Pope Francis on Dec. 1 in his prayer intention for December, called on committed volunteers who work with not-for-profit organizations to seek the common good.

He said during a video message, “The world needs volunteers and organizations committed to seeking the common good. This is a word that many today would like to erase: ‘commitment.’ And the world needs volunteers who commit to the common good.

The pontiff called volunteers who work with not-for-profit organizations “artisans for mercy.”

“Being a volunteer who helps others is a choice that makes us free; it opens us to other people’s needs — to the demands of justice, to the defence of the poor, to the care of creation. It means being artisans of mercy: with our hands, with our eyes, with our attentive ears, with our closeness.”

He added, “The work of volunteer not-for-profit organizations is much more effective when they collaborate with each other and with governments.”

“By working together, however few resources they have, they do their best and make the miracle of the multiplication of hope a reality. We have a great need to multiply hope,” Pope Francis continued.

The pope concluded the video message with a prayer intention, “Let us pray that volunteer not-for-profit and human development organizations may find people willing to commit themselves to the common good and ceaselessly seek out new paths of international cooperation.”

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