Almsgiving

 A common Lenten exhortation for all the faithful is to, “pray, fast and give alms.” Inevitably, we faithful Catholics must ask what almsgiving is. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) writes that almsgiving is, “donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity;” it is also, “a work of justice pleasing to God.” When one first thinks of almsgiving, one immediately thinks of money. However, no matter one’s economic conditions, he or she can still give alms by doing acts of charity. Even the smallest amount of money can make a difference. 

A Catholic should look to Our Lord’s comments on the Poor Widow’s contribution. “When [Jesus] looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said ‘I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood” (Lk. 21:1-4). Despite her poverty, the footnotes on the USCCB website explain that, “[her] detachment from material possessions and dependence on God leads to her blessedness.” Rather than her worldly and material impact determining her blessedness, it is her virtue and love of God that leads to her participating more deeply in God’s divine nature. In turn, her great humility and participation in the life of God can lead her to make positive spiritual shockwaves in her community. 

The same is the case for believers today. In the Beatitudes, Our Lord says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours”  (Lk. 6:20). Jesus does not mean that he wants men and women to be poor, but that spiritual detachment from wealth will allow humans to enter the kingdom of God. By not hoarding wealth, individuals can truly see crucified Christ in all the poor and use what they have to help others. Helping the poor at first seems like it only helps the poor, but actually both the almsgiver and the one who received the alms benefit tremendously. The almsgiver grows in grace by doing a charitable act, while the poor can persevere in this life and can gain more grace. When one hears the word “justice,” one often thinks that a governmental institution comes into play. However, in the case of almsgiving in the Catholic Church’s social justice tradition, it is most often a call to individual action. Pope Leo XIII, expanding on the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas, writes in Rerum Novarum, “It is a duty, not of justice (save in extreme cases) but of Christian Charity- a duty not enforced by human law.” However, he continues by explaining that although almsgiving is not a matter of governmental justice, all Catholic Christians should follow God’s moral law and give alms to the poor as required by Christ’s Law. Rather than leaving the government to handle almsgiving, the responsibility falls to the individual Christian to act charitably and fulfill a central precept of the Christian faith: loving and caring for the poor’s spiritual and material needs.