We have already, in the last two Wednesdays, covered the first two Disciplines of Lent; Prayer and Fasting. Today we look at ALMSGIVING, the third. Some people refer to these disciplines as the Pillars of Lent. The interesting thing is that these are really meant to be part of the every day Christian life. Lent emphasizes these to help us know better what following Jesus is all about. All three are complementary to each other and really should be done together. Today’s Discipline is very related to last weeks article on Fasting and we shall look at that shortly. First of all, it is important to define what is meant by ALMSGIVING.

In it’s simplest form, Almsgiving is defined as the act of giving charity to another. For the Christian, it is about sharing one’s blessings with those who are poor. It is about following what Jesus has asked us to do. Almsgiving isn’t always about giving things to the poor, it can also be about giving your time to the poor. Some examples of Almsgiving range from putting your money in to the poor boxes at church to giving time to people who are lonely and need someone just to talk to. Personally, I think that the example that Jesus gives us in scripture in his parable on the Judgment of the Nations by the separating of the sheep (those who practice almsgiving) from the goats (those who do not) serves as a great example. I will include that here:

Matthew 25:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 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. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.

”Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Jesus makes it very clear that our going to heaven is dependent upon how well we loved; how good we were at almsgiving.

Almsgiving is also found through out the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures. One of my favorite passages is from the Prophet Isaiah (58: 6-11) where God speaks to His people saying:

Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking off every yoke? Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: “Here I am!” If you remove the yoke from among you, the accusing finger, and malicious speech; If you lavish your food on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your gloom shall become like midday; Then the LORD will guide you always and satisfy your thirst in parched places, will give strength to your bones And you shall be like a watered garden, like a flowing spring whose waters never fail.

We can see that both the Gospel Parable and the Old Testament Prophecy are a real challenge. Christianity isn’t made to be easy, it can be quite difficult, but it is how we can really obtain fullness of Life, both in this world and the next.

Earlier I mentioned that Fasting and Almsgiving are closely related. When we fast, we are giving up something, This allows us to use what we gave up to give to others in Almsgiving. For example, if we give up having that fancy coffee from the Baristo each day and take that $5 to $9 each day and use it to buy food for the poor, we accomplish both Fasting and Almsgiving. If we give up watching television each night for 2 hours and instead use that time to call or visit the sick, we accomplish both Fasting and Almsgiving. When we add prayer to this in order to know what to give up, and how to share our resources, and with who, then we move more in to building up of the Kingdom of God..

Prayer and Fasting and Almsgiving are great to practice during Lent, However, they should be continued during the ordinary times of our lives. The benefits that gives to us, and to our brothers and sisters is immeasurable.