Almsgiving is good for you

It's easy to forget that almsgiving is not only a good idea and helpful to the needy, but also good for the giver, a spiritual discipline, encouraging detachment from things, and a form of union with God's Energies and activities everywhere - which may be why the Lord said, "It is more blest to give than to receive." Self-restraint of greed, desire, envy ... all things I have some acquaintance with as a not-so-healthy working-class American!

So said the pope of Rome in his Lenten message this week. (Western Lent starts this Wednesday.) The trio of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving is also traditionally part of Orthodoxy's Great Fast, which this year begins on Clean Monday, March 10. They're also part of Orthodoxy throughout the year, though not as emphasized as during Fasts, especially the Great Fast.

I also read somewhere that it's good to say a prayer for a recipient when writing the check, filling-out the online form, giving it in-person (not necessarily audibly, I suppose, unless you're a cleric or monastic maybe!), or whatever.

"Christ is Risen" in Latin; Blessing of Food

Christ is Born for us! Glorify Him!

I know this post is completely out-of-season, but I just came across information here that Pascha planners might want to consider (in the paragraph just above "PECULIAR CUSTOMS OF EASTER TIME"). In some Orthodox settings during Pascha-tide Liturgies I've heard them include the Greeting and Response - "Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!" - in different languages, including Latin - "Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit!"

However, according to the old Catholic Encyclopedia, briefly, in imitation of the East, Rome had its own version of the Greeting and Response, directly from Luke 24:34: "Surrexit Dominus vere! Et apparuit Simoni! The Lord has truly risen! He has appeared to Simon!" Maybe they did this variation because of Rome's emphasis on St. Peter. Anyway, so here we have an actual 'Latin Orthodox' traditional Paschal Greeting.

I also note under "Peculiar Custom" Number 8 that according to the CE, Pascha blessing of food wasn't just random like the West blesses any and all animals on its feast of Francis of Assisi in October - it was getting your priest's blessing, so to speak, to resume eating the foods fasted from, even though of course the Great Fast/Lent rules officially ended at Pascha. If they're right, there was no need to include in your Pascha basket at church things not covered by the Fast, like, I dunno, coffee, sugar candies, etc. Although the CE doesn't touch on the feast immediately afterward at church! ;)