Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 6, 1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return
1) Look inside of you. Don’t do everything for others to see, stop being so active on social networks, lower your profile and stop taking so many selfies. Today we are invited to look inside of us and to reflect on what we see, for forty days. It is the time to make a change. The party is over, and we must take life seriously. Let’s start analyzing our “spiritual self”. You should take what I call a ‘spiritual selfie’. This is a picture you will not publish, but it will serve to take a hard look at your life to question yourself and ‘publish it for God’s eyes only’. Let´s see what God has to say about this picture, will He give it a ‘Like’? Or make comments?
2) Almsgiving, fasting and prayer. These are the three core points around which Lent revolves. It is a time to do penance, to fast in order to feel need, not just to lose weight. Lent is a period to give others your time, your effort, it’s time for sharing… It’s a time for prayer to talk to God more often about your life.
3) Our aim: Mary. Today come closer to Mary. Ask her to help you live Lent in the best possible way. Maybe you are not a fan of praying the rosary, but you can find an image or statue of Our Lady, the one you like best, and ask her to take care of your heart and help you to change. She is our Mother and knows perfectly what you need. Today it is important that you participate in mass, in which the priest will mark your forehead with the ashes in the shape of a cross and remind you that ‘you are dust and to dust you shall return’. Alternatively, the priest may speak the words, ‘Repent and believe in the Gospel.’ Start anew. Clean yourself.
May God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Remember that something good is on the way!
