097 - What Exactly Are Alms?

One of the most powerful things we can do as humans on this earth is to show love and compassion to the people around us through our actions. When we have blessings in our lives, nothing can bring us closer to God than to share those blessings with those who are experiencing times of need. In this episode, Donald gets into how to properly give alms without being self-interested and offers some ideas on how you can show love in your community.

What does it mean to “give alms”?

  • Historically, this has meant giving money or food to poor people.

  • Now, we use it to mean charitable giving and any other way we offer assistance to anyone in need

  • This is NOT the same as doing things out of obligation, or for attention!

  • Tithing and giving alms are not exactly the same, but both are ways people give through their Church

  • This is an opportunity to share the blessings you have received in life with people who have less, and focus on the care and love you can offer rather than what you’ll get out of it

Ideas for alms-giving

  • Donate to an organization that offers housing or food to people experiencing poverty

  • Work with local aid groups to get donations of the kinds of goods people in your area need - this can vary based on the season, so reach out to folks in the know

  • Offer your time as a volunteer at a nonprofit

  • Talk to a friend, coworker or family member who is going through a hard time and just needs someone to listen

We hope you got some ideas on how you can practice some alms-giving today! If you and someone you know are working on giving alms together, send them this episode and encourage them to subscribe. If you liked what you heard, leave us a rating or review on iTunes. If you need someone to talk to and you’d like to reach out to Donald, e-mail donaldckelly09@gmail.com, or find him on Twitter or Instagram.