Today’s gospel reading is taken from the Sermon on the Mount. The reading begins with Jesus saying, “Be careful not to parade your good deeds before others to attract their notice.” However, a little earlier in the same Sermon on the Mount, Jesus appears to have said the very opposite: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven.” There seems to be a tension between these two sayings. Yet, there is truth in both.

It should be evident that we are not to hide the light of our faith, keeping it under a bushel. Instead, we are to publicly proclaim our faith and our relationship with the Lord through the lives we lead and the deeds we do. On the other hand, we don’t publicly proclaim our faith to attract attention, to draw attention to ourselves, or to bring praise or glory to ourselves. Instead, the public living of our faith is to bring glory to God.

Today’s gospel reading invites us to ask, ‘Who is being honored by my public living of my relationship with the Lord? Is it I or is it God?’ Another way of asking that question is, ‘Who is being served by my good deeds? Is it I or is it the Lord?’ The opening petitions of the Lord’s Prayer point us in the right direction: “Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.”

We are familiar with this reading as it is used for the beginning of Lent. The message is simple: Are we looking for praise for our goodness, or are we living entirely for the Lord?

Our Eucharist shows us what it means to live entirely for others.

Let Us Pray:

O Jesus, how easy it is to want praise, to be told how good I am. Help me instead to seek only your glory in all that I do.