Almsgiving

I would bet that many of you who were raised Catholic can remember getting the cardboard "rice bowls" at Lent (I don't remember seeing them in a while). The nuns at my school would make sure that each of us had one. I remember sacrificing just a bit to fill that bowl. As an adult, my giving has been different. I usually give more with checks than what is in my pocket. While this is not bad, it is not as frequent as constant smaller offerings. With so many churches no longer having a "poor box" there is not even that weekly reminder of our need to give alms. A priest friend has made a suggestion that I wanted to share. The suggestion was to have an alms jar in the house. We bought a clay jar on one of our mission visits (you can see photos from all our California mission visits by clicking here). All of us in the family donate to this daily. When the jar gets full enough we will give it to a local organization that feeds the poor or houses the homeless. I wanted to share this because I was struck by the simplicity and effectiveness of this way for teaching our children this important "act of religion." Every morning I remind the kids to put something in the alms jar from their allowance or gift money or tidbits they may have earned here or there. But not only teaching my children, this has provided the constant reminder to me of the importance of giving to the poor - and making them a part of my busy daily life. This post is cross posted at Catholic Dads.