Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we gather today in this sacred season of Lent, our readings challenge us to reflect deeply on the practice of almsgiving—a practice rooted in love and deeply connected to our relationship with God and one another. This Lent, we are called through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to engage with our faith in the most profound ways, but we must particularly consider almsgiving as a living expression of God’s commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Through today’s readings, God is asking us to re-evaluate how we treat each other.
In our first reading from Leviticus, Moses relays God’s profound call to holiness—not the holiness that is distant or abstract, but one that manifests in our daily relationships and actions. God commands us not to steal, to speak truthfully, to treat one another with dignity, and to advocate for the vulnerable. Almsgiving, in this context, is not just about monetary gifts; it is about creating a community founded on justice, respect, and love. To love our neighbor is to ensure their basic needs are met. To defraud or withhold what is due to them turns the very act of love into an act of injustice.
The psalmist beautifully encapsulates this idea in Psalm 19, where we hear that the words of the Lord are spirit and life. God’s commands are not burdensome; they are life-giving. When we embrace almsgiving, we breathe life into our faith by putting God’s commands into action.
In the Gospel of Matthew, our Lord gives us a vivid picture of the Last Judgment. Jesus describes how we will be separated like sheep and goats based on our actions toward the least among us. The deeds we perform or neglect are directly tied to our relationship with Him. When we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, and care for the sick, we do these things for Jesus Himself. This is a radical and transformative truth: in caring for others, we encounter Christ. In neglecting the needs of our brothers and sisters, we risk turning our backs on Him. And of course we must always remember, that charity begins at home. First we provide for our family, and then, from the surplus, what we have left over, we can think of sharing it with the poor. The Lord has never asked us to neglect our own family. In fact we must be responsible family members looking out for the good of the others in our families. At the same time, we need to keep in mind, that since our Father is one common God, he has made of all of us, brothers and sisters, and such shall we be in heaven, if through his mercy we are admitted therein.
The Gospel doesn't merely suggest that caring for the less fortunate is a good practice. It emphasizes that our eternal fate hinges on it. This can be a heavy realization, but it is also a powerful motivator to let go of our egocentric attachments. A lot of times, this is painful. We work hard for our money, and giving it away can be a tall order for most of us. However, at the end of the day, does not the Lord look after our every need? In becoming dependent on money, we risk losing faith and trust in God’s providence. This is the greatest lesson Saint Francis sought to teach his friars about attachment to money and why he ordered them to not even carry a dime on their person and to forsake money in a radical way, so as to cling to God with a heart full of trust and generosity towards others.
Almsgiving calls us to open our eyes to the realities around us. Who in our community needs a helping hand? Who is hungry or thirsty, isolated or struggling? Lent is an appropriate time to observe these realities and respond with love and generosity.
So, let us embrace almsgiving as a vital part of our faith journey. Let it transform our hearts to recognize that when we serve others, we encounter Christ. We have now entered into a season of mercy and grace. Let us respond to the call that echoes through the Scriptures: "Now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
May our Lenten practices lead us closer to the heart of God, who is always reaching out to us through our neighbors in need. Amen.
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