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 others to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
Upfront
1. To be seen. Your life shouldn’t be led by appearances, it’s not about being seen, nor looking for positions or showing off. You must do what makes you happy with what God gives you as a gift. There are people who live to be “admired”, just to show off, but Christians shouldn’t make this mistake. Please fight this temptation, be as authentic as you can and not dependent on what others may say or think. Learn to confront situations. Look for your personal peace of mind, because if you live by what others say or think, you’ll never live in peace. Learn to look for peace in authenticity and not in the gaze of others.
2. In secret. You shouldn’t be a show-off, you should learn to do your good deeds in silence, secretly, not announcing your actions to the world for the sake of recognition. If you look at social media nowadays, you see that people even publish what they eat. No! Learn to do things in silence and be accountable only to God. There are times when it seems that you are running a political campaign and looking for votes or likes. If you’re a showoff, this will only lead to isolation and misery in the long run. There’s no peace there.
3. Hypocrisy. We can’t be two-faced; we’re called to live in truth as Jesus taught us. Today let’s ask Him to help us to be honest and authentic. The key to avoid falling into hypocrisy is to be absolutely sincere with oneself and with others.
Remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
