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Theo Tigno•
2/21/2007 12:47 pm
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Ash Wednesday 2007 |
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, anoint 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."
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for strength and diligence for your lenten sacrifice.
I used to work for a company where all the designers were in an open area. There was a code word (that changed every so often) that was the signal that the CEO of the company was coming. Employees would make a mad dash to their computers and pull up something on their screen that resembled work. When the CEO came in, he saw that everyone was diligently working.
Are we working diligently to be holy? Are we striving for holiness in the depths of our hearts where nobody is at? Are we guarding our thoughts in the "inner room" of our souls from things that are not of God?
Today's secret code word is "Lent."
We have been blessed with 40 days of sacrifice so that we can continue to be diligent in our own work toward being holy. We have been blessed with today's reading that reminds us at the beginning of this season that we are called to look at our hearts and realize that there lies our obstacle to truly being holy. Take care and God Bless.
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