An Audience of One
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Gospel
Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
“Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
"And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Readings are from Dynamic Catholic’s New Testament Bible: RSV Catholic Edition
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Transcript
An Audience of One
Hi, I'm Matthew Kelly. Welcome back to Radical and Relevant, where we're exploring the genius of the gospel, the genius of Jesus, the genius of Catholicism, and how to apply them to our lives. Today's reading is from the Gospel of Matthew 6:1-6, and 16-18. "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them. For then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have had their reward. But when you say, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you fast, do not look dismal like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have had their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
What jumps out at you today? Is there a word? Is there a phrase? Is there an idea? I think the idea that jumps out at me is who are we living our lives for? Who is the audience? And I think sometimes there's many different audiences in our lives. Maybe sometimes we're living our lives for an audience of our parents or our friends or social media or our siblings. The reality is the gospel invites us to live our lives for an audience of one, and God is that audience. Are you living your life for an audience of one, or are you living your life for an audience of many? And if you started to live your life for an audience of one, how would you live your life differently? And how would that simplify your life? And what kind of clarity would come from that simplicity? And how would that allow you to move through life a little bit more peacefully? God bless you. Have an amazing day. Don't just be yourself, be the very best version of yourself. And remember, be bold, be Catholic.
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