Stewardship in Lent for Others

We talk about the three traditional pillars of Lent, often referred to as:  Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.  Let’s look at how those last two can work together for our Lenten preparation.

If we define “fasting” broadly to mean “doing without” and “almsgiving” to mean stewardship, then our opportunities for a good Lent become clearer.

What we eliminate from our daily lives can become the foundation for what we give others.  When we simplify our lives we can enhance our giving.

What if when we bought an item of new clothing we had a practice of giving away two good used items?  What if when we simplify our daily diets through traditional fasting we then increased our giving of money or food to others?  What if when we decreased our spending on less essential matters we then increased our giving to our parish, where it can be used to help our fellow parishioners, our neighbors who might need our help at this time of year?

All of us are blessed with a certain amount of financial or other types of resources, to be used in a prayerful and careful way as a gift from God.