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."
REFLECTION
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
Our mission is to proclaim Jesus Christ with simplicity. We are to attend to the poor, the elderly, the sick, the widows, the less fortunate and be "the saint next door" without actually dying and waiting to be canonized. St John tells us in 1 John 3:18, " Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth".
During the pandemic of 2020, in the town of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, we meet such a man. A local restauranteur stayed afloat because of good fortune with the help of a company who purchased gift cards to his restaurant. Adolfo M. passed on this help by using $2000 of his own money to purchase gift cards to other restaurants, gave them to his customers encouraging them to use them at the other restaurants. News of his generosity spread.
In today's Gospel we are introduced to the love that needs to go in to our almsgiving, prayer and fasting... the three pillars of serving God. All these should be done for the greater glory of God; however, they can be distorted so that one performs for recognition, praise and fame. It is all about the manner and motive in which they get done.
Jesus tells us outright how we are to pray, fast and give alms. He gives us this simple formula of humility, simple prayer and generosity for the glory of God.
Our Father knows all that is in our heart and we don't have to grandstand to get His attention. And if there is grandstanding, then perhaps it is not about God and myself but about me. God knows everything we do and He knows what is in our hearts.
How important is this relationship with God that Jesus repeats the lesson three times in today’s Gospel !
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