In a homily quoted in this morning’s Office of the Readings, St. John Chryostom lists five paths of repentance.

They are:

1. Condemnation of our own sins
2. Forgiveness of our neighbor’s sins against us
3. Prayer
4. Almsgiving
5. Humility

He expounds on each, with what I highlighted here:

1. “A man who condemns his own sin is slower to commit them again.”
2. “To put out of our mind the harm done by our enemies, in order to master our anger and to forgive our fellow servants’ sins against us. Then our own sins against the Lord will be forgiven us.”
3. “Prayer that is fervent and careful and comes from the heart.”
4. “Power is great and far-reaching.”
5. “Modest humble life takes sin away.” He then mentions “the tax collector who had no good deeds to mention, but offered his humility instead and was relieved of a heavy burden of sins.”

The first two sound familiar from the Lord’s Prayer, don’t they? The third also is reminiscent of James 5:16: “The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.”  The fifth, while not reminiscent of anything in particular — at least to me– just seems to make sense. The fourth, though, almsgiving?

I admit I stumbled a bit here. First, I had to give myself a refresher from Merriam Webster online as to the definition of almsgiving, which referred back to the word alms:

Main Entry:
alms Listen to the pronunciation of alms
Pronunciation:
\ˈä(l)mz\
Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural alms
Etymology:
Middle English almesse, almes, from Old English ælmesse, ælmes, from Late Latin eleemosyna alms, from Greek eleēmosynē pity, alms, from eleēmōn merciful, from eleos pity
Date:
before 12th century

1archaic : charity2: something (as money or food) given freely to relieve the poor
- alms·giv·er \-ˌgi-vər\ noun
- alms·giv·ing \-ˌgi-viŋ\ noun

“Poverty is not an obstacle to our carrying out the Lord’s bidding, even when it comes to that path of repentance which involves giving money (almsgiving, I mean). The widow proved that when she put her two mites in the box!” St. John Chrysosthom writes.

And Jesus Himself says in his introduction to the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:1-4:

(But) take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.

But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

The most generous people, both in terms of money and often of love, are those who don’t wish to be recognized. I think it is a model to which we all should seek to live: to live like a Christian, not with a blaring trumpet, but with our daily lives, quietly, to paraphrase Max Ehrmann, “going placidly amid the noise and haste.”

Lord, let me walk these five paths of repentances daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, all the rest of my years to “attain the eternal blessings through the gracy, mercy and kindness of Jesus Christ, our Lord,” as St. John Chrysosthom writes. Amen.

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 16:13-16

Today’s reflection for Sustenance Sunday comes from a homily by the Rev. James P. Dougher of my home parish of St. Peter’s in Wellsboro, Pa.

Fr. Dougher says in today’s Scripture reading, Jesus asks each of the disciples out of their experience who he is. He is not looking for biographical information or that he is a carpenter or a friend. He is asking them what their experience of faith is. Only Peter is able to answer: “Yes, Lord, you are the Christ,” because of the faith that is planted within him to give that response to Jesus. It is that same response we should be able to give.

“It’s not just a question from sacred Scripture from 2,000 years ago, but it’s also for us directed in our everyday lives. We certainly do answer by how we pray, how attend Mass, by what we say and do to others. How do we respond to the question?….Out of a relationship built on faith and love? Let us be mindful of that question: ‘Who do you say that I am?’

Lord, let me be especially mindful this week of my answer to your question, in how I pray, and how I speak and act toward others. Amen.

This is the fourth and final part in a series here at Journeying with the Saints about what it means to be an oblate, specifically as I was received as an oblate candidate at Mount Saviour Monastery, and the Benedictine way of life. I conclude with a discussion on the final item, The Rule of St. Benedict, with which I was presented upon my reception as an oblate candidate at Mount Saviour Monastery.

After I received the Medal of St. Benedict, Fr. Martin then presented me with The Rule of St. Benedict along with an exhortation.

Receive this copy of the Rule of St. Benedict, written in the spirit of the gospels. Let it be your guide in life as a Christian and an oblate. May it guide you in the way of Christ. May your concerns for the needs of others continuously grow as you give of yourself to build up a true Christian bond with those around you: the strong and the weak, the wise and the unwise, the healthy and the sick, the rich and the poor, the joyous and those afflicted with sorrow, the lovable and the unlovable, the secure and insecure, those well cared for and those who are neglected, the young and the aged, those placed over you and those under your care. May your study of this rule inspire you to work zealously with others where you are, for the good of humanity and the glory of God. May God bless you and guide you in your striving to be a faithful witness of Christ and Saint Benedict.

He then concluded with these final blessings: May God’s grace protect you always. Amen. May you be a sign of God’s love for all people. Amen. And may Almighty God bless you, the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Amen.

For more on The Rule of St. Benedict, visit here.

(I’d write more, but I have to go to practice charity with my wife as we clean up our house with my in-laws visiting tomorrow. May the peace of Christ be with you — and especially with me tonight. :-)