In Secret

 

Lenten Reflection #11

“Your almsgiving must be done in secret. And your Father who sees everything that is done in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:4

In yesterday’s mass, Fr. Cris Cellan gave a timely reminder: “As we continue our 40-day penitential journey, we are called to be humble. We must do the spiritual exercises of prayer, fasting and almsgiving without fanfare. The Father sees in secret, and we will be amply rewarded in due time.”

I had always connected the above passage with only the last two spiritual exercises. Fasting and almsgiving must be done in secret to make it sincere. That prayer must share the common denominator of secrecy was an “Oo-nga-ano” moment for me. After all, prayer IS a personal conversation between us and God. It does not need fanfare too.

I had another “Oo-nga-ano” moment while watching my self-assigned story yesterday. In The Chosen’s Season 1 Episode 6 (“Indescribable Compassion”), Jesus said, “It’s better to go into your room, shut the door and pray to your Father who sees you in secret…Give generously without thinking about it. Do not do it for show to impress others. DON’T EVEN CONGRATULATE YOURSELF IN PRIVATE. Give in humility.”

In our country where many donations (using taxpayers’ money) and services (by officials paid by the people to perform that exact same service) are trumpeted by attention-grabbing tarps, DON’T EVEN CONGRATULATE YOURSELF IN PRIVATE is a tall order. This Lent, let us rise above all that and do our penitential journey in secret where only God can see. Maybe you can include as your Lenten sacrifice a prayer for these tarp-loving officials. 😉

References:      Mass Homily 3/7/2023 – Fr. Cris Cellan: Humility

                        The Chosen Season 1 Episode 6 - “Indescribable Compassion”