In one of his homilies, St. Peter Chrysologus, speaks of the merits of the three works of Lent:
prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. “There are three things by which faith stands firm, devotion
remains constant, and virtue endures: prayer, fasting, and alms.” He goes on to say that
although each has its distinct work, these three are so closely united that they must be
performed in consort; although they take different forms according to one’s duty of state, bodily
strength, and finances, no one should neglect them. As he exhorts: “let prayer, alms, and
fasting be one single plea to God on our behalf, one speech in our defense, a threefold united
prayer in our favor.”
In the parable of the sower, Our Lord speaks of those who persevere through trial but bear no
fruit. These bear no fruit because they are choked by thorns, which Jesus explains are cares,
riches, and pleasures. St. John speaks of these thorns in another way in his first letter: he calls
them lust of the flesh (pleasures), lust of the eyes (riches) and pride of life (cares). That lust of
the flesh is pleasures is clear: each of us has experienced the way the flesh desires something
and ‘lusts’ after it, irritating us until we give in. The most vehement example is sexual desire,
and for that reason such desire is also the most destructive when engaged in, but it also applies
to other goods like food, drink, and rest. Over time, these pleasures choke us if we seek them
for their own sake and not as a means to a higher end.
Riches is lust of the eyes, since the eyes see all the things they desire, much like when Satan
took Jesus on high and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. Lust of the eyes sees
money, security, houses, cars, vacations, clothing, shoes, books, tools, gadgets—whatever they
can see, the eyes can desire in this way and this desire begins to choke when it overtakes and
smothers spiritual desire. And cares are pride of life because they entail a desire to control
one’s life rather than submitting to God. Pride of life chokes us because it undermines the good
that would come from openness to the divine will and trust in his providence.
The remedies to these three threats are the works of Lent: prayer, fasting, and alms. Fasting
works against the lust of the flesh by cutting off pleasures at their starting point, which is through
food. Almsgiving combats the lust of the eyes by being free with what one possesses, looking
upon riches as something to be used rather than hoarded. And prayer works against pride of
life by putting one’s cares in the sight of God and truly desiring the kingdom of God before all
else.
Dom Alban Baker, CRNJ, received his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from the
Dominican House of Studies in Washington DC. He is a member of the Canons Regular of the
New Jerusalem, a monastic community serving the diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West
Virginia, and also works for the Continuing Education Program at Catholic International
University.