Sunday, September 6, 2020 –
And for our final of the THREE EMINENT GOOD WORKS…I bring you ALMSGIVING (AKA ELEEMOSYNA). On the face, this seems like the easiest of the three, but it is way more than a mantra of “give to the poor” or the three Hebrew tithes. Side note: the third Hebrew tithe **IS** the “poor tithe,” but I am not about to touch rabbinic law with a 10-foot serpent staff!
Anyhoo, let’s see how the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines almsgiving:
ALMSGIVING: Money or goods given to the poor as an act of penance or fraternal charity. Almsgiving, together with prayer and fasting, are traditionally recommended to foster the state of interior penance (1434; cf. 1969, 2447).
And, while the three CCC paragraphs listed are important, let’s skip over to 2426 and see if we can add a little to our definition:
2462 Giving alms to the poor is a witness to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God.
Already we can see that almsgiving is more than giving money or goods to the poor. It is not just a what, but a how. Almsgiving benefits **BOTH** giver and receiver. The external “stuff” (AKA money or goods) of almsgiving is all fine and good, but there is also an interior component: the penance or charity. Here is a deeper definition from the Catholic Encyclopedia:
Any material favour done to assist the needy, and prompted by charity, is almsgiving. It is evident, then, that almsgiving implies much more than the transmission of some temporal commodity to the indigent…According to the creed of Christianity, almsgiving implies a material service rendered to the poor for Christ’s sake. (O’Neill, J.D. (1907). Alms and Almsgiving . In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved September 5, 2020 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01328f.htm)
Did you see that last phrase: “for Christ’s sake”? We do not give alms “to be nice” or “to level the playing field.” We give to the poor out of charity because Christ loves each of His children and implores us, “Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40b)
Neglect for the poor, especially the orphan and widow, is one of the four sins that cry to heaven for vengeance. It is our duty as Catholics to care for the “least” of God’s children. This does not mean the Church hates property and wishes you to give all your money away. Rather, she wants you to look to your fellow man as a child of God, another person made in the image and likeness of God!
In penance for our own sins AND in charity towards others, we should **WANT** to give alms. It is pleasing to God!
Are there any guidelines to almsgiving?
I suppose you are asking for the $$$ amount. I cannot give that to you. To be honest, it isn’t about the amount you give. It is **why** and **how** you give. The Catholic Encyclopedia has a helpful list:
Qualities of spiritually fruitful almsgiving
In addition to its innate characteristics, almsgiving should be vested with qualities tending to garner fruitfulness for giver and receiver. Hence, almsgiving should be discreet, so as to reach deserving individuals or families (2 Thessalonians 3:10; Sirach 12:4); prompt, so as to warrant opportuneness (Proverbs 3:28); secret and humble (Matthew 6:2); cheerful (2 Corinthians 9:7); abundant (Tobit 4:9; St. Thomas, Summa Theol., II-II, Q. xxxii, art. 10). (O’Neill, J.D. (1907). Alms and Almsgiving . In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved September 5, 2020 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01328f.htm)
There you have it. Give freely and discreetly. You do not and should not go about boasting how much you gave. Almsgiving is not about recognition. It is about loving your neighbor as Christ loves you!
Saint Cecilia, pray for us!
