Lent is a season of preparation during which Christians ready their hearts to celebrate Easter, the “Feast of feasts.” For 40 days leading up to Easter, Christians are called to grow closer to God. We can do this by practicing the three pillars of Lent:
The Three Pillars of Lent
- Almsgiving
- Praying
- Fasting
Matthew Chapter 6 has a lot to teach us about almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. If you have a minute to grab your bible, you can open to Matthew Ch. 6 and follow along. I’ve also included the relevant verses in the sections below. Let’s get into it.
The First Pillar of Lent: Almsgiving
What is almsgiving? Almsgiving is a specific type of giving that focuses on the poor. In historical context, to give “alms” specifically meant to make charitable donations of money, food, or other items to people in poverty.
We can look to the Catechism of the Catholic Church for another definition, “Giving alms to the poor is a witness to the fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God” (CCC 2462).
Let’s read Mattew 6: 1 – 4 to learn more about how we should give.
Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, 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 repay you.
Matt 6: 1 – 4
There isn’t much privacy in today’s world. Most of what we do is shared online for everyone to see. There’s a quiet expectation that with social media we should be public about our lives, especially when it comes to our accomplishments and good deeds. The modern question seems to be, “If you don’t post about it, did it even happen?” Experiencing life becomes secondary to posting about it. Getting “likes” and “views” becomes the reward more so than the initial experience of life itself.
This is the mindset Matthew is cautioning against in the Gospel passage above. It’s important for us, especially during Lent, to determine where we seek our rewards. Do we desire the earthly rewards of praise and admiration from our peers or do we seek our reward from God, who will reward us in Heaven? We all have a desire to be seen, and perhaps that’s why it feels so good when we can tally up the “likes” on an Instagram post. But the feeling is temporary as our post is bumped down the feed by newer ones.
God wants us to know that we are always seen and that he offers us eternal rewards. We don’t get filed into the archives or bumped down the feed when it comes to God’s vision. We are always in his sight. God sees your good deed long before you post about it, “and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” His reward waits for us in Heaven and it will be much greater than anything we could obtain on earth. When we give during the season of Lent, let’s examine our intentions closely. What rewards are we seeking?
The Second Pillar of Lent: Praying
Now let’s read Matthew 6: 5 – 8, teaching about prayer.
When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matt 6: 5 – 8
Praying publicly comes up often for me around the holidays. I can think of many Christmas dinners and Thanksgiving potlucks where someone was asked to lead the blessing before everyone eats. I usually duck my head and stare at my plate, waiting for someone else to volunteer. I’ve always preferred writing my thoughts down over speaking them out loud.
The one occasion when I did volunteer was at an office Christmas party. I don’t remember what I said during the prayer, but I do remember that afterward I felt embarrassed and concerned that what I’d prayed may have sounded silly to my coworkers. In that way, I was unfortunately similar to the hypocrites who prayed “so that others may see them.” I was too focused on how what I said sounded to others than on how it sounded to God.
The good news is, God understands the way we pray whether it be with hands folded at our heart center or arms stretched to the ceiling with palms open. He understands the words we choose, even if they are different from those someone else would use. And he gets it. He gets me. He gets you.
This isn’t all to say that praying publicly is bad. We pray publicly at church, at bible studies, at meals, and so on. In others’ times of need, we join hands and bow our heads together. This is a righteous, beautiful thing to do. But there is something special about talking with God one-on-one in private prayer. When we pray with just God, we don’t have to fit into other’s versions of how to pray and we are less likely to consciously or unconsciously censor ourselves to sound more “holy” to people listening around us.
Lent is a great time to increase our private prayer time. You might consider setting up a prayer area in the “inner room” of your household where you can pray by yourself. I am hoping to set up my own prayer space during Lent. If you might want to do the same, check out this Pinterest board with inspiration for prayer rooms I’ve put together with a few ideas from other Christian writers.
The Third Pillar of Lent: Fasting
And for the third pillar, let’s read Matthew 6: 16 – 18, teaching about fasting.
When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.
Matt 6: 16 – 18
During Lent, Catholics fast on the following days:
- Ash Wednesday– the first day of Lent on which Christians receive ashes on their foreheads as a reminder that “Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return.”
- Good Friday – the Friday before Easter reserved for the remembrance of Jesus’ crucifixion
- All Fridays during Lent – Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent in addition to fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday,
On days of fasting, Catholics have one full meal and two smaller meals during the day without snacking in between. Fasting is not required for children, the elderly, breastfeeding or pregnant mothers, or anyone whose health would be negatively affected by fasting.
Fasting during Lent helps us to develop self-discipline. The small practice of fasting from food during Lent conditions us for the larger practice we are called to as Christians, fasting from sin. The USCCB offers a great reflection on Lenten Fasting here. It is also a tradition to give up something you enjoy, like sweets or TV, during Lent as another way to practice denying desires that are unhealthy for our bodies and spirits.
Make Your Lent Action Plan
As we begin this Lenten season, set aside time to sit with God and prayerfully answer these three questions:
- Who is God asking me to give alms to this Lent?
- When will I set aside time to pray over the next 40 days?
- What is something I overindulge in that I can fast from during Lent?
The message in Matthew’s gospel is clear: God rewards those who serve him quietly. Let’s quietly serve God through this season of Lent with almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.