Tag: Almsgiving

The purpose of fasting
If the sum total of my Lenten experience is giving up some treat, where is the conversion? Where is the deepening of my relationship with Jesus Christ?

Lent is time to become aware of false prophets, cold hearts, pope says
Catholics should use the season of Lent to look for signs and symptoms of being under the spell of false prophets and of living with cold, selfish and hateful hearts, Pope Francis said.

Poverty has a name
The story went something like this: A group of MBAs from a prestigious university (that shall remain unnamed) determined that through applying their business acumen they could make Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity more effective. They traveled to Kolkata, India, requested a meeting and were received by the saint herself. They pulled out their flow charts and spreadsheets filled with graphs and data, and she sat listening, quietly, politely.

Don’t worry how it’s spent, always give homeless a handout, pope says
People who don’t give money to the homeless because they think it will be spent on alcohol and not food should ask themselves what guilty pleasures they are secretly spending money on, Pope Francis said.

What should I do for Lent?
Q. Lent is right around the corner, and I never seem to know what to do for the season. I’ve tried giving things up, but it always seems a bit hollow. What should I do?

Lent: almsgiving, fasting and prayer
A three-part series on the three basic pillars of Lent: almsgiving, fasting and prayer. In honor of the Year of Consecrated Life, each feature will include members of religious communities who are deeply living out these spiritual practices all year long.

Lenten practices opportunities for fuller life in Christ
God is indeed asking us to die to self and to resist temptation, but the reason behind these actions is to clear out more space in our hearts for him and for his grace. Our prayer, fasting and almsgiving are not ends in themselves. They are not ways to prove our strengths or increase our skills, but rather opportunities to become more fully alive in Christ, more able to reveal his love to the people around us.

‘Servant of the poor’: Almsgiving a push toward generosity, community
“It really is an essential part of Christianity; it’s not optional. It has to do with the most fundamental Christian virtue, which is charity and love of God.” – John Froula, assistant professor of theology at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity

Lenten tradition combats poverty at home, abroad
“One of our primary goals is to help Catholics live out their missionary call that comes through baptism.” – Deacon Mickey Friesen, director of the archdiocesan Center for Mission

Food campaign seeks donations through March
Minnesota FoodShare is calling on parishes to restock the state’s food shelves this month as part of the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches’ March Campaign.

10 things to remember for Lent
Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, Wis., chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, offers the following list for Lent:

Penance, conversion are key to Lent
I heartily recommend each of us making a specific resolution this Lent in the areas of prayer, fasting and almsgiving
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