– Supernatural World Day of the Poors, instituted in 2017 by the Holy Father, is one of the most dear to Pope Francis because of its significance and unity with one of the main lines of his pontificate. A day whose significance has also been very present in the allocution prior to the Angelus.
Together with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope stressed how "what really matters often does not coincide with what attracts our interest: often, like those people in the temple, we give priority to the works of our hands, our achievements, our religious and civil traditions, our sacred and social symbols. These things are important, but they happen", the Pope wanted to point out.
Francis wanted to point out that "perseverance is to build good every day. To persevere is to remain constant in doing good, especially when the surrounding reality pushes us to do something else," referring, as in the homily of the previous Mass, to the temptation to let ourselves be discouraged by apparently adverse circumstances.
The Pope encouraged us to make a brief personal examination of our perseverance "Let us ask ourselves: how is my perseverance going? Am I constant, or do I live faith, justice and charity according to the moment, that is, if I feel like it, I pray, if it suits me, I am just, helpful and attentive, while, if I am dissatisfied, if no one thanks me, I stop doing it? In short, do my prayer and my service depend on circumstances or on a firm heart in the Lord?" and he concluded his address by affirming that "perseverance is the reflection of God's love in the world, because God's love is faithful, it never changes".
