This Ash Wednesday text is often misunderstood.
When Jesus told his audience not to do their alms in public, he was not
saying that public prayers should not be offered, or that acts of mercy or
charity should be ignored. Jesus was instead reminding us that the inner
motivation of heart was more important than the outward actions. This
doesn't mean that our faith should be private. Our faith takes place in both
private and public settings, part of our corporate worship is gathering and
reciting public corporate prayers. However, these should not be opportunities
to impress others, nor should we forget that while we do not live perfect
lives, in fact, we are far from perfect, we should beware of the kind of
religious life that acts one way in public but quite another in private.
How we treat people matters, and we cannot have the kind of devotion that
is insensitive to people during our week but them ignores our actions on
Sunday. Lent is a time of self examination, it is a time for us to turn
in repentance once again and focus on the life giving sacrifice of Jesus on the
cross. Let me invite you this lent to make a commitment to engage
spiritual disciplines in your life as we walk together with Christ into this
special season of the Christian year.
