Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
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 will this 2024 season of Lent affect you? Does
this bring 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 contradicts 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 God through noise and publicity? Never. We 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 look back on the loudness of our life. Let us look at our Facebooks,
Instagrams and other social media platforms and observe how we loudly promoted
our life there. And let us ask ourselves this question: Has this self-promotion
and loud 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 can best do in silence.
As the priest and other deputized ministers of the church apply the ash in the shape of a cross on your forehead, close your eyes and silently pray this to the Lord: 'Cleanse me, O Lord, for I am a sinner. Forgive me, O Lord, for I have sinned. Heal me, O Lord, for I have been deeply wounded by sin.’ – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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