Commentary on the Gospel of
"AND YOUR FATHER WHO SEES YOUR SECRET WILL REPAY YOU"
We usually think that giving alms, praying and fasting are good things. But today Jesus give us an example where it is not so; the case of the hypocrites, the Pharisees. Then, what are we doing in this Lent?
Some Christians focus on the external things of Lent, and they think that it is enough. Obviously these three things are important, as the Church teaches us, but they are important as an expression of a sincere desire for conversion.
Only the saints recognize that they are sinners, and pray humbly "be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned". In this way, we are beginning Lent today, and we need this same spirit to recognize that we are sinners too.
Not by thinking we are bad, rubbish or something similar but remembering that we are, essentially, good because we have been created by God. We are capable of the best, but sometimes we are far from God. It is not a simple moral question (although we know that when we separate from God we really are separating from the others, our brothers) it is a question about our relationship with God.
Receive this Lent like a new opportunity to renew our life, to enjoy our life. We are invited to follow the teachings of the Church and the Pope; a help in our way towards Christ. Pray humbly, hoping that we can be restored in the friendship of God.
