The day of prayer, fast and almsgiving, on Friday, can be instructive in a number of ways. In the first place, it is noteworthy that the request came from the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council – a body representing Catholic laity.

It means that the Church has turned to the ranks of the faithful in a direct and specific way, for one if its initiatives, in its aim to do what it can to address the crime situation in the country.

Prayer, because of its simplicity, can sometimes be overlooked in our highly scientific world with its illusion of self-sufficiency. The laity’s request suggests a conviction in the hearts of many that prayer is vital for a true turnaround of the situation that confronts the nation.

It is as if the people have taken to heart the words Jesus speaks to his disciples when they are puzzled at their inability to cast out a particularly stubborn evil spirit. “This kind can only be cast out by prayer and fasting,” (Mark 9:29).

Days of prayer and fasting have had a long history within the Church, reaching back into ancient Israel. But among the many changes that Vatican Council II brought, some 40 years ago, was a relaxation of regulations pertaining to days of fast and abstinence.

The changes placed a greater responsibility on the individual and suggested the Church’s concern about a certain over-scrupulosity that led some to miss the true objective of fasting. But times have changed: the scrupulosity of a former generation is not a danger in today’s climate and culture.

The general readiness for Friday’s day of penance must mean that people have grasped the richness of prayer and fasting; that the true value of these disciplines has not been lost on our people.

Victims of crime

Through the discipline of fasting, persons signify that they belong to God and that it is their intention to unite themselves with Him. But Friday’s fast brings a communal aspect to the fore which is also of importance. One aim of fasting is to bring about solidarity with those who are weak and poor.

On Friday, citizens have the opportunity to stand in solidarity with those who have been the victims of crime, including the many families which have been torn apart by violent criminal activity.

The Archdiocese is also asking the public to make almsgiving (the gift of money or other resources to those in need) part of the special day. In making almsgiving an aspect of Friday’s observance, the local Church is following an age-old tradition of linking almsgiving with prayer and fasting.

Isaiah thus defined proper fasting: “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house?” (Isaiah 58:7). The mind of the Church is that the money saved through fasting and other acts of penance should be donated to some charitable cause.

The dimension of almsgiving takes on particular significance on Friday 16 having regard to the aims of the day. The Church is hoping that citizens will be motivated to give towards the proposed Anthony Pantin Reintegration Centre, a rehabilitative home for ex-offenders, seeing the act as a unique way to join the fight against crime.

When the 56 per cent recidivism rate is taken into consideration, the gesture makes good practical sense but it also points to the disposition of the Church that must ceaselessly seek to make visible the face of Christ