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Gospel Reading for June 18, 2025 – Matthew 6: 1-6; 16-18
IT BECOMES US
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 others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
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“Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.”
We will have no recompense from our heavenly Father and we will have no recompense for ourselves. When we do good so that people may see them, it is called PRETENSE. We cannot really feel good knowing that we are just trying to make people believe what is not true. What for? Even if they believe we are good, what is the use if we ourselves know it is just for show. When we do good because we want to be good, we usually do it quietly, and without fanfare.
Sincerely doing good or being good to others, will always give us a feeling of happiness that is lasting. It is a feeling that is so different from getting or receiving something we have always wanted. Why is it different? It is because when we get or receive something we have always wanted, we are gratified only for the time being. But after having it for sometime, the feeling of wanting it will die down. But, when we give, especially when we give not from our excesses but that which we also need, that feeling of happiness will last because IT BECOMES US. We become confident of ourselves being made in God’s image and likeness, and it is the best feeling and experience ever! Therefore, PRETENSE is a pure waste of time!
God is Love, hence he is a GIVER. When we truly give, we become like him. When Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil, the devil told them that when they eat the forbidden fruit, they will be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3: 5). It was not knowing good and evil that would make them like God. It was knowing good and doing good. Perhaps, had they known that they would be like God if they do good, they wouldn’t have fallen.
Genesis is not just about Adam and Eve. It is about us. If we were Adam and Eve, what would we have chosen?
Lord, help us to always do good from the bottom of our hearts!
