“Your Father will reward you.”
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
We have the opportunity, during Lent, to focus on prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We should be practicing these all year through, but at this time we can truly repent and seek God’s mercy.
Matthew in today’s Gospel points out that we must be careful not to do them to be honoured by others since “your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”.
Giving to the needy without others knowing can sometimes be a challenge. I would think however, it is the intention that counts. I saw a video recently where a street dweller received $20 from a passerby. He, in turn, gave it to another person. It turned out that that person was a CEO of a large company, culturally immersed in order to experience what it was like to be on the street for a day. The first guy was handsomely rewarded. In the same way when we give to the poor, our Father will reward us. Let’s all reach out to the needy in secret.