All I have is yours

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Today, March 9th, is the Feast Day of St Frances. Frances was born a Roman aristocrat in 1384 and was known for her great charity during epidemics and civil war; she organized a women’s society dedicated to self-denial and good works. During her lifetime St Frances donated most of her extensive wealth to the poor of Rome.

The three pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting, and alms giving. St Frances is a wonderful model for those of us challenged by the notion of alms giving. St Francis did not give her wealth and herself away because she thought she could eradicate Roman poverty. She gave her wealth and herself away because she understood that everything that she had in her life was a gift from God and that she was called to pass those gifts on to others.

I am reflecting today on the extensive wealth that I enjoy. I am blessed with material comforts beyond the comprehension of most people on this planet. Yet is so easy for me to focus on what I do not have, on what I wish I had, on what I have decided that I need. My comfort demands and satisfaction requirements are seemly limitless. Lent is the time in which we are asked to switch our focus away from ourselves. We are asked to redirect our priorities. This is the time to intentionally think about the specific reasons why it is a Lenten pillar to share what we have with individuals less fortunate than ourselves.

First, one of the Gospels’ most foundational calls is for Christians to practice charity. Alms giving is described as “a witness to fraternal charity” and “a work of justice pleasing to God” in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2462. Alms is a way to share God’s gifts, not only through the redistribution of money, but through the sharing of time and talents. Additionally, in giving alms we intentionally sacrifice our own comfort and satisfaction for the sake of others. We experience, even if only momentarily, what it feels like to do without, to feel unsatisfied, to feel want. Alms giving can create a sense of solidarity.

Lastly, an important reason to deny ourselves and to give away what we consider to be “ours” is to recognize that nothing, in reality, is truly ours; everything we have and hold is a gift from God. The fact that I am affluent and comfortable is not because of my own righteousness or my own intelligence or because of my own doing. Who I am in this life is an ongoing gift from God. Therefore it is incumbent upon me to pass on these gifts to others. I do not offer alms thinking that my money or my time, or my talents will be the key to eradicating someone else’s poverty or misery. I offer what I have remembering that nothing I consider “mine” actually, really, belongs to me anyway. I ultimately possess nothing without God’s Grace.

Author: Dea Ochs, Social Studies Department Co-chair