IN LITTLE WAYS
The Ash Wednesday Gospel (Matthew 6:1-18) puzzles me. Jesus says not to let anyone know our good deeds. Our prayers, fasting and almsgiving should all be secret. But we’re hearing this reading in a place where we pray with others, pass around an open collection plate and display big smudges on our foreheads. Plus, just a chapter before, Jesus said, “Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” It’s confusing.
Both chapters are part of the Sermon on the Mount, an extended homily on what it means to follow Christ. Christianity isn’t a set of rules; it’s a relationship with God. If we commit ourselves to that relationship, God will change us. He will open our eyes. He will soften our hearts. We will become new beings.
However, this transformation won’t happen overnight. This Gospel reading suggests ways we can test our commitment. Do we talk and listen to God for an hour anywhere besides at Mass? Do we ever give money when it’s not tax deductible? Do we practice self-denial throughout Lent, or just when our smudges are showing? How penitential are our meatless Fridays? Did that fresh fish cost more than a burger?
The full Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) offers other challenges. You and I would never murder anyone, but how hard do we fight anger? We keep our marriage vows, but how hard do we resist lustful thoughts? We usually forgive our family and friends for hurting us, but what about strangers? What about people we don’t like or who clearly don’t like us? How much energy do we expend making sure no one cheats us? How righteous must the poor be before we give them food or shelter?
The Sermon begins with the Beatitudes, that strange way of counting blessings. We’re blessed when we’re discouraged, grieving, humbled or persecuted? Yes, says Jesus, because God will be with us in the worst of circumstances. All those situations that the world sees as disasters are opportunities for us to discover how dependable God is. But we can’t learn about that dependability until we actually trust him.
We try so hard in so many ways to protect ourselves from suffering, but it doesn’t work. Billionaires get cancer, presidents lose children and beloved priests get mugged. Our only real security is God’s mercy. We must have faith that God will never desert us and that he will protect us from lasting harm.
It’s very difficult, though, to experience God’s support if we wait until we’re in a crisis. We pray today, in part, so that we will know how to reach out when words fail us. We serve, and we discover that others are eager to serve us. We practice self-denial and find that we are better able to resist temptation. We have faith, and we learn that faith does not disappoint.
So, back to the Ash Wednesday Gospel. Of course we can pray in public; Jesus did. Donating publicly sometimes encourages others to be generous, just as wearing the smudge all day may remind someone to attend evening Mass. We just need to regularly ask ourselves whether our religious practices are meant to impress others or draw us closer to God.
Having said that, however, I do believe we can also benefit from a little anonymity. We can ask charities not to publish our name. We can skip a meal without telling anyone. We can slip into the office bathroom to say the noonday Angelus. We can practice putting God first by offering him deeds that we do just for him.
Kathleen welcomes comments. Send them to Kathleen Choi, 1706 Waianuenue Ave., Hilo 96720, or email: kathchoi@hawaii.rr.com.
