Category: Uncategorized

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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 others to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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For two years, I taught third grade in Newark. It was surprising to see what children, many under immense stress, would do for a simple reward at the end of the day – a lollipop, a piece of chocolate, or a positive phone call home.

I quickly learned – and clung to – that old saying: “Honey attracts more flies than vinegar.” 

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus takes the same approach, speaking three different times about the reward for being his follower. Whenever someone gives alms, prays, or fasts, “Your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

Of course, this begs the question, “What kind of reward will we get?”

Not a ribbon, worldly praise, a precious title, or dollars and cents.

Rather, faithful Christians will receive three rewards: two here on earth, and one in the life to come.

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The first is peace.

Doing the right thing always leads to a type of interior freedom, a peace which the world cannot give.

The second is more work. 

Remember the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Jesus tells a story about a rich man who gave each of his three servants separate amounts of coins – one was given five coins, another three, another one. Then the rich man left and went on a journey.

When he returned, the servant with five coins doubled his master’s fortune, as did the servant who was given three. Each were then “rewarded” with extra responsibility. 

Meanwhile, the servant who was given one coin buried it… and, essentially, his Master buried him! 

Third, we will be rewarded with the vision of God. For those who love him, there can be nothing sweeter. But for those who have avoided – or outright rejected God – there can be nothing more sour.

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May we spend this day doing God’s will, hoping to be rewarded with the triple-crown of: peace, more work, and the vision of God as the cherry on top.

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Image credits: (1) nobiblenobreakfast.com (2) tes.com (3) freepik.com

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2 Corinthians 6: 1-10

Brothers and sisters:
As your fellow workers, we appeal to you
not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For he says:

In an acceptable time I heard you,
and on the day of salvation I helped you.

Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.
We cause no one to stumble in anything,
in order that no fault may be found with our ministry;
on the contrary, in everything we commend ourselves
as ministers of God, through much endurance,
in afflictions, hardships, constraints,
beatings, imprisonments, riots,
labors, vigils, fasts;
by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness,
in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love, in truthful speech,
in the power of God;
with weapons of righteousness at the right and at the left;
through glory and dishonor, insult and praise.
We are treated as deceivers and yet are truthful;
as unrecognized and yet acknowledged;
as dying and behold we live;
as chastised and yet not put to death;
as sorrowful yet always rejoicing;
as poor yet enriching many;
as having nothing and yet possessing all things.

The Word of the Lord.

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A week ago, we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit struck a match within the hearts of the Apostles, descending upon them in a strong wind as tongues of fire, filling them with unbreakable courage. 

The event itself is shrouded in mystery; none of us has ever seen the Holy Spirit. But like the Apostles, we can feel the difference. The Spirit imbues us with an inexhaustible energy – a restlessness – that compels us to bear witness to Christ.

As the prophet Jeremiah once foretold, “Your WORD is like a fire in my bones! Woe to me if I do not preach it!”

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This is what Saint Paul is describing in our first reading. Many of the early Christians lived terribly difficult lives; yet they never gave up. They labored, prayed, fasted – and slowly changed the world.

Consider the various trials Paul and others faced. He breaks them down into three different categories: internal conflicts, physical pain, and Christian living.

Perhaps the greatest internal pain Paul experienced was sorrow; he lived a life of departures. He was not only imprisoned seven times, but he also moved from one Christian community to another, knowing he’d never see those friends again.

Physically, Paul and many others were martyred. There’s a good chance that you and I would never have heard the Gospel had some of our brothers and sisters not willingly undergone bodily torment.

Third, they lived thoroughly Christian lives – sometimes praying throughout the night, fasting (not always by choice), and preaching the Gospel at any cost – sometimes with words.

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It’s easy to wonder how so many Christians persevered to the end.

They were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Our world needs that same type of Christian witness today as, together, we can slowly change the world for Christ.

Come, Holy Spirit!

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Image credits: (1) Saint Peter’s Basilica(2) Public Domain via Flickr (3) Vacilando, WordPress