FEBRUARY 22, 2012
MATTHEW 6: 1 - 6, 16 - 18
by Lorenz S. Centino, Jr.
1 "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 16 "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS:
A BLESSED WEDNESDAY TO ALL!!!
Today we celebrate ASH WEDNESDAY to commence our Lenten journey. This 40-day Lenten season is the most important period in our Church’s liturgical life. By tradition, we Catholics go to Church today to be “marked with ashes on our foreheads” as an invitation to SELF-RENEWAL. This is one of the days that our churches will be crowded. This is day that Catholics can easily be seen and be recognized among the crowd anywhere because of some “dirt” on their foreheads. Many of us Catholics are so PROUD of this “dirt” that we don’t wash it throughout the day. We just want to be known as to who we are through such “dirt.” We want to be known as Catholics!
In the Bible, abundantly shown in the Old Testament, ashes have the symbolism of SORROW and REPENTANCE, hence the desire for SELF-RENEWAL. The prophet Daniel has this prayer: "I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes" (Dn 9:3). The prophet Jeremiah who called the people for repentance exhorts in this way: "O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes" (Jer 6:26). In the book of Judith, we find a clear depiction of putting ashes on the peoples’ head as symbolic expression of repentance: "And all the Israelite men, women and children who lived in Jerusalem prostrated themselves in front of the temple building, with ashes strewn on their heads, displaying their sackcloth covering before the Lord" (Jdt 4:11; see also 4:15 and 9:1). Jesus, in the New Testament, indicates the use of ashes as signs of repentance: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes" (Mt 11:21, Lk 10:13).
In the Gospel today, it would seem that Jesus is against the “ritualistic” or “outward” show of repentance. His words might have caused a shock among his listeners that could have shaken them up to reconsider the kind of religious practices that they are used to. The words of Jesus could also be a shock to us all today as we continue to perform the EXTERNAL RITUALS of Ash Wednesday. In the Gospel, Jesus exhorts us not to practice piety before men in order to be seen by them for it will not give us any reward from our Father who is in heaven. And when we pray, Jesus asked us not to do it in public for people to witness but rather do it in secret. Moreover, when we are in the point of repentance, we should wash our face rather than look dismal and dirty.
What Jesus is really against of is the HYPOCRISY of the performance of piety and not really against the PERFORMANCE of external practices themselves. Jesus was not against any external practice of piety. He even observed and performed them. Jesus observed the rituals of the Feast of Passover during his last suffer with his disciples. He even taught us to perform the ritual of our own Christian Passover through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Just before their last supper, Jesus even performed the ritual of washing of the feet unto his disciples.
What Jesus is against of is the SHOWING OFF or BLOWING of ONE’S HORN in performing acts of piety. In the Gospel, Jesus is then challenging us to examine our INTERIOR DISPOSITION in performing our rituals of piety. These rituals must not be carried out for show or display. Otherwise, the spirit and the carrying out of the essence of the ritual will be lost in the sole concern for public recognition and appreciation.
If the “dirt” that we have on our foreheads today is meant for show that we abide by the external ritual of Catholic piety on the first day of Lent, then we don’t have our reward and recognition in heaven. Our reward is plain earthly recognition of fellow human beings. Then the mark of the ASHES on our foreheads will just be REAL DIRT that we need to wipe out and wash. It will just be seen by our Father in heaven as an empty gesture of hypocrisy. To make our external rituals of piety have their full meaningful content that will be recognized and be rewarded by the Father in heaven, let us then perform the FRUITS OF REPENTACE or CONVERSION the ashes signify.
In the Gospel today, Jesus reveals to us some of these fruits. Jesus is asking and urging us to give ALMS, to PRAY and to FAST. All of these are meant to be AVENUES for GENEROUSITY to sparkle in radiant beauty like the way how Jesus generosity in giving up himself for us on the Cross ignited the fire of salvation unto us all. Giving alms is being generous to share our material possession or wealth to those who are in financial difficulties. Praying is being generous in giving time for God in worship and devotion. Fasting is being generous in “denying” what satisfies our personal needs and wants to be able to provide satisfaction and gratification to those who are deprived, disadvantaged, and impoverished. By these acts of generosity, we shall find our heavenly reward. And the “DIRT” on our foreheads in the form of a CROSS will become a glorious beacon of being an “ANOINTED ONE” destined for HEAVEN!
