Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are fundamental practices in the life of a Catholic. They are performed with even more intensity during the season of Lent, a time of radical conversion and spiritual devotion.
The season of Lent is inspired by the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert, allowing the devil to tempt him with food, treasure, and power. The fact that Jesus did not give in to these temptations foreshadows his victory over sin and death at Easter.
Imitating Jesus and practicing the Lenten pillars of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving helps man to detach from worldly things, turn away from sin, and follow God more closely while building up virtues that help him resist temptation.
Fasting overcomes the desires of the flesh, provided it is done with a spirit of repentance. Catholics exercise self-denial, recognizing that everything comes from God and should not be taken for granted. Fasting can include eating less food or even giving up certain habits or activities.
Giving alms and performing other acts of charity helps to detach from earthly possessions while imitating Jesus by showing love toward others. This can include donating money and service to the Church, a food bank, other charities, and even to friends or other neighbors in need..
Prayer shows dependence on God and builds up the virtue of humility. Spending time in solitude and silence while reading Sacred Scripture, praying the Stations of the Cross, meditating on the Passion, or spending time before the Blessed Sacrament overcomes pride and decreases the tendency to focus on one’s self.
Three pillars of preparation:
Supporting the journey from ashes to the Resurrection:
Putting faith into action:
“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. 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. 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.”
Matthew 6: 2-8, 16-18
Highlighting the connection between the body and soul:
The holy violence of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving:
The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church’s penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works).
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1438
Preparing like Jesus:
Practices directed by Jesus in order to overcome temptation:
In the Old Testament the religious sense of penitence is revealed with even greater richness. Even though man generally has recourse to it in the aftermath of sin to placate the wrath of God, or on the occasion of grave calamities, or when special dangers are imminent, or in any case to obtain benefits from the Lord, we can nevertheless establish that external penitential practices are accompanied by an inner attitude of “conversion,” that is to say of condemnation of and detachment from sin and of striving toward God. One goes without food or gives away his property (fasting is generally accompanied not only by prayer but also by alms) even after sins have been forgiven and independently of a request for graces. One fasts or applies physical discipline to “chastise one’s own soul,” to “humble oneself in the sight of his own God,” to “turn one’s face toward Jehovah,” to “dispose oneself to prayer,” to “understand” more intimately the things which are divine, or to prepare oneself for the encounter with God.
Pope Paul VI, Paenitemini, 17 February 1966
All three pillars are necessary like legs of a stool:
When, not if:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
Reading Scripture in a more honest way:
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