Lent is a Season of Giving

So far in Lent, I have done many videos specifically related to fasting (in general, as to the law, and its relationship to hope), along with prayer (one on mental prayer coming out Thursday) and a few streams on general spirituality (including on Ss. Augustine and John of the Cross). One traditional Lenten spiritual practice I have not covered in much detail is Almsgiving. 

Just as in the mortification of the sense appetites we strip away our attachments to sense pleasures, so also in the mortification of our corporeal goods by Alms we strip away our attachments to the goods of this world. It is through Almsgiving that we eliminate the excessive love of temporal goods and satisfy for our sins. It is in this way that the act, according to St. Thomas, “has the character of a sacrifice.” (ST.II-II.Q32.A1.Rep2)

In this final stretch of Lent, I encourage you to be generous. You can help me continue to produce Catholic content and engage in Catholic Action here, or you can help Hasan and the St. Nicholas Tavelic evangelize the Muslim world here (n.b., the GoFundMe link from last year is still active). But, some of the best alms are going to be those that you give to the poor and needy that you may come across in your day to day life since, as St. Thomas teaches, “almsgiving is an act of charity through the medium of mercy” and such mercy is able to increase insofar as “one…is in need,” (ibid.) therefore, “it is better to give to one who is in greater want, other things being equal.” (ibid., A3.Rep1)

“But what if I cannot afford to give alms?”

This is where we need to make a distinction between alms which are corporal and alms which are spiritual. Corporal alms involve the giving of corporal goods (i.e., what was stated above) whereas spiritual alms involve the giving of spiritual goods (i.e., in prayer). In this final week of Lent, be sure to be even more zealous to give those spiritual alms, both those who are and are not able to give those corporal alms since, according to St. Thomas, “the offering is more excellent.” (ibid.)

Ite ad Thomam, 

Christian B. Wagner