Word to the Wise
Wednesday, June 15, 2022 - Wednesday in the 11th Week in Ordinary Time
[2 Kgs 2:1, 6-14 and Matt 6:1-6, 16-18]When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. [Matthew]
In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes aim at the Pharisees and others who made a public spectacle of their religious observances. He mentions prayer, fasting and almsgivng. What is at issue here is not the acts themselves but the motivation that drives them - the desire to be seen and have prestige. Very commendable things are soiled by the way in which they are done and the reason for doing them.
Jesus' own teaching takes away the desire for prestige and power and focuses on the "inner room" of compassion and love. I have quoted the section on prayer because my eye caught that "inner room" expression which could be a location but it can also be the inner room of the self. When written or memorized prayers substitute for the personal inner encounter with the Lord, the whole point of praying can be lost. Sometimes, when we are with a close friend, words don't express what we feel about the relationship. Silent companionship can be more powerful than words or touch.
What goes on in the inner room should motivate what goes on outside. When the desire to express love of God and neighbor is the motivating force, and not public notice of piety, prayer then achieves its purpose. A good starting point is Jesus' own prayer that he teaches us and which we call the "Our Father." AMEN