Seeing Christ in the Suffering Poor, by Constance T. Hull

During this Lenten season of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, the Lord leads us to a deeper detachment from the things of this world. He also leads us to a greater understanding of the Church’s mystical union with Him through the poor. The Lord views the poor as Himself, as He taught in Matthew 25:40, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” As demonstrated by her life, St. Teresa of Calcutta took these words seriously. She argued that the correct translation should be “you did it to me.” Because the Lord identifies completely with the suffering poor, we must learn to see and care for Him there.

The Lord wants us to see the inherent dignity of every human being, but as Christians He calls us to go deeper. When we serve the poor, we are serving the Crucified Christ. St. Teresa of Calcutta saw Christ “in his most distressing disguise” when she ministered to the poor. We who see Christ’s Real Presence in the Most Holy Eucharist are also meant to see Him in the suffering poor. To put on the supernatural vision of Christ is to see into these deeper realities.  …

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