Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 19, 2019
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.”
I like to pay taxes. I may be an outlier in this way, but I like that we have a system for figuring out what my family’s fair share is, and that some of what I earn is used to provide local emergency services, a social safety net, a strong defense, and aid to less fortunate countries.
Although maybe I’m not so much an outlier in this, I also like donating to my parish, and to charities that perform corporal works of mercy. My wife and I don’t exactly sound a trumpet when we give alms, but we’re not secret about it either. As our children grew up, we made a point of letting them see us put money in the collection basket. We also prayed with them in public, such as a prayer of grace before meals at a restaurant. On Ash Wednesday, we have sometimes gone to work with ashes on our foreheads, a sign to everyone we see that we are fasting.
I don’t want to think of myself as a hypocrite, but I certainly can identify with the Pharisees and Sadducees who felt justified in making a public show of giving alms, fasting, and praying. Somebody has to set an example for moral ways to behave! From characters in movies to public figures sounding their own trumpets on Twitter or Instagram, our culture has more than enough examples of immoral behavior.
But I get what Jesus is telling us. The real work of becoming an image of God’s love must be done in secret of my heart. Making contributions, of both time and money, to others in need has to be grounded in my relationship with the only One we can call good: God. It’s hard, but I’m working on it. How about you?
Prayer
My God, Our Father, we are tempted to do good to others from mixed motives. We want to be helpful; we want to be recognized and somehow rewarded. Let it be enough in our hearts to know we have tried to love you in whatever we do, whether in our hidden prayers for others or our kindness and service as well. We pray with the Church through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Juliana was born into a storied family of the Florence nobility in 1270. Her uncle, St. Alexis Falconieri, was one of the seven founders of the Servite Order for men. Inspired by her uncle's holy example, Juliana decided at a young age to dedicate herself to God in religious life as well.
In 1285, she became a third order Servite and lived with her mother until she passed away. Upon her mother's death, Juliana and her companions moved in to their own communal house in 1305.
Juliana dedicated herself to care for the poor and sick. A popular story of her life says that she used her own mouth to suck infection out of the sores and wounds of patients languishing in the hospital.
In the midst of her constant care for the poor, Juliana made time to spend lengthy hours in prayer with God. She often entered into ecstasy during her prayer time, as the drawing to the left shows.
Juliana directed the sisters of the Servite order until her death in 1341. On her deathbed, Juliana was too ill to receive the Holy Eucharist, as she kept vomiting violently. She asked the priest to lay the host on her breast. The host disappeared, Juliana's body quieted, and she passed away peacefully. St. Juliana is the patron saint of those suffering from bodily ills.
St. Juliana Falconieri, founder of the Sisters of the Servite Order—pray for us!
Image Credit: Courtesy of the British Museum