Pope Francis has worked to keep in the public discourse the issue of
poverty understood in its widest possible sense, said the prefect of the
Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. "Going well beyond a
merely economic conception of poverty, Pope Francis has tried to
indicate to the world the true poverty of the human condition in our
times: the poverty of body and soul, pointing out all the forces at work
in the world further impoverishing mankind," said Cardinal Gerhard Muller. He made the comments at a conference on poverty. In a keynote
discussion, Cardinal Muller was asked to speak about his 2014 book,
"Poor for the Poor: The Mission of the Church," released by the Vatican
Publishing House. Pope Francis wrote the preface to the book. "The
mission of the church is to free mankind from the poverty of our fallen
condition and constantly remind us that we are created in the image and
likeness of God; we are the object of his divine love; we are called to
the richness of eternal life with him," the cardinal said.
In the quiet, dusty corners of our hearts, we often harbor blueprint drafts of how we think our lives should unfold. We carefully map out our timelines, hoping for a smooth path, and it is only natural to feel a bit lost or weary when a sudden storm alters our course or a door we prayed would open remains closed. Yet, our Lord does not stand at a distance during these moments of uncertainty; He is a tender Shepherd who walks beside us, gently whispering, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" ( Jeremiah 29:11). When our own plans crumble, it is not a sign that He has abandoned us, but rather an invitation to fold our hands, release our grip on the pen, and offer our own quiet fiat—letting Him guide us into green pastures we could never have found on our own. Placing our trust in His loving providence allows us to breathe deeply and find rest, even when the road ahead is shrouded in mist. E...