There are books that do not simply ask to be read: they ask to be practised. Signs of Hope for the Poor was created precisely for this purpose: as a small tool for daily conversion, designed to accompany the journey towards the Jubilee of 2025, when the Church recognises itself as a “pilgrim of hope” and the Vincentian Family is called to make this hope visible, verifiable and shareable.

The heart of the book lies in an intuition that is as simple as it is demanding: hope is not defended with words; it is shown with actions. For this reason, the author entrusts the journey to three concrete images, three ‘hands’, which become three ‘signs’ capable of guiding communities, works, volunteers, missionaries and pastoral workers.

Hands for bread: when hope becomes justice and sharing

The first hand is the one stretched out towards bread: not only the necessities of life, but dignity, work, fairness, and concrete fraternity. The text reminds us that talking about hope in the real world means questioning our daily choices: what becomes ‘bread’ for those who have none?

Hands for prayer: hope as spiritual attention to the poor

The second hand is perhaps the most surprising: prayer. The book insists on a delicate and decisive point for the Vincentian style: it is not enough to “do good” to the poor; we must also recognise and cherish their thirst for God, their prayer. Hope, here, is an attention that does not reduce the person to their need, but welcomes them in their entirety.

Hands for peace: hope as forgiveness and responsibility

The third hand opens up the most urgent issue of our time: peace. Not as an abstract word, but as a concrete construction: reconciliation, forgiveness, conversion of heart and responsibility towards the wounds of the world. In a fully jubilant logic, the book also invites us to make courageous and structural choices (debt, hunger, dignity of life), because Christian hope does not evade history: it traverses it.

Why this book speaks directly to the Vincentian Family

Because it brings together what we often separate: spirituality and practice, contemplation and service, the Gospel and the poor, mission and fraternity. And it does so in an accessible form: a short text, suitable for personal reading, but also perfect for use in teams, groups and works as a guide for discussion and discernment.

It is not a technical manual: it is a compass. And, in the time of the Jubilee, a compass is worth more than many words.

• Let’s buy it (even as a community/team): it is a concise resource, designed to be shared.
• Let’s read it together: three meetings, one for each “hand” (bread – prayer – peace).
• Let’s turn it into choices: each chapter lends itself to concluding with a concrete, verifiable and communal commitment “within a week”.

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