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.”
Your Father who sees in secret
1. Don’t let it be known. Remember that today we begin a path of inner purification, a path where you and God come together. It’s something intimate, so much so that not even I can enter. The aim of the Lenten season is to return to God. There will be forty days to heal those wounds in your heart, letting God in. It will be a time where you’ll have to listen to yourself and work on your relationship with God, which may have been damaged or wounded, or you may even have distanced yourself from God over this past year.
2. Your Father who sees in secret. God sees everything, He knows everything about you and you can’t deceive Him. There are decisions that mark you for life and there are circumstances in your life that mark you. There are things that remain in your memory that will never be erased. Your Father sees in secret. During this time the readings you’re going to listen to will make you reflect and you’ll see that God takes your hand to come out of the darkness and He doesn’t come to point at you and your sins. God is mercy.
3. Proposals. There will surely be many proposals for this Lent: not eating or drinking certain food or drinks, not watching Champions League matches, and so on. But only you know what your heart needs. All of the above is fine, external sacrifices, but there are things that you’ll have to consider in your heart more than your stomach or your free time. There are things that lead you away from God and bring bitterness and pain. Those things are what you’ll have to work on during these forty days. Cast out and get rid of the things that rob you of your peace and your relationship with God. Only you know what sacrifice you’ll have to make during these forty days. We begin the season of Lent, a time of conversion and of heart searching..
Today we begin one of the most intense times of the year, but please, be honest with yourself. Lent means returning to Jesus. The time of internal struggle has begun.
Remember that something good is on the way!
May God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
