Lewis Hejna: Almsgiving and Abstinence

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Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Luke 12:33

Lewis defined Lent as, “a time of identifying more closely with the poor. That is where the almsgiving comes in. Almsgiving is not tithing… it does not hurt any of us to give up something. Whether it’s giving up our cigarettes — I don’t smoke so that wouldn’t be a hardship — I don’t drink beer except very, very occasionally so that wouldn’t be a hardship. But I love ice cream. Okay, so if I give up ice cream, I don’t keep that money but I kind of calculate: How much do I normally spend a week on ice cream? I give that as alms to the poor.” Personally I found this marriage of almsgiving and inspiring because it connects personal decrease with community by designating generosity as the intended outcome of fasting.

Lewis Hejna as quoted by Alicia Britt Chole in 40 Days of Decrease: A Different Kind of Hunger. A Different Kind of Fast. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2016) 138-139.

It is important to remember the aim of Lent. It teaches us to sacrifice in order to share. We abstain with the goal of giving alms. We choose not to enjoy something that is good so that someone else can experience the enjoyment. Generosity becomes the outcome of fasting. It’s beautiful!

Chole traces the roots of Lent back to AD 325 and the Council of Nicea. It’s been a practice of Jesus-followers for centuries, though many Protestants abandoned it with the split from the Catholic church in the days of the Reformation. It’s a baby that was thrown out with the proverbial bathwater.

Think of something you can sacrifice in order to share with the poor. Either save money unspent or sell something on ebay, craigslist, or elsewhere. Then give the money to the poor. Drive to the rescue mission, or identify a charity online. If you are married, do this together. If you have a children, make it a family affair.