Scalabrinian Reflection on the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Leo XIV - Dilexi Te
In Dilexi Te, Pope Leo XIV reminds us that love for God and love for the poor are inseparable. The Lord, who “became poor” and chose to dwell among the marginalized, draws our hearts toward those who suffer, inviting us to see in their faces the face of Christ.
We are called not just to occasional acts of charity, but to a sustained, radical solidarity. Small gestures of compassion, listening, accompanying, giving dignity, echo in eternity. Jesus’ love does not abandon the lowly; rather, through them, He speaks and acts. This Apostolic Exhortation challenges us: where is God calling me to love more deeply today? It may be a neighbor in distress, a family member in need, or a stranger at our door. May our faith be lived out not only in prayer, but in humble service.
Pope Leo reminds us that among the two great saints of the Church who embodied closeness to the weakest are Saint John Baptist Scalabrini and Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini. Scalabrini’s vision was of “a world and a Church without barriers, where no one is a foreigner,” a Church that crosses frontiers of language, origin, culture, and status to welcome all who sincerely seek peace, integration, and a better life for their loved ones.
As members of the Scalabrinian family or simply as disciples in a world marked by migration, displacement, and social exclusion, we are invited today to renew Scalabrini’s mission in light of Dilexi Te:
To welcome the migrant, the stranger, the marginalized, not as a burden but as a gift.
To protect their rights, dignity, and humanity in the face of exclusion or injustice.
To promote their integration, their gifts, their participation in community life.
To accompany them in their loneliness, offering not just material help but spiritual closeness and companionship.
Let this new Apostolic Exhortation be for us a renewed call to live as a Church on the move, attentive to the cry of the poor, courageous in crossing boundaries, generous in offering hope.
