Week 3: Giving
“Prayer and fasting are good, but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness … It is better to give alms than to store up gold, for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin. Those who regularly
give alms shall enjoy a full life.” (Tobit 12:8-9).
During Lent, we are called to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These are all part of Christian practice. Almsgiving is an age-old practice and, according to a Google search, is “(in historical or religious contexts) the
practice of giving money or food to poor people.” It comes from a Greek word meaning “pity, mercy.” So we can say then, when you give alms, you are giving mercy.
Why would the angel Raphael in the book of Tobit say that almsgiving is better than prayer and fasting? Almsgiving is a form of both. It is a form of prayer because it is a way of giving to God and a form of fasting because it involves sacrificial giving, not just
giving but giving up something in order to give.
Giving requires sacrifice on our part. For the church or somebody else to benefit from our tithe or donation, we will go without something. Our morning coffee money or midweek takeaway money could go to the lady begging at the traffic light with her small child. Perhaps we will give grudgingly or not at all.
I
remember giving a substantial amount of money to a man who was begging. The following week, I saw him getting out of a luxury vehicle to stand back in the same place as I had seen him begging. I was livid - I felt like a fool and was angry as I had given him all I had at the time. Angrily retelling the story at our dinner table that night, I was reminded to “give with a good heart” and that once what I had to give had left my hands, I had no control over what happened to it. It certainly is a
rewarding feeling when you can see your financial contribution to a needy person is well received and appreciated.
Almsgiving is how many Christians express their faith. A tithe of 10% (or thereabouts) of their income is given to the church for use as needed. During Lent, we are given an opportunity to cultivate a generous spirit: a time and chance to share what we have with other people. Jesus says, “When you give to the needy…”
(Matthew 6:2, 3), not “If you give to the needy…” We are reminded that Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), but those who tithe and give to the needy often find themselves on the receiving end as well.
Jesus teaches us that giving should be out of a true love for God and not to draw attention
to ourselves. “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:3-4). Giving what God has given us to impact the lives of others will make a difference now and in the future.
Notice how you feel and what you learn about yourself when giving. What has been the most
challenging part of giving? What has been the most rewarding part of giving?
In an online post, “Intro to Lent III: Almsgiving”, the St Paul Center for Biblical Theology posed this question: “We are living high, but are we giving high?” This is an excellent question to ask ourselves
when we take stock of all that we have: homes, clothes, food, and money. We look around our families, communities, and world and see all those who are impoverished and needy.
Consider how you can incorporate more giving into your life this Lent. Is there someone you know who is struggling financially and could do with an anonymous donation? Is tithing a gift you give to the church? Perhaps you can consider starting to tithe or
increasing your tithe this Lent.
Readings for the coming days
4 Mar Matthew 25:14-30
5 Mar Matthew 25:31-46
6 Mar John 12:20-50
7 Mar Mark 14:12-26
8 Mar John 13:1-17
9 Mar 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
