Saint Frances Cabrini Parish

Father Kleppner - March 6^th 2005

I share with you this very excellent reflection of Mike Aquilina, former editor of the Pittsburgh Catholic and present editor of Our Sunday Visitor.

Charity begins at Lent: The habit of almsgiving
Of the three marks of Lent — prayer, fasting and almsgiving—almsgiving is surely the most neglected.
And yet, in the only place where the Bible brings all three together, the inspired author puts the emphasis firmly on the last: “Prayer and fasting are good, but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness... It is better to give alms than to store up gold; for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin. Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life” (Tob 12:8-9).
Why is almsgiving better than prayer and fasting? Because it is prayer, and it involves fasting. Almsgiving is a form of prayer because it is “giving to God” – and not mere philanthropy. It is a form of fasting because it demands sacrificial giving – not just giving something, but giving up something, giving till it hurts.
Jesus presented almsgiving as a necessary part of Christian life: “when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Mt 6:2-3). He does not say if you give alms, but when. Like fasting and prayer, almsgiving is non-negotiable.
The first Christians knew this. “There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need” (Acts 4:34-35).
That was the living embodiment of a basic principle of Catholic social teaching, what tradition calls “the universal destination of goods.” The catechism puts it succinctly: “The goods of creation are destined for the entire human race” (2452).
But they can’t get there unless we put them there — and that requires effort.
Helps to have a plan
As with prayer and fasting, so with almsgiving. If we have a plan, we’ll find it easier to do. Throughout history, many Christians have used the Old Testament practice of “tithing” as a guide — that is, they give a tenth of their income “to God.” In practice that means giving it to the parish, the poor, and to charitable institutions.
Ed Kenna a parishioner at St. Bede in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood, remembers the day he decided to start tithing.
“When I was a senior in high school, back in 1939-40, I read an article on charitable giving in a Catholic newspaper,” he recalls. “And it had a lot of testimonies to the fruits of tithing. Breadwinners told how God provided whenever they were in need or had an emergency. I decided, then and there, to start tithing, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
For Kenna, those 65 years have had their financial ups and downs. He served in the military during World War II, went to college and raised a family of nine children. Through it all, he says, he was often tempted, but he never wavered in his tithing.
“There were many times when I reached a point where I said, ‘Something has to give – but I’m not going to give up on my tithing.’”
It’s a matter of trusting God, Kenna adds, “and God will not be outdone in generosity.”
Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), but those who tithe often find themselves on the receiving end as well.
“I worked as an industrial engineer through the highs and lows of American industry.” Kenna recalls “Twice my job fell victim to corporate mergers, but the phone always rang just in time. I never lost an hour of work to layoffs.”
He sees the difficult times as God’s test of our trust.
“It’s especially hard in the beginning. On your first paycheck, it hurts. On the second, the pain’s a little less. At about the third or fourth, there’s no pain at all. You get used to it. It’s a habit. But you have to make that firm resolution: I’m gonna do it and not give in.”
Kenna, like many others, interprets tithing to mean taking 10 percent off the “first fruits” — gross income rather than net. He divides this up as “5 percent to the parish and 5 percent to other Catholic institutions.” He also gives of his time and has, for many decades, been a volunteer for the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

FATHER KLEPPNER ARCHIVES

115 Trinity Drive
Aliquippa, PA 15001 (724) 775-6363 Phone
(724) 775-3848 Fax

Father Kleppner - March 6th 2005

Charity begins at Lent: The habit of almsgiving

FATHER KLEPPNER ARCHIVES

St. Frances Cabrini Parish

Father Kleppner - March 6^th 2005