CRS Rice Bowl is effective for Lenten almsgiving
By now, we have all heard about the three paths of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. This traditional and graced formula is a surefire way to make Lent a truly spiritual time.
The technique only works, however, if we make a conscious effort to pray, fast and give alms.
There are many ways to walk these three paths, and at the beginning of each Lent I’m filled with anticipation and joy at making this the best Lent ever. Unfortunately, when Easter Sunday dawns, I look back and realize sadly that I missed many opportunities.
This Lent, the thought occurs to me that it is better to choose one or two things in each category and try to do them well rather than take on too much and doom myself to failure. To this end, regarding almsgiving, I’ve decided to make CRS Rice Bowl, previously known as Operation Rice Bowl, my way of giving back for what the Lord has given me.
Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Its programs serve more than 100 million people in almost 100 countries, and 94 percent of donations go directly to these programs.
The advantage of CRS Rice Bowl for Lenten giving is that it is readily available, easily accessible and extremely effective.
As a member of the CRS Board of Directors, I can speak from my own experience about how effective the CRS Rice Bowl program is, not just around the world but also for people in our own community.
Of the money you and I here in Utah donate for CRS Rice Bowl, 25 percent will stay in our own diocese. These funds will support Catholic Community Services, the Cathedral of the Madeleine’s Good Samaritan program, and our mission communities, among others that work to provide food and essentials to the needy in our midst.
Most of the money donated to CRS Rice Bowl, however, goes overseas to developing countries. I have traveled to several countries where CRS is doing incredible work, and I have seen firsthand the Rice Bowl dollars being put to good work to end entrenched poverty.
Whether it is improving harvests in Burkina Faso, stopping tuberculosis in East Timor, bringing early childhood education to Lesotho, fostering savings in the Dominican Republic, providing clean water in Pakistan, or helping parishes in need here in our own diocese, CRS Rice Bowl reaches out to an incredible number of people in an extremely effective and efficient manner.
Two things about Rice Bowl amaze me: how effective it is in helping so many people, but also how we Catholics in the United States don’t give it the priority it deserves.
During Lent the last few years, I must confess I had a Rice Bowl on my office table and during the first few days it garnered many donations, both from my wallet and from those of my visitors. For the rest of the 38 days of Lent, however, it pretty much just decorated my meeting table, and when I went to open it at the end of Lent I’m embarrassed to tell you how little there was in there.
As a matter of fact, I believe that the average amount collected in each Rice Bowl in the United States is $1.40. Whether I have the exact figure or not, it’s incredibly low, about 3.5 cents per day. A cup of coffee from a local shop costs at least twice the average amount donated.
Even though individually this is such a low amount, together U.S. Catholics donated a little over $6 million last year to CRS Rice Bow. Imagine what we could achieve if each of us donated the cost of one cup of coffee, or two donuts, or the price of a lunch or dinner!
It would be a wonderful thing if all of us in the Diocese of Salt Lake City could prioritize the Rice Bowl. Please pick one up at your parish church, or call the Pastoral Center, order one free from www.crsricebowl.com, or just take an old plastic bowl from your cupboard, write CRS Rice Bowl on it, and have people donate throughout the Lenten season. Then, at Easter, put that money into the collection basket during Mass.
Together, we can fast so many others may eat.
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