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Ash Wednesday

15. THE SECRET RENDEZVOUS (MT 6:1-6, 16-18)
“But there is another and interior way of praying without ceasing, and that is the way of desire. Whatever else you are doing, if you long for that Sabbath, you are not ceasing to pray. If you do not want to cease praying, do not cease longing. Your unceasing desire is your unceasing voice.”
- St Augustine

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
‘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.’

CHRIST THE LORD
Of all the great leaders, kings, and emperors throughout human history, only one has been omniscient: Jesus Christ. As the second Person of the Holy Trinity, our Lord shares God’s complete knowledge, which includes knowledge of every human heart. And unlike leaders of this world, who have to worry about material stability and citizens’ obedience to exterior laws, the Lord plants the standard of his Kingdom precisely there, in the spiritual soil of the human heart. Jesus is a Lord who loves his subjects to the point of dying for them, and all he asks in return is their love for him – the decision of the heart to seek and heed the will of God. That love plugs sinners’ souls into eternal communion with God, which is exactly what they were made for. This Lord strives to conquer his followers’ hearts, so he can sweep them into his arms and carry them to his heavenly mansion. He is a Lord who loves, and who longs for love.

CHRIST THE TEACHER Jesus teaches two lessons with these exhortations: what following Christ involves, and how to carry that out.
Following Christ – the Christian religion – is not one sector of life; it is the very center of everything, like the hub from which a wheel’s spokes radiate. Following Christ affects your relationships with other people, thus the reference to almsgiving, (which includes all good deeds done to neighbors in need); it includes your direct relationship with God, thus the instructions on prayer; and it includes your relationship with yourself, your efforts to discipline yourself and mature both as a human being and as a disciple of Christ – thus the comments on fasting, which comprises all the many forms of self-governance and abnegation needed to grow in virtue. What a simple yet complete vision of human life! Relationship with God, with others, and with oneself: the threefold path of life – Christ invites us to travel this path as he did, by following in his footsteps and thereby achieving the purpose for which we were created.
And the key to staying on track in that journey is equally simple: live in the sight of God. God sees everything, because he is God. It is useless to try and put up a façade in order to deceive God. The word “hypocrite” comes from the Greek word for actor. When we try to put on an act for other people around us instead of living in close friendship with God, we end up throwing ourselves at the mercy of the fickle and cruel opinions of our sinful fellow travelers. Christ is pleading with us in this passage to build our lives on firmer stuff, on his stable and unconditional love, which alone can give us true meaning and lasting peace.

CHRIST THE FRIEND Hidden behind this sobering lesson against the temptation of hypocrisy is a beautiful revelation of the heart of Christ. He points out that he sees “what is done in secret.” He repeats this three times. He has seen all of the most selfish, vitriolic, and morose chapters of each of our ongoing interior monologues…everything. He knows it all. And yet, he still loves us with the tender love of the perfect Father, the perfect friend. If this doesn’t prove what unconditional love really is, nothing does.
But it doesn’t stop there. He actually wants us to let him into that monologue, to turn it into an ongoing dialogue, a conversation with him. He wants to take part in everything we do; he wants to be our closest companion, our most intimate friend. And why? Because he has some psychological need that we can pacify for him? No. Just the opposite. Because he has more he wants to give us. He has a reward to give each one of us, the reward of our true name (cf Rev 2:17), our fulfillment, the satisfaction of our deepest yearnings – most of all, he wants to give us himself, now and for all eternity.

CHRIST IN MY LIFE You see all my motives and intentions, but I think sometimes I try to hide from them. Show them to me, Lord. I don’t want anything to get in the way of our friendship. I don’t want to fall into hypocrisy. I want to do all things out of a humble, sincere love for you. With the humility of your heart, Lord, shape my heart…
At times life seems so complicated…but you simplify it. Stay with me, Lord, walk with me; teach me how to love you, to love my neighbor, and to master my own selfish tendencies. With the silence of your heart, speak to my heart…
Teach me to fast, Lord. Teach me to govern my urges and instincts, to be the master of my passions and not their slave. Teach me to be free to give myself to you and to my neighbors. Show me how to make loving sacrifice as much a part of my life as it was a part of yours…

QUESTIONS FOR SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION
1. What struck you most in this passage? What did you notice that you hadn’t noticed before?
2. What are some common ways we can fall into hypocrisy in our day and age?
3. Jesus lists three activities as the essential aspects of religion (i.e., righteous living): almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Which of the three do you think is most important, and why? How do they fit together?
4. We read this passage usually at the beginning of Lent. How can we improve the way we live during this season that the Church gives us to prepare for the drama of Holy Week? How can we live more deeply every liturgical season?

Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1436-1439 on the many forms of penance in a Christian’s life; 1969-1974 on the New Law and the practices of religion