25 February 2009
First reading Joel 2:12-18
‘Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –
come back to me with all your heart,
fasting, weeping, mourning.’
Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn,
turn to the Lord your God again,
for he is all tenderness and compassion,
slow to anger, rich in graciousness,
and ready to relent.
Who knows if he will not turn again, will not relent,
will not leave a blessing as he passes,
oblation and libation
for the Lord your God?
Sound the trumpet in Zion!
Order a fast,
proclaim a solemn assembly,
call the people together,
summon the community,
assemble the elders,
gather the children,
even the infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his bedroom
and the bride her alcove.
Between vestibule and altar let the priests,
the ministers of the Lord, lament.
Let them say,
‘Spare your people, the Lord!
Do not make your heritage a thing of shame,
a byword for the nations.
Why should it be said among the nations,
“Where is their God?”’
Then the Lord, jealous on behalf of his land,
took pity on his people.
Psalm or canticle: Psalm 50:3-6,12-14,17
Second reading 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2
We are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God. As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.
Gospel Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’
Reflection
By Anabelle Payod - Balla
Recently, while reading an inspirational message, I came across two great guys who are worthy of recognitions. They are Larry Stewart who was known as “Kansas City’s Secret Santa” and Chuck Feeney, a billionaire who has been donating billions of dollars and believes in giving while living. Both have one in common. They have been donating and generously sharing their wealth without being known to the public. Larry only revealed himself as the Secret Santa when he was diagnosed with cancer to encourage others to practice philanthropy while Chuck went public and ended his anonymity when it became apparent that a dispute over the sale of his business was likely to lead to a lawsuit that will reveal his donations. Both of them helped a lot of people and have inspired others to do the same.
In my college days, I have learned that humans have the tendency to seek recognitions. We have this need to be praised, the inclination to be known, to be popular. So it is true that it is not easy to remain anonymous, to keep our good deeds secret. But how come others like Chuck and Feeney were able to give and live without the limelight?
I tried reading more about Chuck and I was amazed to learn that even though Chuck is a billionaire, he doesn’t own any house or car. He travels economy and is wearing a $15 plastic watch. He lives a simple life and is happy with it. He yearns to help while he is still alive and he is intent in helping improve the lives of people by immediately responding to their needs. He doesn’t need the world’s glamorous life and recognition. He just wants to help, pure intention.
Having pure intention I think, is the secret of people who are giving generously without expecting anything in return from the world. With pure intention, the act and thought of being able to help is already enough to give us the pleasure we seek. Our face will automatically shine with happiness. No miserable face to hide, no trace of sufferings. Same effect happens even when we fast willingly, with gladness in our hearts knowing that it will glorify God. We will look cheerful. On the other hand, if our intention is not pure and we are just seeking the world’s recognition, we will feel and look weary.
So start with pure intentions so that when the time comes for God to repay all our acts of kindness, there will be greater pleasure and rejoicing because God’s rewards are so much better than what the world can offer.
And by the way, acts of kindness doesn’t always need to be handing out money. Most of us are not billionaires like Chuck and Larry but like them, we also have something to give, something to share to others to help improve their lives. We don’t have to be rich in order to help. Giving our time, exerting efforts, showing kindness, uttering life-giving words, and more, are some of the things we can do.
Go for God’s rewards, go out and do something wonderful…in secret
Exposure has always been the name of the game. If you want to be promoted, you have to be exposed, to brush shoulders with the powers-that-be. "Palapad ng papel", as we Filipinos would call it. However there are instances that exposure is not necessary. Doing good, abstaining from food, etc don't need to be broadcasted.
ReplyDeleteLent is calling us to to be exposed more to God than to men who sometimes may praise us instead of praising Him whose glory we should seek all the time.