Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (June 20, 2018): Three keys to holy living

Thứ Ba, 19-06-2018 | 15:12:40

Today’s Readings:

2 Kings 2:1, 6-14
Ps 31:(25)20-21,24
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/062018.cfm

USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/18_06_20.mp3

Areading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.

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.”

Good News Reflection: Three keys to holy living

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus gives us three keys to holy living: almsgiving, praying and fasting. But the keys don’t work unless we use them in the right door, i.e., the right attitude.

The first key is almsgiving. The right attitude, which opens the door to God’s generous love, is a spirit of giving. To pick up the key and use it without hesitation or fear, we first must have an attitude of trusting God, because it’s when we believe in his generosity (even before we see it) that we can safely be generous toward others.

God promises (see Malachi 3:10) that if we bring him the whole tithe (10% of our income), he will replace it abundantly. Why? Is it because of his generous love toward us? Yes and so that we can share even more with others. Likewise, if we are generous with love, giving it freely and abundantly whether the person deserves it or not, we open the door of our own hearts, making us capable of receiving more of God’s love.

(Want to give this a test right now? Turn your key in support of Good News Ministries. We have to rely on such generosity to continue the work God is calling us to do and to pay staff and to continue expanding how we impact the world. Think about how many of your fellow readers are not able to donate anything, and lovingly increase your gift for their sake. Please visit gnm.org/donate/. And if you are one of those who cannot help this way, the please pray for those who can.)

The wrong attitude is a spirit of giving in order to get, which is an attempt to reward ourselves, like the hypocrites who “blow their own horns.” This is only briefly satisfying. The recompense given to us when our generosity is based on love, however, keeps us closely united to God. Those who love others are friends of God, and friends share freely with each other.

The second key is prayer. Jesus points out that there’s a right way to pray and a wrong way, a right attitude and a wrong attitude. The right attitude is a sacrificial spirit; we pray because we’re surrendering our own ideas of how God should help while choosing to trust in his plans. This key opens the door to God’s better ideas. The wrong attitude is bargaining with God to force him to grant our request, or reciting formula prayers in order to seem prayerful while not living out the words.

The third key is fasting. The right attitude is a humble spirit that seeks purification and discipline. Fasting originated in Judaism as a personal sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (the Hebrew community’s annual event for the forgiveness of sins); its purpose was to increase personal humility and repentance. This should also be our motive as we fast to acquire “mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph #2043). By disciplining our free will, we open the door to the Holy Spirit’s strength for resisting temptation.

With holy attitudes, our reward is a close, fulfilling, totally satisfying relationship with God.

For a Bible Study on the entire Sermon on the Mount, visitwordbytes.org/bible-study/holy-living-1.

Today’s Prayer:

Jesus, help me to take risks in Your love. Help me to understand that Your generosity and Your love for me goes far beyond what I can imagine. Amen.

Tags: Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Good News Reflection, Holy Gospel according to Matthew