Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
On a recent trip to Chicago with my family, we decided to visit the Museum of Science and Industry. We had parked and headed up to buy tickets when a kind woman approached us and offered us vouchers for free admission. We were so surprised and thankful for her generosity. We used the vouchers to get all five of us in for free. When my 10-year-old son figured out what had happened he shouted out to the whole museum – “God bless that woman! She was so kind!”
This story came to mind as I read today’s Gospel. We are told, “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them” (Matthew 6:1). By the time we had our tickets, and I went to thank this kind stranger, she was gone, off exploring the museum on her own. Her random act of kindness struck me because it was simply that – an act of kindness. It was not done to get attention or to be seen or praised. It was simply an act of generosity to another human.
And what it inspired was truly beautiful – my son, in the middle of a museum in Chicago praising the Lord and asking Him to bless this woman. And that is the beautiful thing about us following today’s Gospel. When we generously give, sincerely pray and humbly fast, we will not see the results of our goodness. We will not know what acts of faith we are then inspiring in others.
But, if we walk around bragging about our almsgiving, publicly praying to make a scene and fasting to gain others’ attention, we are often doing just the opposite. Rather than inspiring an act of faith we are causing others to be turned off by our faith, to turn away from the God we know and love.
We are told three times in today’s gospel that, “your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (Matthew 6:4) God is aware. God knows our heart. God sees our almsgiving, hears our prayers and knows of our fasting and sacrifices. Today, may we have the grace and humility to let that be enough. Amen.
—AJ Grimm