DO NOT LOOK DISMAL…

2 Corinthians 9:6-11

6 The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.7 Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work.
9 As it is written, “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever.”
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness.11 You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God;

Matthew 6:1-6,16-18

1 “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 

6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.16 “And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  

MEDITATION

St PAUL EPISTLE unpack the virtue of charity which is not a practice of buying our way into heaven or a form of servile fear. It is or should be a prompting of the spirit in response to the love of God dwelling in us. 
Catec 1829 The fruits of charity are joy, peace, and mercy; charity demands beneficence and fraternal correction; it is benevolence; it fosters reciprocity and remains disinterested and generous; it is friendship and communion: Love is itself the fulfillment of all our works. There is the goal; that is why we run: we run toward it, and once we reach it, in it we shall find rest.

We take it for granted that when we plant a tree in good soil, prune and water it as needed, it will bear fruit. So too is our faith in Christ a work in progress that require sustenance, correction and care that is ordered to produce fruit that is to be shared as a Sacrifical offering for the good of all God’s people. 

St MATHEWS GOSPEL address the practice of piety by and from the people that manifest in many forms such as; private and public prayer and worship, adoration and praying the rosary.
Catec 1676 “At its core the piety of the people is a storehouse of values that offers answers of Christian wisdom to the great questions of life. The Catholic wisdom of the people is capable of fashioning a vital synthesis. . . . It creatively combines the divine and the human…For the people this wisdom is also a principle of discernment and an evangelical instinct through which they spontaneously sense when the Gospel is served in the Church and when it is emptied of its content and stifled by other interests.”

“As  by the virtue of piety man pays duty and worship not only to his father in the flesh, but also to all his kindred on account of their being related to his father so by the gift of piety he pays worship and duty not only to God, but also to all men on account of their relationship to God.” St Thomas Aquinas question 121

Our Lords admonition do not in any way shape or form dismiss the different forms of pious devotion that are expressions of living out our faith. Moreover our Lord trumpets the idea with a cautionary disclaimer that we not do it in a depressive, dismal, pitiful way that seek to elevate our spiritual standing, righteousness or  self ‘importance!’ Joyful humbleness, lowliness and abstruseness with a twinkle in the eye are the characteristics of a pious worshiper who places him or herself at the feet of our Lord. 

LET US PRAY: Psalms 112:1-4,2-9

1 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house; and his righteousness endures for ever.
4 Light rises in the darkness for the upright; the LORD is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
9 He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever; his horn is exalted in honor.

Author. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.