The Three Pillars of Lent

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are what the church refers to as the three pillars of Lent. We can all use a refresher now and then and get some ideas on how to live out those pillars in our own lives this Lenten season.

Our first pillar is PRAYER
This one should be the easiest of the three. As Christians we are supposed to be praying anyway, so why make it a requirement? Because the sad truth is that many Christians do not pray, at least not with any regularity. This Lent I offer you this challenge; increase your prayer life. Try adding one or two of these ideas to your life:

• Start with the basics. Pray everyday. Start the morning with a prayer. Or pray before you fall asleep.
• If you already praying everyday, just add a few more minutes.
• Add a prayer for priests. Pray for Fr. Rick especially, Archbishop Hebda, and Pope Francis too.
• Join us for the Rosary in the chapel Fridays during Lent at 6:30pm, and Mondays at 6:00pm year-round.
• Attend the Stations of the Cross Fridays during Lent at 7:00pm in the church.
• Visit the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel for some quiet time. It is open daily from 8:00am to 8:00 pm.

I know it may sound like a lot, especially for this busy world we live in, but give a couple of those a try. Do what you can, but just keep working towards more prayer.

Our second pillar is FASTING
Why do we fast? Well, fasting goes very well with prayer. It’s like salt and pepper, they just work well together. One reason is that by fasting we deny our appetites and we can focus more intensely on our prayer.
Another reason the Church encourages both fasting and abstinence, is to show solidarity with the poor. For many centuries the poor didn’t have access to meat on a regular basis like the rich did. Today meat is still expensive, so when we skip a meal or abstain from eating meat, it lets us walk a mile in their shoes and learn to empathize with the plight of the poor.
But, there are other ways you could try to fast that don’t involve food, and these ways may even be more challenging and uncomfortable:

• Try limiting your social-media exposure, or fasting from the 24-hour news networks. Give up Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In a word, unplug.

Lent is a time to fast from those things and habits that may have become a roadblock to our relationship with Christ.

Our last pillar is ALMSGIVING
It’s my favorite pillar. Why? Because it already is prayer, AND it involves fasting.
Almsgiving is a form of prayer because it is actually giving of yourself to God — it’s not just charity. It is a form of fasting because it demands sacrificial giving — not just giving something, but giving up something, giving till it hurts. We have three ways you can give Alms at St. Edward this Lenten season: The Lenten Giving Tree, by giving Financial Gifts, and with Volunteer Opportunities.

Lenten Giving Tree
For the season of Lent, we are collecting basic cleaning supplies for the Cornerstone Emergency Shelter. They will distribute them to families that are moving out of their shelters and into permanent housing. Simply choose a tag or two from the tree, purchase the items on the tag, and drop off the donations in the designated bin.

Financial Gifts
The Church of St. Edward has selected two charities to support again this year with your almsgiving. Donations to the local charity, VEAP, help individuals and families – our neighbors – remain strong and stable. Your support has a direct impact on low-income families living in the Bloomington community. We’ve also chosen a global charity, Catholic Relief Services. For more than 75 years, CRS has been providing expertise and compassion to the very poorest of our brothers and sisters in more than 100 countries. And it's because of generous contributions from you.
Financial donations to VEAP or CRS may be dropped in the Almsgiving basket, or placed in the drop box in the chapel foyer. If you are giving by check, please indicate “Almsgiving” on the memo line. Cash donations should be placed in an envelope marked “Almsgiving.”
Every year we also do a special collection on Holy Thursday, which will be split between the Bishop Dudley Emergency Fund and the Tegeder Fund. While the Dudley Fund gives emergency assistance to individuals in financial crisis, the Tegeder Fund supports local non-profit organizations who are raising funds for projects that benefit our local community.

Volunteer Opportunities
St. Edward has a long history with Loaves & Fishes, preparing and distributing meals on a monthly basis. Currently, team members as well as a coordinator are needed to continue this important ministry at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Bloomington. To volunteer as a member of the team, visit our Online Sign-Ups page and sign up for a shift. To find out more about becoming the coordinator, contact Mary Kay Hird in the parish office.

So, those are the three pillars. The biggest thing that they all have in common is that we should be doing them already, they aren’t something special that we do only for Lent. We only increase these virtues during Lent, and hopefully it carries over for the rest of the year.

Peace be with you this Lenten season.