Lent: Prayer & Almsgiving

Yesterday, I posted spontaneously because I felt like I needed to share some things right away, but the post was incomplete.  Fasting and abstinence are part of Lent, but always accompanied by prayer and almsgiving as the traditional practices of the season.  The three practices are equally important and together can really aid in our conversion and growing closer to God.  Yesterday, I went to Mass and Father was telling us a funny story.  He said that on Sunday he was wishing his community (which is largely Vietnamese) a happy year of the monkey and one lady stayed after mass and corrected him reminding him that it’s the year of mercy not the monkey.  He laughed recalling the memory and reminded us that it is a year to practice works of mercy.  Pope Francis' message for Lent this year was to speak the words of Saint Matthew, “I desire mercy not sacrifice.”  Sometimes during Lent we get so caught up in what we are giving up, sharing with our friends what we will be abstaining from with great pride.  Sometimes, the longer one has been Catholic the more pressure one feels to outdo each other: “well if you are giving up your bed, I am hitching a tent in my backyard and sleeping outside for forty days.”  My dad used to give up drinking during Lent, but every Easter Sunday he would get so wasted along with all his alcoholic buddies.  Giving up something for Lent without prayer or almsgiving doesn’t work because after the forty days the bad habits are again picked up.  Yesterday’s gospel reading reminded us that our motives matter too.  If we fast, pray and give to the poor because we want to impress others we are fooling ourselves and missing the true spirit of the season.  During the Christmas season we worry so much about commercialism and popular culture taking over the real meaning of the season; but during Lent we have to be careful about our personal pride and our need for approval from others.  We need to practice the tree catholic traditions with a humble spirit.  When we feel the cravings for the item we are abstaining it’s a good time reflect on the poor and how they feel great hunger pangs and have nothing to satisfy their hunger.  Then we can pray for them reflecting more personally on their needs.  This will lead us to act and minister to the poor.  We fast, reflect, pray and act in charity.  Perfect worship means we listen to God in prayer and then we act.

40 days 40 Gratitude and Encouragement notes to Priest, Deacons & Religious

Praying the rosary for priests & The Stations of the Cross Fridays.