"Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God" (St. John Damascene, Catechism of the Catholic Church 2559). Prayer and meditation can open our eyes to our responsibilities and our hearts to solutions.

Millions of people throughout the United States and the world are struggling. Please help us pray for their well-being.

View words of Pope Francis here.

QUOTES FROM SCRIPTURE

Luke 3:11 – "Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise."

Matthew 25:40 – "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."

2 Samuel 22:36 – "You have given me your saving shield, and your help has made me great."

Deuteronomy 15:11 – "The needy will never be lacking in the land; that is why I command you to open your hand to your poor and needy kinsman in your country."

Psalm 112:9 – "Lavishly they give to the poor; their prosperity shall endure forever; their horn shall be exalted in honor."

Micah 6:8 – "Act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God."

Sirach 18:25 – "Remember the time of hunger in the time of plenty, poverty and want in the day of wealth."

Deuteronomy 15:7 – "If one of your kinsmen in any community is in need in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor close your hand to him in his need."

Proverbs 19:17 – "He who has compassion on the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his good deed."

Psalm 41:2 – "Happy are those concerned for the lowly and poor; when misfortune strikes, the LORD delivers them."

Proverbs 22:2 – "Rich and poor have a common bond: the LORD is the maker of them all."

Sirach 40:24 – "A brother, a helper, for times of stress; but better than either, charity that rescues."

Lamentations 3:56 – "You heard me call, 'Let not your ear be deaf to my cry for help!'"

QUOTES FROM U.S. BISHOPS OR PAPAL WRITINGS

"Come, Holy Spirit, and open our hearts, minds, and souls to your presence. Grace us with the strength to follow the examples of Jesus. Like Jesus, may the Spirit provide us with a voice to cry out for justice for the poor. Remind us that what we do to the least of those among us, we do to you." Answering the Voice of the Spirit, The Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

"Consequently, the promotion of justice is at the heart of a true culture of solidarity. It is not just a question of giving one's surplus to those in need, but of helping entire peoples presently excluded or marginalized to enter into the sphere of economic and human development." St. Pope John Paul II, World Day of Peace Message 2001

"It is a sign of hope that, despite many serious obstacles, initiatives for peace continue to spring up day by day, with the generous cooperation of many people. Peace is a building constantly under construction." St. Pope John Paul II, World Day of Peace Message 2000

"…Radical changes in world politics leave America with a heightened responsibility to be for the world an example of a genuinely free, democratic, just and humane society." St. Pope John Paul II, St. Louis, Missouri, January 1999

 "We are called in a special way to serve the poor and vulnerable; to build bridges of solidarity among peoples of differing races and nations, language and ability, gender and culture." US Catholic Bishops, Communities of Salt and Light

"America first proclaimed its independence on the basis of self-evident moral truths. America will remain a beacon of freedom for the world as long as it stands by those moral truths which are the very heart of its historical experience. And so America: If you want peace, work for justice. If you want justice, defend life. It you want life, embrace the truth, the truth revealed by God." St. Pope John Paul II, St. Louis, Missouri, January 1999

"Catholicism does not call us to abandon the world but to help shape it. This does not mean leaving worldly tasks and responsibilities but transforming them…Social justice and the common good are built up or torn down day by day in the countless decisions and choices we make." US Bishops, Everyday Christianity

"Our world is entering the new millennium burdened by the contradictions of an economic, cultural and technological progress which offers immense possibilities to a fortunate few, while leaving millions of others not only on the margins of progress but in living conditions far below the minimum demanded by human dignity." St. Pope John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte, Apostolic Letter at the Close of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, January 6, 2001

"Christians must learn to make their act of faith in Christ by discerning his voice in the cry for help that rises from this world of poverty." St. Pope John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte, Apostolic Letter at the Close of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, January 6, 2001

"For the Catholic faithful, the commitment to build peace and justice is not secondary but essential." St. Pope John Paul II, World Day of Peace Message 2000

"Being a believer means that one lives a certain way: walking with the Lord, doing justice, loving kindness, and living peaceably among all people. Christian discipleship means practicing what Jesus preached." US Bishops, Everyday Christianity

"We are a very diverse community of faith racially, ethnically, economically, and ideologically. This diversity should be respected, reflected and celebrated in our social ministry." US Catholic Bishops, Communities of Salt and Light

"From salvation history we learn that power is responsibility: it is service, not privilege. Its exercise is morally justifiable when it is used for the good of all, when it is sensitive to the needs of the poor and defenseless." St. Pope John Paul II, St. Louis, Missouri, January 1999

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.