Fasting? Powerful. Prayer? Absolutely necessary. Almsgiving? Can save you from death! In our last episode, we discovered the revolution that occurred in the Old Testament with regard to handling the consequences of sin. We saw how it evolved from something we had to wait and endure, to something akin to a debt we could "pay down" proactively. In other words, we discovered you can actually shave time off of purgatory through almsgiving. It was pretty huge. Now we're going to take it one step further. In today's program we're going to unpack the incredible meaning behind a simple little verse in Proverbs: “The treasuries of wickedness provide no benefit, but almsgiving delivers from death" (10:2).  That’s a pretty amazing sentence. And it’s not hyperbole. It’s not exaggeration. It's the truth...and we'll see it in Scripture. In this powerful episode we'll: Discover the little discussed details in the story of the raising of Tabitha from the dead and how they're all related to almsgiving Understand why almsgiving before all else is a cry for mercy Discuss the rationale for how almsgiving can help not just ourselves, but our beloved deceased Compare the difference between almsgiving and indulgences Get a new perspective on the Our Father and discover why St. Augustine declared that forgiving others is a powerful form of almsgiving It's a pretty powerful episode that will reorder the way you think about how to help your beloved deceased, as well as best prepare for your own departure from this world into the eternal bliss of heaven. God bless! Matthew P.S. Don't just listen to us talk about it. Do it! Grab your FREE copy of my quick guide to deeper prayer 8 Ways To Jumpstart Your Prayer Life! It's an easy step-by-step guide to help you rocket to God!       ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't miss a show! Subscribe to The Art of Catholic by clicking this link and then clicking "View in iTunes" under the picture and then "Subscribe"!  Love the show and want more people to hear the Catholic faith? Leave a review by clicking here and then the "View in iTunes" button under my picture. This pushes the show up the rankings and puts it in front of more people. Android user? You can listen to The Art of Catholic on the Beyond Pod app from the Google Play Store.   Want to tour Catholic Europe's most beautiful holy sites? Join Matthew on a  St. Paul Center pilgrimage to Fatima, Spain, Lourdes, and other amazing holy sites this October 23rd to November 1st. Click here for details.