The spirituality of Lent is centred on returning to God. The goal is an encounter with the Risen Christ. It is for this purpose the Church presents for us the three spiritual practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the value of these beautifully. Prayer is where I set my relationship with God in order. Fasting is where I set right my relationship with myself. Almsgiving is setting right my relationship with my neighbour. So we could misinterpret that prayer alone connects me to God, while almsgiving and fasting are of secondary importance. In fact, almsgiving is the place, firstly, where we are assured of meeting the Lord face to face. Moreover, it guarantees us eternity, offering unique graces that make even this present life a blessed existence. God has given us the marvellous gift of two eyes. With these we are able to distinguish millions of colours, study the mighty stars in the distant skies, and the million microorganisms. Yet when it comes to spiritual realities, our eyes really let us down. When Jesus walked the earth, very few would identify Him as the Son of God, and if they did so it was not because of their natural eyes. Some looked at Him and thought he was a threat. Most looked at Him and saw a carpenter or a itinerant Rabbi. Even the disciples could not recognise the Risen Lord. One looked at Him and thought He was a gardener, and another thought He was just a fellow traveller. Here is where St. Vincent De Paul boldly directs us, “Go to the poor, and you will find God.” He’s not saying that the poor people are God, but that in our pilgrimage to the poor, in reaching out to serve them, we will encounter God. This not some poetic conclusion of one large-hearted person, it is what our Lord Jesus spells out when He speaks of the Last Judgment. Jesus honours the righteous saying, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (at 25:35,36). The righteous were confounded. They asked the Lord when this did happen. The Lord would confirm, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” When we reach out to those people who are disadvantaged the failures, the despicable ones, to those who have no means to reciprocate any good we do the Lord counts it as a personal offering to Him. Today if we sincerely seek to return to God, it requires us to turn our eyes and our hearts to those less privileged in our world.
Secondly in almsgiving, we encounter our own humanity. Until and unless we recognise a brother in that person who is less privileged the homeless, the voiceless, the helpless, the “status-less” person we have not really encountered our own humanity. When we truly value our identity as a human, we will be able to see with compassion every other person,especially those who are suffering. Today we live in a very materialistic world where everything has been objectified. Everything has a price tag even human beings. Today you and I could have slipped into this sick mentality, where we evaluate ourselves by how much we have accomplished, our material assets, how many people honour us, and how presentable is our physical appearance. If we evaluate ourselves by such superficial standards, we still haven’t encountered ourselves as a human person. We still haven’t learned to love ourselves. For this we need to experience God’s personal love for us as His children. Then we would love ourselves. In the joy of being held by our Father God, our hearts resonate with the heart of God, and we cannot but see that every human person is a precious brother and sister. They may be less privileged, but they are no lesser a brother, a sister, they are no lesser a human.
Thirdly, in almsgiving we encounter the truth of who we are, and where we are headed to. Jesus speaks of a rich fool who stocked up his wealth, blinded by such greediness that he did not realize that his life on this earth was so fleeting, and that death was close and inevitable (Lk 12). He failed to stock up treasures for heaven! Jesus reminds us that what we stock up on earth will be destroyed by moth and rust, and by thieves. The ultimate treasure is what we stock up in heaven. The only way we can stock up wealth in heaven is when we give to the poor.
Almsgiving is a spiritual force, liberating us from the enslavement and dependence on material wealth. Our time on this earth is limited. To prepare us for the ultimate reward of eternity, we need to detach ourselves from all that possesses us.
Fourthly, through almsgiving and tithing for evangelistic work, we are acknowledging that all we have has come from God, and our security is in God. When I know God is my provider and everything I have is what God has decided to bless me with, I have that confidence to be able to give. I know my God, the Father who feeds the birds of the air, and clothes the lilies of the field, will continue in His unchanging love and generosity to provide for me. It is this confidence that enables me to be generous. God is not going to stand as one who is indebted to me. Whatever I give to the Lord He will give back to me in manifold ways. The Lord assures us, “Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap” (Lk 6:38). As generous as we are in giving, so shall we receive from the immeasurable generosity of God.
Jesus has given us one commandment to love one another as He has loved us (Jn 13:34). St. Vincent De Paul says that of all the rules it is charity that is most important, and every other rule should lead to charity. The failure to be charitable makes us absolutely irrelevant and unacceptable in the presence of God. Charity that remains an emotion or sympathy in the heart is not yet genuine charity. Pope Francis says mercy that has not reached your pocket, is not real! If our love does not cost us through a personal sacrifice, our words are a noisy gong, having no value whatsoever. We are either a part of the injustice in the world or we are a part of the challenge to injustice.
God never created people as rich and poor. What God created was this entire universe that in his boundless generosity He offered to humankind. Human beings, sadly, allowed greed to take over. Using the law of the jungle where might is right, they have created a deep gap separating the rich and the poor. This divide pierces the heart of Jesus. When we open our hearts through almsgiving we are bridging the gap, and finding ourselves on the path to heaven. The less privileged who we reach out to and serve, are our entry pass to heaven. Jesus promises, “How blessed are those who are merciful, because it is they who will receive mercy!” (Mat 5:7). May this season of Lent find us returning to Christ on the grounds of mercy.