Almsgiving: Caring for the Least Among Us

"During this Lent, may we practice almsgiving by giving joyfully (2 Corinthians 9:7). God who 'supplies seed to the sower and bread for food' (2 Corinthians 9:10) enables each of us not only to have food to eat, but also to be generous in doing good to others. While it is true that we have our entire life to sow goodness, let us take special advantage of this Lenten season to care for those close to us and to reach out to our brothers and sisters who lie wounded along the path of life." (Luke 10:25-37). — Pope Francis, 2022 Lenten Message

Updated March 7, 2024

The demand for Christians to be charitable is a frequent theme in the Gospels. During Lent, we are asked to focus more intently on almsgiving, which means donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that "giving alms to the poor is a witness to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God." (no. 2462)

A clear example of this can be found in the Gospel of Matthew. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 'For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'

"Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)

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Almsgiving Suggestions

The following offers just a few ways to donate to those in need. For suggestions on how to give your time and talent, see 25 Ways to Do Works of Mercy in Arkansas.

Catholic Arkansas Sharing Appeal

Give to the Catholic Arkansas Sharing Appeal (CASA), which provides critical funding for the pastoral, educational and social needs of our diocese. You may choose from a one-time gift or pledge to be paid in 10 monthly installments. Donors may pay by check, credit card or bank draft. | Donate online.

Catholic Relief Services

Each Lent our parishes take up a special collection for Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. CRS works to ease human suffering and promote justice around the world. Right now, CRS is taking donations to help families in Ukraine and the Holy Land find shelter, hot meals and transportation to safe areas.

CRS Rice Bowl

What you give up for Lent changes lives. Grab a rice bowl at your parish or school and drop your spare change in it during Lent. Your change brings life-saving change to people in developing countries and at home because 25 percent of the money collected stays in Arkansas to help those in need. Learn how this program fits into Lent by watching the "What is Lent?" video series.

Be a Guardian Angel

Help Arkansas Catholic engage younger generations of Catholics with the Good News of Christ and our Church. Your gift is needed to invest in new technology, software, equipment, training and other resources to communicate more effectively with young adults and Spanish speakers. | Donate online.

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One Church: Unite Arkansas in Faith and Mission

We invite you to support this initiative, which began in 2018 to help a mission church in our diocese for a 12-month period that needs a one-time boost to become a thriving community. This year’s partner is Blessed Stanley Rother Church in Decatur, a small mission 20 miles west of Rogers in northwest Arkansas. The former Baptist church was converted into a Catholic church in 2017. | Donate online.

Catholic Schools Scholarship Appeal

Help provide scholarships for students who cannot afford their tuition in an Arkansas Catholic school. The schools subsidize the cost to educate each child through donations, fundraisers and parish subsidies, but many schools are not able to cover the entire amount the families need. | Donate online.

Support Seminarian Education

God is answering our prayers. He is calling men to the priesthood and they are listening. The Diocese of Little Rock has gained 47 new priests in the past 15 years. God willing, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will ordain another to the priesthood in May 2024. It costs $41,000 to educate one seminarian per year. With the increases in cost and seminarians, we need your help to form our future priests. | Donate online.

Special Collections

These are taken up in all parishes throughout the year. Visit our special collections calendar to help you plan your donations. During Lent, special collections will be taken up on Ash Wednesday, for Catholic Relief Services, our diocesan seminarians on Holy Thursday and the Holy Land on Good Friday.

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