For most of the Christian world Wednesday, March 2nd is the beginning of the Season of Lent, except for Orthodox Christians, when Great Lent begins on Monday, March 7th. Though the starting date and number of days of Lent has varied over the centuries, it has always been a time of spiritual renewal through days of fasting in preparation for the Easter celebrations. Over the years a time of 6 weeks for Lent became common among many Christian groups, starting on the Sunday 42 days before Easter. This gave 36 days of fasting since Sundays were not a fast day. In the 7th century the start date was moved back 4 days to allow a 40-day fasting period, as 40 was an important Biblical number. Thus, Ash Wednesday was developed in the 11th century as a Lenten kick-off. It is distinguished by the marking of ashes upon the forehead of those who gathered for church services on the first day in Lent. The traditional disciplines of Lent for Christians are prayer, fasting, and alms.
The word alms means something given freely to relieve the poor. It comes from the Olde English aelmes, which is derived from the Greek word eleemosyne, meaning a kind deed. Jesus said, “When you give to the needy (eleemosynen), sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:2-4) This implies the notion of sharing without need of compensation or recognition. The word “charity” became an equivalent term for alms. The archaic use of charity meant the generosity and helpfulness given towards the needy or suffering, purely out of love for others.
Alms often referred to monetary donations but could also be deeds of kindness. The Acts of the Apostles chapter 9 records, “Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity (eleemosynon).” When she died suddenly the apostle Peter was called to provide comfort and encouragement. “All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.”
Thus, alms was associated with compassion, mercy, and pity, the Greek word eleos. This was an emotion roused by undeserved affliction in others. So, in the story of the Good Samaritan, in Luke chapter 10, the help given the man who was beaten and robbed was described by Jesus as “the one who showed him mercy,” eleos.
The act of providing alms is almsgiving, a concept connected to zakat (one of the 5 pillars of Islam) and sadaqah (voluntary offerings) in the Muslim world, also associated with tzedakah in Jewish teachings. Synonyms of alms are donation, beneficence, contribution, and philanthropy.
During the upcoming season engage in special acts of kindness to others and special monetary offerings to provide help and hope to those in need. Alms is connected to fasting, as one can donate to others the food not consumed or the money not spent to buy food. Consider donating locally to the Moose Jaw Food Bank or Riverside Mission and/or to relief organizations in our area and around the world. We can all take time to reflect on our material circumstances in life and engage in almsgiving. As Paul encouraged, speaking to the Christians in Ephesus, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35)
Columnist John Kreutzwieser loves to research words and writes this weekly Word Wisdom column for Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com. He has an interest in the usage, origin, and relevance of words for society today. Greek and Latin form the basis of many words, with ancient Hebrew shedding light on word usage.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to [email protected] . Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
