Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving

 Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18

Giving to the Needy

6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Fasting

¹⁶ “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Lent has begun, a 40 day  period dedicated to preparation for the great Solemnity of Easter, when we celebrate our rebirth in Christ though our Baptism.  Like athletes in training, we undertake a regimen of prayer, fasting and almsgiving to tone our spiritual muscles to shape up our practice of the faith which have gone soft and flabby since last year,  With the Pandemic, it's hard to believe that we've gone soft, but we might be bitter, angry, or lax in our spiritual  lives because of it. Now's the time to clean up, shore up, tone up, and re-establish our relationship to God through our Lenten observances..  The ashes on our foreheads remind us of the brevity of this life, our vulnerability, and our need for a solid connection with God  If we are to continue the work of Jesus, we need to be at our best. May we make a serious effort to "get in spiritual shape" as  we remember that although we are dust, God still needs us to carry on the work of making him known and loved. ..

Bro. Rene

My God, Our Father, we are tempted to do good to others from mixed motives. We want to be helpful; we want to be recognized and somehow rewarded. Let it be enough in our hearts to know we have tried to love you in whatever we do, whether in our hidden prayers for others or our kindness and service as well. We pray with the Church through Christ our Lord.

Rev. Nicholas Ayo, C.S.C.