CONFIDENT OF A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST
In living our Christianity we do not play to an audience in order to be
seen and heard... The Christian life is not an onstage performance.
Some of the most
admired and sought after people in our society are movie and television stars.
In many instances this is really a personality cult, not an appreciation of
acting ability, since a number of the most popular stars really play themselves,
no matter which role they may have been assigned. But every actor in his role
performs in order to be seen and heard by an audience. An actor without an
audience is like a baseball pitcher without a catcher.
Acting is just the
opposite of what Jesus wants from us. In living our Christianity we do not play
to an audience in order to be seen and heard. We should not have the motive of
drawing fans to ourselves, who will applaud us, ask for our autograph, and pay
us homage. The Christian life is not an onstage performance.
Jesus gives three examples from today's Gospel
in Matthew of Christian acts upon which we should not shine the light of
publicity: giving alms, praying, and fasting. These examples are not
exhaustive. They are meant to bring home the point of not doing anything to
seek the admiration of others. Actually very few people will brag directly
about how generous they are, or how hard they pray, or how much mortification
they practice. More often, it seems to me, we are tempted to let others know
subtly how much work we do, or how tough life is for us, or how busy we really
are.
We are all called
to share our faith with others as Christians! And I believe most people give of
themselves to help in our community and for our loved ones. We do this because
of the love and faith we have in our Heavenly Father. We do not need an
audience.
In St. Paul letter
to the Corinthians we here these words "he who sows bountifully will reap
bountifully." All who believe in Jesus are charged to share their faith
with others. Let us sow these seeds bountifully and widely, freely and
frequently--- in casual conversations at work or with neighbors, with family.
Let's do so confident of a bountiful harvest! As we pray today in the
Responsorial Psalm: Lavishly God gives, and His generosity endures forever.