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As we enter Lent, we are invited to fast, give alms, and deepen prayer – but those are simply practices designed to help us reach the true goal: a relationship of truth with God and each other. I think there is a lot of confusion about fasting and almsgiving – because I know I got it wrong for a long time.

In Isaiah’s time, the people of Israel complained God didn’t seem to answer their prayers despite fasting and almsgiving. The passage tells us that the people were even trying hard to please God, but Isaiah was instructed to tell them why they were missing their mark. They were performing the acts of penance, but their hearts were still full of injustice and lacked conversion: driving their workers, leaving people naked and hungry, and even committing violence on one another. To go a step further, Jesus Himself tells us that there will be some who prophesy in His name and even drive out demons and performed miracles – but will still be rejected as having never known God. Why? Jesus gives us this parable:

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-14

At first, the Pharisee appears to be doing everything right – fasting, tithing on all his earnings as prescribed, and trying to live an upright life. There is not wrong with all that in itself. But Jesus tells us that this alone doesn’t justify us in God’s eyes. We see the Pharisee focused on how he is better than others around him – full of pride and silently judging others.

The modern version of this is saying, “I’m basically a good person – I don’t kill people or rob banks or anything.” If this is our response, we better take heed. Jesus is speaking to us too.

So is fasting, tithing, almsgiving worthless? No. Jesus is telling us that fasting and tithing without humility or while judging others is worthless. Fasting without repentance or conversion is worthless. Most of all, fasting and tithing without the purpose of connecting and reconciling your relationship with God is worthless.

Instead, we should fast and give alms with humility and the purpose of connecting ourselves with God spiritually. We should fast and give alms for the conversion of our hearts and as an offering for others. We should fast in ways to untie sin in our lives. We should stop behaviors that encourage others to sin. We should clothe the naked and feed the hungry at our door. We should help lose bonds of poverty, ignorance, fear, hunger, and illness to live justly with our fellow man.

Then our prayers will be heard and answered. But most of all, at the end of our lives we’ll find ourselves able to stand before the God we have loved and talked with daily and find ourselves justified – despite our sins – and hear the words,

²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Since you have been faithful in small matters, I will give you much greater responsibilities. Come and share your master’s joy.’

Matthew 25:23