Dear Friends,
Mt 6, 1-6.16-18: Your Father will reward you!
Do good and let all the people know!
That is a sentence which we heard a lot in the time we live in:expressed by well-known and lesser-known benefactors,but also Catholic Christians, who volunteer and who do a lot for others.
One or the other could say , that through their exemple they have encouraged others to participate as well in order to make the world more just and the people happier. The Holy Gospel, Mt 6, 1-6 16-18 also talks about the giving of alms, about praying and fasting, but Jesus asks us to do all these things in secret without publicity.
God sees it all and He will reward us! Anyone who wants to jack up his reputation by showing off good works to the world is completely wrong and must accept that he or she can be called a hypocrate.
In the season of Lent, which begins on Ashwednesday, it is all about renewal.This renewal must be in the innner soul and spiritually. By going back and practise these inner basic attitudes we will be able to get closer to God on our paths in this life.
Behind our fasting, there must be the humbleness of our God. Behind our prayers there must be our hope and our trust.Finally, behind the giving of our alms, there must be love. Completely apart from the outward realization of these values we ought to question ourselves and think about our attitude towards God. Is my fast a recognition of myself as creature of God and the recognition of the greatness of my Creator? Is my praying really a personal contact with the One ,who has given me all my senses?Are my efforts for the work of mercy towards my neighbours really a sign of empathy, a sign of the fact that I really care about the fate of others? In this season of Lent it is all about how we feel about Jesus and to be obedient to His Word. That is then our purpose and the chance to understand Him better. Now we can really say:" Our time of Grace has come!"
When we really focus our eyes on Jesus and His message, our actions are given a whole new social dimension. We feel connected to all people in this wide world. Especially with those people suffering from war, hunger and distress and have all their rights taken away.
All our actions during this season of Lent are not only a spiritual experience, but it is also about our solidarity with all the people who were created in God's image.
Let us seize this opportunity, let us use it, so that this Lent can really become a time of Grace for us.
Amen.
Father Ed Bakker,
Anglican Catholic Church - Original Province
Mission of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne,
Launceston,
Tasmania
Australia
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