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:
The story is told about a man who had the habit of showing off through social
media the good and pious acts that he does. For example, when he attends Mass
he would take pictures of it and post it in his facebook. He does the same
thing when he does acts of compassion, he does this so that his friends would
take notice of it.
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. Because 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. Would we 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, the fragility of life and our personal relationship
with Jesus.
Are we still mindful of our sins, are we still aware that life can end
anytime and how personal and deep is our relationship with the Lord? – Marino
J. Dasmarinas
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