Forty Days of Preparation

 (Note:  we're back! Just a tap of a key, thanks to the advice of my friend, Joseph Lamontange, and we are able to share a daily slice of bread again...How fittingly, on Ash Wednesday!  Be on the Lookout for the book, Brother Rene's Daily Bread which will soon be available,  a happy companion for our Lenten Journey.)

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.

Some of us dread Lent because for 40 days we give up some of our favorite things; others are frustrated because a few days into the season and already they have failed to keep their Lenten sacrifices and promises; others bite off a bit that they can manage for the whole of Lent, stick with "the program" and find they have renewed their relationship with God, have served others, and have prepared their hearts for a worthy celebration of Holy Week and Easter.  Wherever we may find ourselves, let us make a sincere effort to embrace prayer, fasting and almsgiving during this season, when the Scriptures and the example of one another give us the strength and encouragement to become more faithful and visible disciples of Jesus. He gave his life for us, can we not give him even a small piece of ours?

Bro. Rene

 
Lord Jesus Christ, you instructed your disciples not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them. May our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving this Lent be motivated by a genuine desire to love and serve God and others. Amen.

  Br. Pablo Quan, C.S.C.