Give Alms and Receive grace!!

I know it’s not Christmastime. But who can pass up the opportunity to discuss how the classic Christmas character Scrooge was transformed (or converted) into the adopted uncle and hero of a poor family – simply because he became generous with his money! It was all about making money for Scrooge. He loved money for the sake of money, rather than see the good money can do! This can, and has probably, happened to us. I’m referring not just to the transformation, but also the greed.That’s why Lent gives us a chance to strengthen pillar number three: Almsgiving. As Scrooge becomes an image of how a generous person can really turn Advent preparations into a true celebration at Christmas, almsgiving can truly transform the “Scroogey” part of us during Lent so that we can eventually celebrate God’s life-giving generosity at Easter!Almsgiving is much more than just putting money in the poor box or dropping loose change in the hands of someone alongside the road. Although almsgiving will always look like that (i.e. giving money), it is more about an attitude of generosity that helps us recognize how selfishness can creep into our lives. When we just give money without the heartfelt consideration of the needs of the poor person, we could become cynical about giving and miss out on the most important part of almsgiving – compassion (i.e. suffering with the poor). When we give alms we truly receive something that fills us up, even if we empty our wallets. Again, just ask Scrooge. What did he do when he realized that loving money was becoming more important than loving others? When he finally realized his greed, he was then taught the remedy: give concern and help to the poor. His almsgiving eventually led him to a classic Grace Before Meals "episode" where he discovered a real treasure – a family that welcomed and loved him. Yes, giving up money for the poor can satisfy a longing and hungering need in each of us. In a sense, Scrooge probably ate the best meal of his entire life after he discovered the joy of almsgiving!A way to approach almsgiving is to connect it to your fasting and prayers – the two other pillars of lent. The money you would have spent on food from which you fasted could then go directly to the poor. It is also helpful to pray about how much you could give. In prayer, God could teach us about the generosity of the poor old widow who could only give two small copper coins. In the end, she was extolled for her great and generous faith. Then consider in prayer how the rich young man followed all of the teachings of Jesus but was afraid to share his wealth with the poor. The end of his story says, “He left in sadness.” Our attitude of almsgiving can be better shaped by our prayers and fasting.Almsgiving however, can get tricky for us. It’s difficult even for me as a priest to figure out what I could give to help people in need. I’ve asked questions like you: What agencies are good at helping the poor? Will the poor just take my donation and use it for something unhealthy like drugs or alcohol? Why can’t the poor just try and find the necessary work to get off the streets? What happened in our world that creates such a dramatic divide between rich and poor? How much money is too much help? Could just a handful of pocket change really make a difference? Yes, all of these questions have come in my heartfelt prayers, especially as I try to follow my own advice in terms of almsgiving.Because we have so many questions about almsgiving, we have to ask ourselves what our attitude is towards giving and towards the poor. In order to truly give alms, we have to give without strings attached. We have to consider how the money parted from us won’t destroy our bank accounts. In the end, we could be taken advantage of, but at least our attitude to the poor was sincere. Our attitude is to give as we are called to love – that is, without conditions. The fact is, almsgiving helps us become more unconditional in our love for one another! I realize we are not called to throw our money out the window. It would be a disservice to give money to people who will use it for bad things. Therefore, one great way to give effectively and unconditionally is through the Operation Rice Bowl program! In America, there are many agencies that can help the poor. But what about in countries that don’t have social service programs or food banks? That’s why I’m obviously such a big supporter of this program. Our monetary almsgiving through Operation Rice Bowl not only helps us become more generous, it actually feeds and nourishes our compassionate side!St. Francis, who gave everything to the poor, would say in his famous prayer: "It is in giving that we receive." "Make us an instrument of your peace!" The “Scroogey” attitude can easily creep into our minds and souls as we are told to believe that fattening our wallets and bellies will make us happy! If we really want to understand the Grace Before Meals movement (and check out our new website and some of the fun picture galleries), we have to see the correlation between thinning out our wallets and expanding the capacity of love in our hearts!Sorry, I gotta brag a little bit, but with a purpose. My mother was Mrs. Philippines of the Nation’s Capital in 1984. Yup! Pretty impressive, huh? It was quite an honor for her to receive that title, but an even greater honor to present a sum of money to feeding centers in the poor parts of the Philippines. During one of her trips as a Goodwill Ambassadress, she remembered going to a kitchen where children received a small cup of rice and some soup made out of fish stock and vegetables. Mom was concerned to see one of the children pouring a portion of his porridge into another container and tucking it away. When my mother asked what this little boy was doing, he said that he was saving some of it to give to his mother and father for dinner tonight. My mother’s heart broke and she almost fainted with sadness! At that moment, mom wanted to give everything in her purse to that child, even wanting to adopt him right on the spot, as well as the rest of the children. But she knew that would ultimately not be the best solution. What could help these children – even in some small way? Almsgiving!Although we won’t be able to solve all of the world's problems, our giving of alms to the poor through trusted agencies like CRS and Operation Rice Bowl can help put in perspective how our compassion grows even if our wallet doesn’t. In fact, when we give to the poor, the smiles on their faces can be even more satisfying than all the money in the world!Here’s a recipe from the Operation Rice Bowl program that definitely put smiles on the faces of some of our people at the Mount St. Mary’s University Campus Ministry Program. One of the students used the Operation Rice Bowl recipe and put together a flavorful meal for a get together after one of the 10:00 p.m. Masses. He donated his time, his money and his service just to put a smile on everyone’s face. I’m using this recipe for two reasons. First, because it was really tasty stuff! And secondly, because even though it’s Cameroonian in origin, it tastes very similar to what could easily be a Filipino dish too! For the recipe, [click here].How much can I give?When we give alms to the poor, it is really an act of trust and faith that God will do something good with what we've given, whether the amount is big or small. When we make an offering because of our love for God, we learn the meaning of a Godly generosity. When we give as God gives, we learn the true meaning of almsgiving! This is a prayer from St. Ignatius Loyola, the spiritual founder of the Jesuits. His prayer gives us a hint about the “attitude” of almsgiving.Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do your will.Ask Fr. Leo for fatherly advice.Any submissions may be used in future Grace Before Meals publications.Sphere: Related Content