to living in abject poverty and need. He calls for a restoration of a society which acknowledges the right to private property while at the same time heeds to demand of the gospel to care for those who lack even basic human necessities. At the end of this exhortation, he reminds us of the practice of personal almsgiving, not just for Lent, as a means for all of us to serve the poor.

I end with some beautiful words from the end of Dilexi Te:

Christian love breaks down every barrier, brings close those who were distant, unites strangers, and reconciles enemies. It spans chasms that are humanly impossible to bridge, and it penetrates to the most hidden crevices of society. By its very nature, Christian love is prophetic: it works miracles and knows no limits. It makes what was apparently impossible happen. Love is above all a way of looking at life and a way of living it. A Church that sets no limits to love, that knows no enemies to fight but only men and women to love, is the Church that the world needs today. No. 120

In this month when we proclaim the dignity of human life from the womb until the tomb, our Holy Father reminds us our care for human life must extend to those who suffer material, spiritual and physical poverty. I encourage us all to take some time to read and reflect upon this first official papal document of Pope Leo XIV.  It will challenge all of us I’m sure.

God alone suffices,

The Most Reverend John J. McDermott

Bishop of Burlington

To read Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20251004-dilexi-te.html