Trumpets

First Reading: Joel 2:12-18

Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the LORD, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion! proclaim a fast, call an assembly; Gather the people, notify the congregation; Assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast; Let the bridegroom quit his room and the bride her chamber. Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep, And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people, and make not your heritage a reproach, with the nations ruling over them! Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people.

Responsorial Psalm Psalms 51:3-4, 5-6AB, 12-13, 14 and 17

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2

Brothers and sisters:

We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

For he says: In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.

Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

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

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, annoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

Reflection
By Grace B. Madriñan

I have not known Kuya Jay personally (not his real name),   I did not even had a chance to have conversations with him.  I just knew him as the husband of Ate Rose, our choir coordinator. From the stories I heard, he has been famous for being kind and generous to his employees.  He is fond of cock derby, and whenever he wins, he would give away all his winnings.

But when he passed away last December, I learned that his generosity and compassion were way beyond than I can ever imagine. He is loved by almost the whole community that the church and the roads were not able to contain all the people who came to mourn.  Onlookers thought it was a government official or someone of high stature passed away due to the volume of people who attended the interment services.  

His wife shared during the eulogy that a lot of people came up to her telling her how her husband have helped them in their times of need, most of them she never knew. Kuya Jay was told to have given scholarships to kids from poor families he came to know who were either referred to him or randomly known in the streets. It was only when he passed away that she realized why her husband started openly to her about putting up a foundation to provide scholarship for the poor so that he can reach to more deserving scholars.

I knew Kuya Jay and his family is well-off but he willingly submitted to the service of the poor. He could have turned a blind eye and walked away from all the pleadings, but he reached out even more.  And he did all of these without trumpet-sounding announcements unlike most people we knew.

This is clearly what Jesus told in today’s Gospel, “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 …”  Kuya Jay did just that, he performed righteous deeds discreetly.  But I bet his arrival in heaven would not be as discreet, as angels may have sounded the trumpet upon his entry.

Prayer

Father, watch over us that we may not boast of our service to our neighbor. Grant us a generous heart that is satisfied in knowing that our recompense is in You.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.