Reflection on Poverty & Almsgiving

Steve was also invited to share thoughts on our Orthodox Christian response to poverty with the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh’s Stewardship Team. He contrasted the high bar we set regarding prayer and fasting with the relatively low bar we set regarding almsgiving. As he asked participants in the call: should we be doing more to serve our neighbors in need?

For example, Orthodox Christians retain a high bar regarding prayer. As Saint Paul reminds us, we are all called to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Even if we haven’t yet achieved such heights, we hold onto the ideal and dedicate our lives to making incremental progress towards that lofty goal.

However, our goals regarding almsgiving are far more limited. 

Steve discussed the importance of almsgiving as an integral yet often overlooked aspect of Orthodox Christian practice, alongside prayer and fasting. He also highlighted a “values gap” where many Orthodox Christians and parishes fail to live out the professed beliefs, particularly in caring for the most vulnerable. This values gap also manifests in the lives of youth and young adults in particular, who generally support measures to care for vulnerable populations and feel friction with the Church when their values don’t align with what they see practiced in their faith tradition. 

Steve challenged listeners to reflect on whether their actions align with the teachings of Christ, urging them to bridge this gap by practicing genuine compassion for the least among us. Such attention will not just help us lean into the ideals we’re all called to maintain as Christians, it can also help capture the imagination of people who long for the Church to practice what it preaches and care for our neighbors in need.