Prayer, fasting, almsgiving: The pillars of Lent explained

By OSV News, OSV News

(OSV News) -- The three traditional pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through the penitential practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we ready ourselves to celebrate God’s marvelous redemption at Easter, and the resurrected life that we live, and hope for, as Christians.

-- Pray daily

The act of praying, especially the prayer Jesus taught us, expresses our humility and dependence on God. Jesus shows us how to pray in the Gospels when he hands on the words of the Lord’s Prayer. He encourages us to address God as Father -- literally, Abba, or "Dad." Jesus welcomes us into a relationship with God; in order to sustain this relationship, he gives us words to communicate with the Divine. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we acknowledge our own struggle with striving to be powerful and are reminded that even our "daily bread" comes from the true source of power, God.

Lent is a time to devote ourselves to prayer in a more intentional way. Set aside time every day to pray. Remember to pray for the gift of life, for all of the catechumens who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil and for the humility to serve others as Jesus did.

-- The practice of fasting

Fasting is more than simply developing self-control around food. Spiritual fasting reminds us of our hunger for God. The Lenten pillar of fasting is one of the most ancient practices in Lent. The early Church celebrated the Paschal fast -- abstaining from food for two days before the Easter Vigil. The Second Vatican Council, in Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy), called us to renew the observance of this tradition: "Let the paschal fast be kept sacred. Let it be celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and, where possible, prolonged throughout Holy Saturday, so that the joys of the Sunday of the Resurrection may be attained with uplifted and clear mind" (No. 110). Fasting and abstinence help us overcome the temptations to selfishness that can come from an oversized ego.

Quick facts on fasting and abstinence

-- Fasting means eating only one normal-sized meal and two small meals, with no snacks.
-- Abstinence means eating no meat. Milk, eggs and fish are fine.
-- Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of both abstinence and fasting.
-- Fridays during Lent are days of abstinence.
-- Those 14 and older are required to abstain from meat.
-- Those 18-59 are required to fast. Those with special medical conditions that prevent fasting are excluded.
-- Ash Wednesday is 46 days before Easter, but Lent is considered 40 days long, because Sundays are not counted as days of Lent. The reason? Fasting was considered inappropriate on Sunday, the day commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus.

-- Give alms

The giving of alms can be traced back to before the time of Jesus. In the parable of the poor widow, Jesus uses the tradition of almsgiving to teach us about generosity. He says that it is the widow who gives the better share because she gives out of her daily living expenses, out of her poverty, while the rich give simply from their surplus (Lk 21:1-4). This Gospel passage reminds us that sharing our blessings is not optional for Catholic Christians. Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral to the Christian way of life.