Originally published at National Catholic Register
‘One’s almsgiving is like a signet ring with the Lord,’ says Sirach 17:22, ‘and he will keep a person’s kindness like the apple of his eye.’
Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are the three pillars of Lent.
Prayer and fasting are always mentioned first, while almsgiving remains in the wings. But it is more important than you realize.
“When you give alms,” says Our Lord, “do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:2-4).
So what is almsgiving? Why is it important? And what effects does it have on us?
“The duty to give alms is as ancient as the Bible,” Pope Francis reminded us in 2016. “Sacrifice and almsgiving were two duties that a devout person had to comply with.”
That has not been rescinded over the centuries. According to the Catechism (2447):
The [corporal and spiritual] works
