#almsgiving

The prophet Samuel tells the people of Israel that sacrifices and burnt offerings are not what God desires most. What God is really looking for from His people is obedience, not showing off with public spectacles of religion. [Centuries later,] God [still] asks us simply to obey Him, [except now He has also given us,] to follow, Jesus’ model of love, mercy and humility. [His example of obedience is perfect; we need only imitate Him through love. We couldn’t have simpler directions! Nevertheless,] we live in a time when churches can get sidetracked [from simplicity, becoming preoccupied] with putting on events or running programmes that are focused ‘inwards’– [prioritizing their own immediate needs over any acts of mercy]. Perhaps these are the bold 'burnt offerings’ of today? [After all, no matter how impressive the architecture, financial resources, public image, or social life of our church may be, if these things are not being used to actively obey God’s person-focused commandments, they mean nothing to Him.]

[Today, consider God’s true wants from us and ask:] How do we live out our faith in a practical way that pleases God most? [Have we done so today?] How do we become outward-facing churches and Christians, [making the service of God and His people the ultimate motive and end goal of all our choices?] God is looking for Christians who are willing to reach out to those in need [whenever we encounter their needs, not just when it’s 'convenient’]. How do you respond when you see those who are a pariah, [someone rejected or ridiculed even by fellow members of the faith? How do you meet the sick, the imprisoned, the homeless, the addict, the refugee? How do you act to soothe those who are afraid, lost, hopeless, disabled,] poor or in pain? [Do you see them all as people, or as projects for your pride? We cannot please God if we are thinking about what will make us look good.] What would it look like for you to look outwards and [selflessly] serve those who are in need of God’s love? After all, how we serve the poor and follow the example of Jesus is the real litmus test for churches and for us as individual Christians. [God’s commandments are to love and serve one another, not to help ourselves].

Mercy Ships

(Note: this is an updated version of a post from 2014.) 

Happy almost-Lent, everyone! Some of you have asked me about suggestions for Lenten sacrifices, so here I am doing just that. Let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we? If you read nothing else in this post, read the quotation below. Then read it again. Let it simmer for awhile.  In my mind, it really is all you need to know about Lent:

“Lent is a journey, it means accompanying Jesus as He travels to Jerusalem, the place where the mystery of His Passion, Death and Resurrection is to be fulfilled. It reminds us that Christian life is a ‘road’ to be travelled, consisting not so much in a law to be observed as in the person of Christ Himself, Who must be encountered, welcomed and followed”  - Pope Benedict XVI (who else?)

If you’re still hungry for more, I present to you The Evangelista’s Three Simple Rules For Having a Meaningful Lent (tested by my experience):  

1. Keep it simple.

My tendency is always (ALWAYS) to make things more complicated than they are, and Lent is no exception. I get all excited and start  piling on the fasts to the point where I’m ready to throw in the towel after only a few days. Do not fall into this trap, my friends. KISS. The Church makes it SO EASY for us. The three traditional elements of Lenten observance are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. All you have to do is pick one way to embrace each and voila! you’ve paved the way for the Lord to do beautiful things in your heart for the next forty days (and beyond).

-Fasting: Sure, you can give up your favorite food(s) or alcohol, but fasting isn’t limited to food and drink. You could fast from Facebook. Or Instagram. Or shopping. Or wearing perfume. Or using the data plan on your smartphone (i.e. just use it for phone calls and texts). Or listening to secular music. Or listening to music at all in the car. You get the picture.

Note: Lent is a great time to fast from sinful or bad habits that you’re trying to kick, but you should also fast from something good so that you can really feast come Easter time. 

…regardless of what you give up, make sure that it’s making more room in your life for Christ. In those moments when you’re REALLY craving cashews or are sipping on club soda at happy hour, offer up a prayer for someone you know who’s suffering. Use the time you save by not surfing social media to pray, read, bake, call someone, or just be still. Fasting doesn’t help much if all that happens is you curse your grumbling stomach or use the time you would’ve spent on Facebook surfing Pinterest.

-Almsgiving:In my experience, almsgiving is most effective when it’s directly related to a fast. For example: in the past, I’ve given up shopping for clothes for Lent. Instead of pocketing the cash, I gave it to the poor. When I was tempted to shop, I prayed for my students who were suffering.

-Prayer:I try to pick up one new prayer habit during Lent, in hopes that it will stick for the rest of the year. It could be going to daily Mass, making a weekly/daily holy hour, reading your Bible every day (seriously changed my life), praying compline every night, making an examination of conscience before bed, reading a few pages of a spiritual book, praying a rosary every day, spend five minutes every day in silence allowing the Lord to speak…you really have an infinite number of options.

2. Take full advantage of feast days.

EVERY Sunday is a mini-Easter, so there’s no need to fast–in fact, you should feast! And no, it’s not “cheating.” Also, make sure you party it up on St. Joseph’s feast day (March 19th) and the Annunciation (March 25th). These days are great reminders that Christ has already won the victory over sin and death, so pop some bubbly and eat some dark chocolate, for goodness’ sake!

3. Try, try again.

Discouragement is the tool of Satan. If you fail to be faithful to your Lenten fast (and chances are you will), don’t beat yourself up about it and don’t throw in the towel! If you need to scale back, scale back. In the end, these Lenten practices are meant to be instruments of God’s grace in our lives, not temptations to Pelagianism (i.e. thinking that we can somehow perfect ourselves through our own efforts). If your Lenten sacrifices don’t lead you closer to Christ, ditch them and try something else. The only one who needs to know is Jesus. And he understands.

Still want more suggestions?

Living Lent in Community–with some GREAT suggestions for what to give up/take up. (Held By His Pierced Hands)

10 Reasons Why We Fast also by my friend Meg at Held By His Pierced Hands

Out of the Box: 66 Things to Take Up or Give Up For Lent (Catholic All Year)

Lenten Reading IdeasANDLenten Movie(!) Ideas (Happy Catholic)

Lenten Reading Recommendations (The Anchoress)

And in case you’re curious, here’s what I read last year for Lent:

Charity: The Place of the Poor in the Biblical Tradition by Gary Anderson (EXCELLENT, but definitely more for the Bible nerds among us)

The Love That Made Mother Teresa by David Scott (The best book I’ve read on Mama T) 

Holy Daring: The Fearless Trust of St. Therese of Lisieux by John Udris (Life-changing. Seriously.)

Behold the Pierced One by Joseph Ratzinger (because a Lent without Ratzinger/Pope B16 is like a night without stars…obviously.)

This year, I’m hoping to tackle the following: 

To Know Christ Jesus by Frank Sheed

The Four Cardinal Virtues by Josef Pieper

Handing on the Faith in an Age of Disbelief by Ratzinger

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre

Papa Francis, take us home:

“It has been said that the only real regret lies in not being a saint (L. Bloy); we could also say that there is only one real kind of poverty: not living as children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ.” –Pope Francis, Lenten Message 2014

Happy almost-Lent, everyone! Some of you have asked me about suggestions for Lenten sacrifices, so here I am doing just that. Let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we? If you read nothing else in this post, read the quotation below. Then read it again. Let it simmer for awhile.  In my mind, it really is all you need to know about Lent: 

“Lent is a journey, it means accompanying Jesus as He travels to Jerusalem, the place where the mystery of His Passion, Death and Resurrection is to be fulfilled. It reminds us that Christian life is a ‘road’ to be travelled, consisting not so much in a law to be observed as in the person of Christ Himself, Who must be encountered, welcomed and followed”  - Pope Benedict XVI (who else?)

If you’re still hungry for more, I present to you The Evangelista’s Three Simple Rules For Having a Meaningful Lent (tested by my experience):  

1. Keep it simple.

My tendency is always (ALWAYS) to make things more complicated than they are, and Lent is no exception. I get all excited and start  piling on the fasts to the point where I’m ready to throw in the towel after only a few days. Do not fall into this trap, my friends. KISS. The Church makes it SO EASY for us. The three traditional elements of Lenten observance are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. All you have to do is pick one way to embrace each and voila! you’ve paved the way for the Lord to do beautiful things in your heart for the next forty days (and beyond). 

-Fasting: Sure, you can give up your favorite food(s) or alcohol, but fasting isn’t limited to food and drink. You could fast from Facebook. Or Instagram. Or shopping. Or wearing perfume. Or using the data plan on your smartphone (i.e. just use it for phone calls and texts). Or listening to secular music. Or listening to music at all in the car. You get the picture.

…regardless of what you give up, make sure that it’s making more room in your life for Christ. In those moments when you’re REALLY craving cashews or are sipping on club soda at happy hour, offer up a prayer for someone you know who’s suffering. Use the time you save by not surfing social media to pray, read, bake, call someone, or just be still. Fasting doesn’t help much if all that happens is you curse your grumbling stomach or use the time you would’ve spent on Facebook surfing Pinterest. 

-Almsgiving:In my experience, almsgiving is most effective when it’s directly related to a fast. For example: in the past, I’ve given up shopping for clothes for Lent. Instead of pocketing the cash, I gave it to the poor. When I was tempted to shop, I prayed for my students who were suffering. 

-Prayer:I try to pick up one new prayer habit during Lent, in hopes that it will stick for the rest of the year. It could be going to daily Mass, making a weekly/daily holy hour, reading your Bible every day (seriously changed my life), praying compline every night, making an examination of conscience before bed, reading a few pages of a spiritual book, praying a rosary every day, spend five minutes every day in silence allowing the Lord to speak…you really have an infinite number of options. 

2. Take full advantage of feast days.

EVERY Sunday is a mini-Easter, so there’s no need to fast–in fact, you should feast! And no, it’s not “cheating.” Also, make sure you party it up on St. Joseph’s feast day (March 19th) and the Annunciation (March 25th). These days are great reminders that Christ has already won the victory over sin and death, so pop some bubbly and eat some dark chocolate, for goodness’ sake!

3. Try, try again. 

Discouragement is the tool of Satan. If you fail to be faithful to your Lenten fast (and chances are you will), don’t beat yourself up about it and don’t throw in the towel! If you need to scale back, scale back. In the end, these Lenten practices are meant to be instruments of God’s grace in our lives, not temptations to Pelagianism (i.e. thinking that we can somehow perfect ourselves through our own efforts). If your Lenten sacrifices don’t lead you closer to Christ, ditch them and try something else. The only one who needs to know is Jesus. And he understands. 

Still want more suggestions? 

100 Things to Do for Lent (Held By His Pierced Hands)

Out of the Box: 66 Things to Take Up or Give Up For Lent (Catholic All Year)

Lenten Reading IdeasANDLenten Movie(!) Ideas (Happy Catholic)

Lenten Reading Recommendations (The Anchoress)

And check out ReverbCulture’s“Give Up/Pick Up” video project. I’m thinking about submitting one. 

And in case you’re curious, here’s my reading list for these 40 days: 

Charity: The Place of the Poor in the Biblical Tradition by Gary Anderson

The Love That Made Mother Teresa by David Scott

Holy Daring: The Fearless Trust of St. Therese of Lisieux by John Udris

Behold the Pierced One by Joseph Ratzinger (because a Lent without Ratzinger/Pope B16 is like a night without stars…obviously.)

Last year, I read Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week and OH MY GOSH it is amazing. If you want to learn more about the Scriptural accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection/want to fall more in love with Christ, READ THIS BOOK. That is all. 

Papa Francis, take us home:

“It has been said that the only real regret lies in not being a saint (L. Bloy); we could also say that there is only one real kind of poverty: not living as children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ.” –Pope Francis, Lenten Message 2014