Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Springfield, IL

  • About
    • Contact Us
    • History of the Cathedral
    • Liturgical Schedules
    • Parish Staff
    • Register with Cathedral
    • Subscribe to the Cathedral eWeekly
  • Sacraments
    • Baptism
    • Becoming Catholic
    • Matrimony
    • Vocations
  • Ministry List
    • Adult Faith Formation
    • Cathedral Meal Train
    • Cathedral Online Prayer Wall
    • Cathedral Concerts
    • Family of Faith
    • Grief Share
    • Health and Wellness
    • Spiritual Resources
  • Stewardship
    • Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response
    • Stewardship Form
  • Support
    • E-Giving Frequently Asked Questions
    • Give Online
  • Sunday News
    • Announcements
    • Cathedral Weekly
    • Livestream Feed
    • Submit a Mass Intention Request
    • Weekly or Announcement Submission

Almsgiving During Lent

Almsgiving is more than just allocating surplus funds to a charitable organization or cause. More is expected of us than that! Think of almsgiving as acts of generosity that enable the performance of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. It is through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy that we show ourselves to be faithful, rather than accidental, disciples.

Ours is an age of scandals, and one of the great scandals that has become a stumbling block to so many in terms of the faith is that too many of the faithful have come to believe that the performance of the works of mercy is a matter of delegation. We make the works of mercy works for hire and exempt ourselves from having to actually do them ourselves. Not so! The works of mercy cannot be delegated. We each have to do them, and it is through our participation in the works of mercy that almsgiving is fulfilled.

Almsgiving places a demand on us to receive Christ as he presents himself to us in his poor.

Almsgiving places a demand on us to receive Christ as he presents himself to us in his poor. This can be an off-putting experience because Christ arrives in his poor on his own terms. Our place, once he makes his presence known, is not to control, but to serve. And as in his poor Christ takes the lowest place, we are compelled to take our place beneath him as servants of the One who makes himself a slave. The performance of such service often resists offering to us the kinds of consolations that we might expect from our service to the Lord, but it is precisely in this that our service becomes efficacious. We learn from this experience how to imitate Christ’s generosity, who gave to us fully knowing that what he gave was undeserved, could not be reciprocated, and would be unappreciated by many. It is in imitation of Christ’s service and acceptance of his conditions that our own service is perfected.

Almsgiving is also a reminder of our own mortality, inasmuch as all worldly goods will be surrendered at the moment of death. Rather than building ever greater storehouses for our possessions, we give what we have away. That we do so incrementally prepares us for the surrender of all worldly goods that will ultimately come.

Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. None of these are ends in themselves. Instead, each is a way, a way that is opening us up to the Church’s spiritual passage into the great mysteries of Holy Week:

“Remember, thou art dust And shall to dust return: Then place not in the world thy trust, Its delusions spurn; Prepare thee for the mighty change Impending over all; Give to thy thoughts a loftier range And heed Heaven’s call.”

(J. Beste, nineteenth century)

This is an excerpt from an article titled, “How to Get Ready for Lent” by Fr. Steve Grunow, CEO of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. The article can be found at the Word on Fire Blog, wordonfire.org.

❮❮ Previous Post
Next Post ❯ ❯

Liturgy

Sunday Masses (unless noted differently in weekly bulletin)
Saturday Evening Vigil – 4:00PM
Sunday – 7:00AM, 10:00AM and 5:00PM

Weekday Masses (unless noted differently in weekly bulletin)
Monday thru Friday – 7:00AM and 5:15PM
Saturday – 8:00AM

Reconciliation (Confessions)
Monday thru Friday – 4:15PM to 5:00PM
Saturday – 9:00AM to 10:00AM and 2:30PM to 3:30PM
Sunday – 4:00PM to 4:45PM

Adoration
Tuesdays and Thursdays – 4:00PM to 5:00PM

 

CatholicMassTime.org

Parish Information

Parish Address
524 East Lawrence Avenue
Springfield, Illinois 62703

Parish Office Hours
Monday thru Thursday – 8:00AM to 4:00PM
Fridays – CLOSED

Parish Phone
(217) 522-3342

Parish Fax
(217) 210-0136

Parish Staff

Contact Us

Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 · Log in