--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we give help to the poor, we are not…" description: "\"When we give help to the poor, we are not doing the work of aid agencies 'in a Christian way'. Those are good, it is a decent thing to do - aid work is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07a/pope-francis-85_agency_when-we-give-help-to-the-poor-we-are-not_2086242.jpg" --- # When we give help to the poor, we are not doing the work… ![“When we give help to the poor, we are not doing the work of aid agencies 'in a Christian way'. Those are good, it is a decent thing to do - aid work is good and quite human - but it is not Christian poverty, which St. Paul desires of us and preaches to us. Christian poverty is that I give of my…” quote by Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07a/pope-francis-85_agency_when-we-give-help-to-the-poor-we-are-not_2086242.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07a/pope-francis-85_agency_when-we-give-help-to-the-poor-we-are-not_2086242.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07a/pope-francis-85_agency_when-we-give-help-to-the-poor-we-are-not_2086242.jpg) > “When we give help to the poor, we are not doing the work of aid agencies 'in a Christian way'. Those are good, it is a decent thing to do - aid work is good and quite human - but it is not Christian poverty, which St. Paul desires of us and preaches to us. Christian poverty is that I give of my own, and not of that which is left over - I give even that, which I need for myself, to the poor person, because I know that he enriches me. Why does the poor person enrich me? Because Jesus Himself told us that He is in the poor person.” [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True Christian charity means giving from one's own needs, not just surplus, because helping the poor enriches the giver spiritually. **In simple terms:** Give from your own needs, not just leftovers. Key Takeaway Practice self‑sacrificial giving. Themes faith charity spirituality Mood reflective inspirational Type spiritual When to use this quote - personal budgeting - church outreach - volunteer work - community support Key Concepts theology self‑denial Questions to Reflect On - How can you give without neglecting yourself? - What does “enriches me” mean in practice? A Different Perspective Self‑sacrifice can be unsustainable without proper care. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agency/) [Aids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aids/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christian Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-poverty-4100771/) [Decent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decent/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Doing The Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-the-work/) [Enrich Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enrich-jesus-4100773/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Human Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-christian-460683/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poor Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-person/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Preaches Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preaches-christian-4100772/) [Things to do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-to-do/) [Told Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-poor-898141/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [There is the tendency to place ourselves and our ambitions at the center of our lives. 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