Today, Jesus speaks with us about the attitude that we should have when we open our hearts in prayer. It happens - sometimes far too often - that we do and say things so that we will be noticed by a superior, by a colleague, by a loved one ... but when it comes to prayer, Jesus reminds us that the only one we need to be noticed by is God, and God is always waiting for us, ready to spend time with us. When you pray ... pray to your Father who is in secret (Mt 6: 6).
Our prayer should always result in a sharpened awareness of our concern for others. This is the reason why Jesus counsels us to give alms in such a way that our right hands do not know what our left hands are doing (cf Mt 6: 3). Our motivation for being generous should always come from a sense of doing good and doing justice, never from a desire to be noticed.
And the discipline of fasting should never be a means of attracting attention to ourselves. Rather, it is a spiritual discipline meant to remind us of our dependence on God. To do otherwise is to have missed the point. This is the reason why Jesus cautions those who fast not to put on gloomy faces in order to attract attention to themselves (cf Mt 6: 16).
Today, let us pray for the grace to be genuine in our prayer and to marvel at the gift of God's generosity.
Have a great day.
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