The Good News For The Day, June 19, 2024
Wednesday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time (367)
Jesus says to those of us he inspires: “Watch out – don’t do your good deeds for other people to notice them. That way, you won’t get any response from your heavenly Father.
When you do charity, don’t “blow your own horn,”—the way hypocrites do in big synagogues and public media to win the praise of people. The truth is, they have gotten their reward already.
No, when you do charity, don’t let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that whatever good you do may remain unknown. Your Father who sees anything hidden will respond to you.
“When you engage in prayer, don’t be like hypocrites, who love to stand in front of people and broadcast their prayer life — in churches and public media – so that other people notice them.
The truth is, they have already received their pay. No, when you pray, go to some inner room of yours, close the door, and there pray to your Father, in that private place. Your Father who sees any and everything secret will respond to you.
“When you fast or do any such religious act, do not look so grim – like hypocrites. They refashion the way they look so that they may appear to others to be doing some authentic religious act, such as fasting.
The truth is, they have received their reward already. No, when you fast, present yourself as ordinary, so that you may not appear to be doing something religious– except for your Father who remains unseen. Your Father who sees anything hidden will respond to you.” (Matthew 5)
Charity, prayer, and self-denial are essential practices of a follower of Jesus. We do kind things generously and freely. We devote time to prayer. We practice denial of self.
The problem I find in myself is the sly way that I make a hypocrite of myself, deceiving myself in all three directions.
Charity: Too often I casually mention some goodness I have done for someone. Humbly and falsely, I admit to close friends some charitable and loving act for someone. But why tell them, why tell anyone? It is that reward of self-satisfaction – and the failure to point to the goodness of God and the will of God.
Prayer: When it comes to prayer, it seems so easy to point to hypocrites out there, while failing to mention the fact that I label myself a devout man – once again slyly and self deceptively getting a reward for a label that has nothing to do with the love of God and the sharing of the word of God.
Self-denial. I am the greatest admirer of myself. Self-denial has nothing to do with anyone else but neither does it have anything to do with me – it is like Jesus bragging on the Way of the Cross. The joyful Good News here is this discovery of self-praise and self-love – not to emphasize my guilt or failure – but to grow in seeing the real goodness of others in charity, prayer, and self-denial – to acknowledge that and grow in the love of God.
jorisheise 