Gospel:
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.”
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Reflection:
Do you
have the habit of showing off the good acts that you do? For example you went
to church for Holy Mass or you helped somebody in need. Do you take pictures of
these acts of piety and post it in your social media account for others to take
notice?
The three
core teachings of the gospel this Ash Wednesday is about Almsgiving, Prayer and
Fasting. Unlike our many facebook posts (pictures, comments, likes, etc…)
wherein we show off so that our friends and many others will know who we are
and what we are doing. We are being invited by Jesus to permanently veer away
from this selfish and ego tripping mentality.
On the
aspect of Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting, Jesus is inviting us to do these
noble acts without letting everyone know about it. Let us do these acts piety privately
and ensure that nobody will know about it.
For if we
do these hidden from the prying eyes of our friends and the public at large. We
would then earn approval from Jesus. This is what Jesus would always want us to
do for as long as we live: Do our noble acts hidden from anyone’s eye.
In the
same breath, lent is also an invitation for us to reflect about our life,
concerning our relationship with Jesus and the many sins that we have
committed. For example concerning our sins; would we just let this sins remain
or we will do something about it by humbly submitting ourselves to the
Sacrament of Confession?
Our many
sins pull us further away from God and if we are not careful we may live our
life permanently away from the love of God. Do you want a life permanently cut off
from the love of God? Of course not!
Nobody wants to live his/her own life away from the love of God.
Therefore,
let us take a deeper spiritual reflection about our life this Ash Wednesday in
particular and during lent in general. Let us take a closer look at our
sinfulness, let us take note of the shortness and uncertainty of life. – Marino
J. Dasmarinas
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