GENUINE HOLINESS! ~ CookingFood.Org

“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”

Daily Reflections

Wednesday, 21^stJune 2017.

Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga

2 Cor9: 6-11;

Ps 112:1-4, 9;

Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

GENUINE HOLINESS!

The Jews considered prayer, fasting and almsgiving as the three great pillars on which the good life was based. Jesus pointed to the heart of this. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving was a means to draw attention to oneself, to be thought of highly by others, and seldom to give glory to God. Jesus warns us of this self-seeking glory. True piety is something more than feeling good or looking holy. It is a loving devotion to God, an attitude of awe, reverence, worship and obedience. It is the gift and working of the Holy Spirit that enables us to devote our lives to God with a holy desire to please Him alone in all things.

The Jews were noted for their devotion to prayer, and the rabbis had a prayer for every occasion. But, Jesus warns his disciples against formalism, making prayer something mechanical and devoid of meaning, with little thought for God. Jesus has taught us to call God ‘our Father’ and boldly ask for the things we need to live as his sons and daughters.

Very often when we do something good, we want others to see. We want them to be aware of how good we are. However, Jesus tells us that when we do a work of charity, fast or pray we should do it in a hidden way. Jesus is trying to tell us that we should act in a holy way because we want to grow close to God and serve His will, not so that we can be recognized and praised by others. This offers us a great opportunity to look deeply and honestly at our motivations.

Holiness is especially found in your hidden life. There, where you are seen only by God, you must act in a way that pleases God. You must live a life of virtue, prayer, sacrifice and self-giving when only God sees. If you can live this way in your hidden life, you can also be certain that your hidden life of grace will affect others in a way that only God can orchestrate. When you strive for holiness in a hidden way, God sees that and uses it for good. This hidden life of grace becomes the foundation for who you are and how you interact with others. They may not see all you do, but they will be affected by the goodness within your soul.

Prayer: Lord, help me to live a hidden life of grace. Help me to serve You even when no one sees. From the solitude of those moments, bring forth Your grace and mercy for the world. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.