Almsgiving
Fr. Matthew Nemchausky
Originally posted on 3/7/2010

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, almsgiving is any material favor done to assist the needy and prompted by charity. Biblically the purpose of almsgiving is based on the fact that we are stewards here on earth and not owners; everything we have is given to us by God. This can easily be seen in one’s care for the planet, as the planet is not owned by humanity, yet one is called to care for the Earth. Pope Benedict XVI tells us that according to the teaching of the Gospel, we are not owners but rather administrators of the goods we possess: these, then, are not to be considered as our exclusive possession, but means through which the Lord calls each one of us to act as a steward of His providence for our neighbor. Lent is our walking in the desert with Jesus so that we can focus on Him and on what truly matters in the world. Almsgiving is our way of doing that brings us outside of ourselves. Prayer and fasting allow us to fix our gaze upon Jesus, and almsgiving allows us to look on Jesus in our neighbor. We are able to love those whom Jesus loved. God’s way is to help us to love and show compassion through the gifts He has given us.

God allows us to share in Hiss love for the poor by our giving gifts to others. I remember an episode of the 90s television show Growing Pains. In this episode the kids’ grandparents give them their inheritance so that the grandparents might see the joy in their grandchildren. Their joy was strengthened in their grandchildren. This is a minor example in the way the God helps us but I like to think of it as the way of God: Give what I have given to you to those who need it. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the book of Catholic Belief, "In his use of things man should regard the external goods he legitimately owns not merely as exclusive to himself but common to others also, in the sense that they can benefit others as well as himself." St. John Chrysostom (a Doctor of the Church that is a great teacher of the faith) echoes this idea, he said that what he doesn’t use his shirt; horse etc belongs to the poor who have nothing. To say this in a different way the gifts we have we are given to share because we are many part and all one body.

As the Church is one body we need to take care of all the members of that one body. As the professor, Fr. Robert Barron said we are the cells and molecules of Christ’s body; we are connected one to another as the organs of the body. Another helpful expression of our unity is the final locker room speech of Emilio Estevez in the movie D2, where he expressed the fact that Ducks Fly Together. They fly as a unit. This unit is closely related, but even more related are the members of the Body of Christ. We are totally united with each other and the pain that the poor and the needy experience cause us pain because they are not receiving what they need in order to thrive. The hunger of the poor is not the problem over there but a problem that calls out to us and must be answered. We answer through charity in giving alms to the poor. In charity, in almsgiving we are looking for thriving that is not just the minimum. This is true because of the abundance of the life that God has given us and that abundance of life must be shared with those in need. According to recent studies individual donation drastically outweigh the donations of companies in terms of sheer amount. We as individuals give to those in need, but in almsgiving’s connection with Lent, one must ask why or for what reason he or she is giving. One can look to the Jewish tradition of leaving a place at their Passover meal for Elijah. They do this to wait for him and to remember him as part of their history and part of their lives. Fr. Robert Barron said that one could give alms through having a poor box for one’s household and putting money in it each day with your children or grandchildren. He also instructed donating clothes and setting an empty plate at your table when you eat to remind you of those who cannot eat, and give that money to the poor. God has given us gifts so that we share them with our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ.