“Prayer with fasting is good, but better than both is almsgiving with righteousness” (Tobit 12:8)
It is presumed that all Christians pray—otherwise why call yourself a Christian at all? Excluding the Orthodox, not as many fast, at least regularly and often. Why would the Bible emphasize almsgiving, or charity to others, above prayer and fasting? The answer is evident. We pray in order to be united with the Holy Trinity, and we fast as an exercise in self-discipline. These are of benefit to each one of us individually. We do pray with others. Didn’t our Lord Himself say that “Where two or three are gathered, there I am among them” (Matthew 18:20)? And an ancient adage says: One Christian, no Christian. Still, especially in our culture that does little to discourage self-centeredness and individualism, one can find ample encouragement in caring for one’s interests, or in the popular jargon, “Doing your own thing.” One Russian theologian, Vladimir Soloviev, made of the three a unity embracing the whole person in the striving to union with the Holy Trinity. Prayer unites us with God, and by giving alms we reach out to others and share the grace of God in us. By fasting, we are sanctifying our very bodies, and in that way we sanctify earth itself by realizing ourselves as part of God’s creation. Fasting is taking from God’s good earth only enough that we require for existence. Imagine how the earth would replenish itself—waters could be purer, vegetation would thrive, more animals would live without the threat of slaughter in the massive manner now practiced, and humans would share not only with one another but with all living things God created to adorn His world.
Almsgiving begins with the recognition that others have needs as well as you. More, their plight must exceed your own, if you choose to share with them your own substance. In giving alms, we assume responsibility for our fellow humans. We empathize with their lives of struggle and despair. And we must bear in mind the connection among prayer, fasting and almsgiving. From the first week of Great Lent comes this sticherion: “Give money to the poor, have compassion on the suffering: This is the true fast that is pleasing to God.”
See how carefully the Psalm presents our attitude to the unfortunate: “Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble” (Psalm 41:1). Even more than making a gift to the beggar, which may salve our consciences for the moment, the Lord is instructing us through the psalmist to meditate upon the plight of those who are without means to provide for their lives. Only if we take upon ourselves the problem of those who suffer deprivation will society change. Charity has always been the trademark of Christians through the centuries. How can we possibly read the famous passage 25:31-46 in the Matthew gospel where our Lord, God and Savior identifies with the hungry, thirst, naked and imprisoned and not do whatever we can to alleviate their misery?
St. John Chrysostom is even more direct in joining the three aspects of wholesome Christianity. He says that to pray is to be united with God, and that is an overwhelming privilege for which we should be most thankful. In order to express our gratitude we ought to place a collection box near to our bed so that when we say our prayers at bedtime, we make a contribution that will be given to the poor and needy. In yet another place he says that if we have two of anything—clothing or material goods—one of them is not ours; it really belongs to somebody who has not whatever it is.