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:
How does the season of lent affect you? Does
this make you closer to God? There are three keys for you to have a meaningful
observance of lent. The first is Almsgiving, the second is Prayer and the third
is Fasting. In all of these three Jesus advocates silence and
self-introspection. What Jesus advocates is a contradiction to what this world
would normally dictate you to do.
In Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting Jesus
advocates doing it in the privacy of your heart. Nobody will know except you
and God alone not even your closest relative or friend. Why? Because it
is in silence and secrecy that you would also receive blessings from God (Most
especially spiritual blessings). For example, how could you have peace of
mind? It’s through silence. How would you feel the presence of God in your life
it’s in silence also.
God is not a loud God He is a God that loves
silence. He is not like the many
artificial Gods of this secular world that thrives in noise and publicity. Come
to think of it, is it possible to have communion with Jesus through noise and
publicity? Never. You will never have connection with Jesus through noise,
publicity and other acts of self-promotion.
As we begin our forty (40) day’s journey this
lent let us try to look back on the loudness of our lives. Let us look at our
facebooks and other social media flatforms and observe how we loudly promoted
our lives there. And let us ask ourselves this question: Has this self-promotion
and sometimes hedonistic lifestyle led me in close communion with Jesus?
Lent is the time of year that the Good Lord
gives us so that we could get closer and intimate with Him. So that we could
repent from all of our sins. It is His hope that through lent we could have a close
encounter with Him and this we could best do in silence.
As the priest or lay minister put ash with the
sign of the cross on your forehead. Close your eyes and silently pray this to
the Lord: Cleanse me O Lord a sinner, lead me back to you and bring me closer
to you. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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