Is it the Father who repays me?
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you.
Almsgiving; charitable donations. Acts of faith, hope, and love; good deeds. Acknowledging sin; praying more. Fasting; giving up sweets.
Is there parity in these pairs?
We don’t blow trumpets. Would that we could; the angels would join the song. No. We appear before millions on the happy segment of the news, often called the “Good News.” We go on stage to make a gift of other people’s money and win new fans. We wear tee shirts, ribbons, and arm bands, or festoon our cars with stickers to display our support, even if that support is only a display.
We have received our reward.
We are only human. We have merely found new ways to dim virtue with sin. And God still loves us, even though we limit our poor attempts to forty days a year.
If I give up my favorite food for Lent, while my sister struggles to find any food for her children, what is my reward compared to hers? If I pray more, although my poor soul is twice as soiled as it was last Lent, what will be my reward? If I go to Mass to be seen and chat with others rather than kneel in reverent silence at the Crucifixion, then bumping into others at a diner may as well be my reward.
Here is a very hard question: When the powers of the earth encourage me to deduct my “charitable giving” from my taxes, is it the Father who repays me?
When I pray, do I go into the inner room within me, where I can be at any time and in any place, where my Father waits just for me hidden from the rest of the world?
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
People who give without expecting anything in return often display these 8 unique strengths
