Tin Mừng hôm nay đưa ra cho chúng ta ra một câu hỏi rất khó: nếu chỉ có một mình Thiên Chúa, mà không có ai khác chứng kiến được những việc tốt mà chúng ta đã làm thì điều này có đủ cho cho chúng ta thoả mãn?
Những khi chúng ta làm việc gì đó mà có ai công nhận và khen ngợi, thì việc này có thể là một cái khích lệ lớn cho chúng ta, Tuy nhiên, nếu chúng ta cứ thích dựa vào lời khen, hay sự ca ngợi của những người khác thì những việc làm này cũng sẽ tạo cho nền tảng cuộc sống của chúng ta trở nên lung lay, cũng giống như người ngu xây nhà trên cát. Vì như ông bà chúng ta thường nói “mật ngọt thì chết ruồi..” người mà khen ngợi chúng ta, là người đang hại chúng ta. Khi nhận những lời khen ngợi, con người thường hay có cái tự đắc, rồi từ tự đắc sinh ra tự cao, ngạo mạn rồi đâm ra khinh người... Vì thế những khi chúng ta không nhận được những lời khen ngợi của người, chúng ta lại đâm ra thất vọng, tâm hồn đâm ra buồn chán... cũng vị cái tạo tự cao và ngạo mạn!
Trong chương 6 Tin Mừng Thánh Mathêu hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu mời gọi chúng ta nên quan hệ mật thiết với Thiên Chúa và sự liên hệ này, Thiên Chúa phải là trung tâm cuộc sống của chúng ta. Điều này chỉ có thể được khi chúng ta "khép kín cửa" lòng vỉ kỷ, ngạo mạn của chúng ta, khi chúng ta biết sống trong sự khiêm tốn khi được nhận những lời khen của người khác, chúng ta phải biết chấp nhận những cái yếu kém và thiếu xót, lỗi lầm của chính mình và biết vui tươi với những lời chê bai hay chỉ trích của người khác, và cũng nên tìm cái thất bại, những chê bai để mình biết cố gắng mà sửa đổi.
Sometimes giving can seem like a burden, and we can get tired of constant appeals from charities and collections. But Paul challenges us — giving (wisely, not carelessly) is an honour, privilege, and a source of joy and blessing. We take part in the works for which the money is collected — we are a needed support. Give generously — and not only money, but time and energy — and you will receive much more in the sense of peace and joy.
Loving our enemies sounds weird and even impossible, but Jesus was insistent. Anyone can love their friends and those who love them — that’s easy! But when we love our enemies and persecutors — well, that shows that we are extraordinary, even godlike. For that is how God loves — without distinction or conditions. He loves the wicked and the good, the holy and the sinners. God has no enemies, and neither should we. If we are able to love in this fashion, people will know that we are the ‘real thing’ — children of the Most High God.
There will also be the satisfaction of knowing that we are taking part in the healing of the world. Pray for the most difficult and unlovable — it is a holy work and pleasing to God. After a while, it will even become pleasing to us, for we will be transformed in the process.
Lord, help me to love even the most difficult.
Authenticity draws others in. A person who lives with genuine humility and virtue naturally inspires trust. In contrast, hypocrisy—an outward display of righteousness without interior virtue, done for human approval rather than for God—breeds distrust and repels others. In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls His disciples not to seek human recognition, but the quiet approval of the Father. True holiness is not performed for others to see but lived in the hidden presence of God, who sees and rewards what is done in secret.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus highlights three essential religious practices—almsgiving, prayer, and fasting—to contrast authentic righteousness with hypocrisy. The “hypocrites” He addresses—the scribes, Pharisees, and other religious leaders—had transformed these sacred acts into performances, prioritizing human recognition over devotion to God.
When the hypocrites gave alms, they would “blow a trumpet” before them, symbolically announcing their generosity. While it is unlikely that the Pharisees literally sounded a trumpet when giving alms, Jesus uses this metaphor to expose their interior disposition—one focused on self-glorification rather than genuine charity. Just as a herald’s trumpet blast announces an important decree, these leaders ensured their charitable acts drew maximum attention.
In contrast, Jesus teaches the proper way to give alms: “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” (Matthew 6:3–4). Jesus employs exaggerated language to drive home His point. The phrase “do not let your left hand know what your right is doing” is a striking metaphor for absolute humility in charity. Almsgiving should be done with such purity of heart that it seeks neither public recognition nor bolsters personal pride, but is done solely for the glory of God.
Similarly, when the hypocrites prayed, they loved to position themselves “in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them.” Their concern was not communion with God but public recognition. Such a display is more an act of self-exhibition than true prayer. In contrast, Jesus teaches that authentic prayer takes place in “your inner room” where one prays to the Father in secret. This metaphor underscores the true purpose of prayer: not to be seen by others but to enter into genuine, intimate communion with God (cf. Matthew 6:5–6).
Finally, Jesus points out that when hypocrites fast, they deliberately “look gloomy” and “neglect their appearance” to ensure that others take notice. Their fasting is not a sacrifice to God but a display for human admiration. In contrast, true fasting should be hidden, undertaken in a spirit of self-denial—not to impress others, but to curb disordered appetites and offer a humble sacrifice to the Father.
Jesus emphasizes that the hypocrites’ approach to these three practices produces only fleeting rewards: “Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.” Their “reward” is hollow and passing—the admiration of others impressed by their outward display—and bears no merit before God. Only humble and authentic almsgiving, prayer, and fasting bear eternal fruit, drawing us deeper into God’s grace and securing a reward that endures in His Kingdom.
Reflect today on the authenticity of your spiritual practices. Are you content with God alone seeing your good deeds? While we ought not hide our devotion out of fear or embarrassment, we must ensure our motives remain pure—seeking only God’s glory and others’ good. Strive to be humble, authentic, and sincere in all you do, and your Father will see your goodness and bless you with His eternal rewards.
Most glorious Lord, You alone are worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. I am but Your humble servant, blessed to share in Your life and mission. Purify my intentions and grant me the grace to act always with sincerity and pure devotion. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. Wages for Secret Almsgiving: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus identifies three ways we can earn heavenly wages and store up heavenly treasure. Earlier in the Sermon, Jesus pointed out that the righteousness practiced by the Pharisees was insufficient to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Here, Jesus fleshes this out by contrasting how hypocrites do pious deeds to be seen and praised by others and how his followers ought to do them in secret. When the hypocrites give alms, they want everyone to know about it. They give, not so much to help the poor and alleviate their misfortune, but to win the praise of others. And that is their reward or wage. Human praise is what they seek, and that is what they get. By contrast, when the disciples of Christ give alms, they are to do so quietly and in secret. There is no need for a trumpet to announce their gift. There is no need to make sure the coins clang loudly in the Temple receptacles. The followers of Christ are not to seek human praise but divine glory. And the Father, who sees these actions of almsgiving done in secret, will compensate us, both in this life and the next.
“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.” Matthew 6:16–18
Many today have abandoned the holy practice of fasting. Fasting is a powerful penitential practice that bestows great benefits upon the soul. The act of self-denial from certain food and drink, choosing instead simple nourishment from time to time, such as bread and water, or a reduced amount of food, greatly strengthens the soul and disposes a person to many spiritual blessings. Too often, we live for fleshly satisfactions and fall into the trap of trying to indulge our appetites on a regular basis. But doing so has the negative effect of tempting us to neglect the more important spiritual desires for holiness. By depriving ourselves of sensory delights from time to time, we become more disposed to seek the true and lasting delights that come only from God’s grace. Therefore, this passage above presumes that we do regularly fast and engage in other forms of self-denial.
Do you fast? Do you engage in other forms of self-denial on a regular basis? Daily prayer, reading the Scriptures, learning about the lives of the saints, and regular participation in the Sacraments all lead us closer to God and make us holy. But fasting and self-denial are also very important, so it is essential that we strive to embrace them as a part of our spiritual growth.
In this passage, Jesus specifically calls us to seek the interior rewards that come from fasting and self-denial. He points out that if we use fasting as a way of gaining praise from others, then we lose the spiritual benefits of our fasting. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving must all be done in a way that they are as hidden as possible so that our acts are truly sincere and not done so as to receive the earthly rewards of the admiration of others.
Additionally, the lesson taught in this Gospel can also be applied to other areas of our lives. For example, if you are suffering from some illness or some form of bodily pain or discomfort, then of course you should seek the necessary medical attention. But these physical ailments also offer us another opportunity for spiritual growth when they are embraced in a silent and interior way. Even our pain or discomfort can be transformed into grace if we choose to embrace it with joy, offer it to God as a sacrifice, and keep it to ourselves as a silent gift given to God.
Reflect, today, upon your practice of fasting, as well as every other opportunity you have each day to make silent and interior sacrifices to God. If you do suffer from some daily cross that is beyond your control, then try to turn it into a spiritual offering to our Lord. And if you are able to freely embrace fasting on a regular basis, then try to prayerfully commit to this practice. Try to do it every week, especially on Friday in honor of the Good Friday sacrifice made by our Lord. Don’t underestimate the value of these hidden sacrifices. Make them a regular part of your spiritual life and God will bestow upon you many spiritual riches from Heaven.
My sacrificial Lord, You denied yourself of many earthly delights, especially when You fasted for forty days in the desert. Help me to take seriously this obligation to fast and to mortify my appetites. And help me to do so in a hidden way. May my life continually imitate Your perfect sacrifice so that I may become more like You every day. Jesus, I trust in You.
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