Today is September 11, Thursday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col 3:16-17).
Carlo recognized Christ in the poor. He volunteered at soup kitchens, gave food and clothing to those in need and treated the homeless with dignity and friendship. For him, service was not an obligation but an expression of his love for Jesus.
He once said, “To always be close to Jesus, that is my life plan.” Carlo knew that closeness to Christ meant closeness to those who suffer, for the Lord identifies himself with “the least of these” (Mt 25:40). Serving the poor was not an extracurricular activity for Carlo; it was woven into his faith.
Serving Christ himself
“He often brought some of his supper to them,” writes his postulor, Nicola Gori. “He once saved enough money to buy a sleeping bag for one of them who had been sleeping on cardboard boxes. Any time he was able, Carlo tried to help the poor in whatever way he could.”
Loving the poor is not only about grand gestures but also about attentiveness: seeing the lonely, noticing the forgotten, offering kindness where it is most needed. Carlo reminds us that to serve the poor is to serve Christ himself.
Let us pray,
O God, by whom we are redeemed and receive adoption, look graciously upon your beloved sons and daughters, that those who believe in Christ may receive true freedom and an everlasting inheritance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
