Prayer, fasting and almsgiving

Dear friends in Christ,

We are now on the eve of the Season of Lent, that penitential season where we remember in a unique way the suffering Christ and the sacrifice He gave for the sake of the Church. In the season, we are also asked to take up a form of suffering and sacrifice. These forms of sacrifice are divided into three categories: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

When picking practices for Lent, whether it be giving up chocolate or meat, or praying the Rosary or attending daily Mass, we must remember something very important: Holiness is a process by which, over time, our fortitude to strive for virtue grows stronger by the grace of God. God gives us graces to sanctify us, and through those graces we respond by striving to cooperate with the Will of God and say yes to God. We thank God already for the graces He has given us. He may have blessed us with good health, or with intelligence, or with a dear friend, or with a loving family. Upon reflection of our lives, there is always a grace there we can be thankful for. And if you are hard pressed to find a grace, remember that it is also a real grace to know the Truth of the Gospel, and it is a grace to know the Holy Catholic Church, who is also given graces for the sake of Her members and their salvation. When picking practices for Lent, we must be careful not to take on too much, or nothing will get done. The man who gives up meat, beer, soda, chocolate, and candy when he is not used to giving up anything will probably last about a week, then find himself in a Texas Steak House having a porterhouse steak with a tall beer, and then having chocolate ice cream on the way home. And believe me, I gave up meat, and soda, and a bunch of other things one year, and I lasted until I discovered an Arbys in the next town over. From then it was downhill, and by Easter the things I gave up, I had no longer given up. In short, it is better to give up one or two things and do well, than to give up 7 things and not last.

I wish to first discuss prayer. Prayer is the bedrock of the Church, and prayer is our communication with God. We pray individually, but also in community as our prayers are lifted up to God. In the Season of Lent, we can pray for those suffering, that their sufferings and sacrifices can be lifted up to God. We all live in the shadow of the cross, as it is our sufferings that we can unite to the Cross of Christ. Prayer is the first priority of the Lenten Season. Through prayer, we are spiritually preparing ourselves for the Resurrection that we experience on Easter, and it is the Resurrection we hope to enjoy after our passing from this life into eternal life. In many ways, our lives can be like Lent, looking forward always to the hope of eternal life. In this mindset, we look to prayer first in this Season of Lent, to see what ways we can unite ourselves, with the whole Church, to Christ, the Crucified One, so that our prayers can be fruitful for eternal life.

There are many tangible things that we can do that can aid in our spiritual lives, in order to prepare ourselves for Easter. Have you considered the possibility of daily Mass? Mass is the ultimate form of prayer and praise, and during Lent the attendance of daily Mass can give one many spiritual graces (daily Mass also gives many graces throughout the rest of the year too). It is through Mass that our sufferings and penances can be united to Christ, as the Eucharist is a memorial of Christ's suffering and death in a very literal, transubstantial way.

Another form of prayer is the Rosary, especially by praying the Sorrowful Mysteries. You are meditating with Mary on the life of Christ, especially his final hours here on Earth before He died. A daily Rosary may seem hard, but really, it is easier than you think. When you drive to and from work every day, or to and from school, you may listen to the radio. Consider praying a Rosary on the way to work or school, and listening to the radio on the way home. It is something easy you can do, and it only takes 15-20 minutes. There is also the Divine Mercy Chaplet, focused on the prayer: "For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world." It is traditionally prayed at 3PM on Fridays (this is the hour of the death of Christ on Friday, and 3PM is called the Hour of Mercy); during Lent you can consider praying the Chaplet every day, and if possible, at 3 PM every day. Another devotion you can take up stems from the Garden of Gethsemene. To recall the story, Jesus was praying, and His disciples kept falling asleep. Jesus said to them "Can you not spent one hour with me?" This developed into the devotion known as the Holy Hour, an hour you spend with Jesus in prayer. By praying in front of Jesus, you are uniting yourself to Him, as Jesus calls us to do in the Garden, and in his Passion and Death.

Now I wish to move onto the idea of fasting. Before His ministry began, Jesus went into the desert to fast and pray, and at the end of it He was hungry. He was in the desert for 40 days, and with no coincidence, that is how long Lent is, as Lent is our journey in the desert before the Resurrection of Jesus. By fasting, we are uniting ourselves to Jesus in the desert. Some of the things you can give up are what we were taught to do when we were kids: candy, chocolate, soda, or whatever you might really enjoy. Also consider giving up meat during Lent, not just on Fridays during Lent and Ash Wednesday. Pray, what is it that I enjoy too much, and can I give it up during Lent? Another thing to consider is on Fridays to eat just bread and drink water, as that can be a good fast. By giving it up, you are then learning not to take that food for granted, and you are sacrificing a little something as a way to offer it to Christ.

The final thing is almsgiving. Almsgiving can look many different ways. The first is to continue to tithe at Sunday Mass; by tithing, you are being a good steward, and you are helping the local parish continue to provide spiritual support and ministries so that the Church can continue to thrive. In addition to tithing, one can consider giving your time in a homeless shelter, or at a retirement home for priests. In Norristown, there is a Missionaries of Charity House. Consider calling them up and asking to volunteer 2-3 Saturdays during Lent there. In addition to tithing, you may want to give a little something extra to the Church, say, for the parish hall renovations, or for a new parking lot. There may be a special project your church is doing, and they need money to do it. Give them a little something extra. If I may, I would recommend doing some sort of community service. Not enough community service is done, and there are groups that need help that way.

Finally, we must remember that by praying, fasting, and almsgiving, the things we do during Lent are not for the sake of the things we do, but rather to be spiritually edified, making one more properly disposed to receive graces. By doing some penances and practices during Lent, we make ourselves more disposed to hear the Word of God and to act on His will for us. We do these things to become more Christ-like, as by doing these things we are imitating Him.

May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.