Daily Gospel XI: Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18

"Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward."


Wait, they've already received a reward?!  Well, that's not fair...how come I have to wait the rest of my life for mine?


But, really, what is the reward for being noticed?  You strut a little on campus, say all the right things to have the image you want, have a reputation for...how long?  Until the next generation of college students comes along and has no idea who you are? 


And yet...it really does draw you in sometimes.  I do find myself wanting notice for the impact I'm God is making.  Aren't I the one doing all the leg work here?  


What I love about this Gospel passage is its focus on integrity and consistency.  Not just with actions, but with the movements of the heart.  If I know I'm going to be praying where everyone can see, or if I'm going to be rocking the ashes on my forehead, then my interior life better be keeping up.  This Gospel in simpler terms might be, "Walk the walk and talk the talk." The hypocrites in this passage aren't receiving just attention because it's some kind of punishment; it's because that's the reward most suited to their interior life.  If their interior life was up to par with what they were showing outwardly, this Gospel might have gone a different way.


Which brings us to the person that Jesus talks about, the one who prays and makes offerings in secret.  It's not that worship shouldn't be public; I think Jesus really relates to the human condition here.  Better for one to worship in private where pride won't be evoked than for that person to be doing the same in public and start to savor the attention of man than the attention of God.  It kind of ties back into St. Paul's teachings on marriage.  At one point St. Paul seems to offer marriage as simply an inferior alternative to the celibate lifestyle.  Rather, St. Paul recognizes the graces of marriage, thus having the insight to see that if one has temptations, at least marriage has graces to purify that person and may be the better fit for a vocation.  Similarly, here we see Jesus really delving into the human psyche and saying, "Hey, it's great that you want to pray, but why don't you do it in this fashion so you can keep your integrity and I can still bless you for your efforts?"


It's so important for us to have Catholic peers to hold us accountable for our sacrifices in Lent.  We should offer our sacrifices privately so as not to draw attention to our sufferings; however, we also need to recognize that we are in community in the One Body of Christ, and so encourage one another as Lent progresses.  "Iron is sharpened by iron; one person sharpens another."--Proverbs 27:17