Almsgiving, an oft-forgotten pillar of Lenten practice

Almsgiving, an oft-forgotten pillar of Lenten practice
By Deacon Nicholas Szilagye
 
The Great Fast for Christians is a time to increase our prayers, fasting and almsgiving in preparation for Pascha.
Yes, we need fasting to fortify our spiritual strength, humble ourselves, and contain our passions to be more in line with the will of God.
 
Yes, we need to increase our private prayer life at home and attend the Presanctified Liturgy, Vespers, and Sunday Divine Liturgy during the Great Fast.
 
But we also need to give alms, and sadly this Lenten practice seems to get the least attention among the three.
Almsgiving is fasting from our income and material possessions. It glorifies God through translating our prayers into love for each other by giving to the needy in the name of Christ.
 
The Early Christians knew this. We read in the Acts of the Apostles that they shared everything they owned with each other: “There was not any one needy among them, for as many as were possessors of land or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need” (4:34-35).
 
The Early Christians shared every material gift with each other, so that no one in the church lacked material goods. They shared with each other just as Jesus shared everything he had with his disciples. 
 
St. James exhorts Christians to care for the needs of our brothers or sisters, to put our faith into action with alms to those in need: “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith, by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (2:15-17).
 
The Old Testament Books of Tobit, Sirach, Hosea, Proverbs, Psalms, and Daniel also are plentiful sources that expound the virtue of giving to the poor.
 
St. John Chrysostom, Father of the Byzantine Christianity, said: “Lift up and stretch out your hands, not to heaven but to the poor; for if you stretch out your hands to the poor, you have reached the summit of heaven. But, if you reach up your hands in prayer without sharing with the poor, it is worth nothing.”
 
The Cappadocian Fathers lived the life of charity. They knew the poor of their time were the riches of the church that reached up to heaven; they lived out this prayer by building hospitals, welcoming travelers in hotels, and feeding the poor.
Our Lord wants us to give alms. It is not an optional endeavor, nor an action to be moved into the distant future. Almsgiving is a clear expectation of our love if we are going to follow the Lord’s command to love God above all and our neighbor as ourselves.
 
He even instructed: “When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others… And your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (Mt 6:2-4). We do these acts in secret and not for our own glory.
 
Do not fear that you will exhaust your money by giving generously to the poor. Christ promised that you will be repaid many times over in this world and the next. “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’” (Mt 25: 34). 
 
It is evident from Scripture and the Church Fathers that Jesus wants us to give alms. How do we accomplish this act of charity to our fellow parishioners and citizens? There are innumerable ways.
 
We could donate more money, time or talents to the church.
 
Outside of our parish, there are many organizations that also need money, our time, energy, and talents, such as Catholic Charities, soup kitchens, nursing homes, and hospitals. Someone in the parish may need a ride to Presanctified Liturgy during the week, they may need the snow shoveled in their driveway or a ride to the grocery store.
Someone may have lost his or her job and need grocery money to feed his or her family. I worked with a woman who baked 20 turkeys at Thanksgiving time every year and distributed them to the homeless along the railroad tracks.
In preparation for the Great Fast, try creating an “Almsgiving Plan,” so you can give more of yourself to others. This plan will help organize your giving.
 
Alms is about giving rather than taking. It is about showing our love through sharing rather than hoarding our wealth.
Christ gave all he had for the salvation of mankind. Is it too much to ask of us to give some extra money or our spare time and talent for someone in need?
 
The Great Fast is the best time to put our plan of almsgiving into action for the love of God and love of our neighbor. Let’s make almsgiving an encounter with God during Lent through the face of the poor.
 
As published in Horizons, Feb. 11, 2018.
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