Father Maassen's Message - 03/24/2024

One of the greatest evils in our world, both moral and natural, are the lack of food and other necessities for  life. I have read that approximately nine million people die from hunger and related causes each year. The majority of those are women. I would encourage you to do some research on this issue.
 
Almsgiving is defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as “Money or goods given to the poor as an act of penance or fraternal charity. Almsgiving, together with prayer and fasting, are traditionally recommended to foster the state of interior penance.” (1434; cf. 1969, 2447)
 
In the Catechism, it states, “Giving alms to the poor is a witness to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God.” (CCC, No 2462). The greatest theological virtue is Love. In the Catechism, we read “Charity, the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.” (CCC. No. 1822)
 
So, at its core, almsgiving is an act of love for God and our neighbors. Almsgiving also contributes to greater social justice. “At the root of the practice of almsgiving is the principle that “everyone should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as ‘another self,’ above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity” (CCC, No. 1931). This responsibility to care for our neighbors becomes even more important when it involves those who are disadvantaged (CCC, No. 1932). https://missionimpact.svdmissions.org/what-is-almsgiving