VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis praised Catholics who support the Pontifical Mission Societies' work with the poor and those on the margins of society, saying such assistance is a concrete expression of Jesus' love.

"I pray that your almsgiving will continue to be offered with a joyful spirit and that your sacrifices will bear fruit in the lives of our brothers and sisters who in this way can experience the tender love and compassion of Christ," he said Dec. 19 during a meeting with representatives of the organization and Vietnamese benefactors who live in the United States.

"A hallmark of many Catholics who have immigrated to the United States from Vietnam is the strong faith that they brought with them, which I am confident inspires your desire to assist Christian communities in lands far from your own," the pope told his visitors, who were in Rome on a pilgrimage.

With the start of the Holy Year just a few days away, he said he hoped the yearlong Jubilee "will enable all the faithful to have a genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ whom we must proclaim always, everywhere and to all as our hope."

"Your commitment to supporting the missionary and charitable works of the universal church is a concrete expression of this proclamation, and will help to bring the hope born of the Gospel to many of our brothers and sisters in various parts of the world," he said.

"Your solidarity with the poor and those on the peripheries of society reflects the Lord's command to care for the least among us, and, as St. Paul reminds us, it is important that such assistance be given with a cheerful heart, with a smile," he said.

The Pontifical Mission Societies is a network of four pontifical organizations that together aid some 1,110 mission dioceses around the world.The four bodies are the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood, the Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle and the Pontifical Missionary Union.