for June 17
Wednesday of the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time

If today’s gospel sounds especially familiar, that may be because this section of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ is read each year on Ash Wednesday. On that day, the gospel seems to contradict being marked by ashes, which lets everyone who sees us know about our religious practices. Today, the gospel seems no better matched to the first reading’s account of Elijah’s flaming horses and chariots. Going up to heaven in a whirlwind is a pretty public display.

So perhaps we should ask ourselves then, what this gospel is really about? What’s below its surface? What if Jesus is not just warning us about getting caught up in public recognition for visible acts of piety? (Or, in contemporary terms, what if it’s not just challenging the fleeting satisfactions of virtual signaling?) Matthew certainly takes for granted that Jesus’ hearers will continue the acts of piety that were important aspects of Jewish life. The rhythmic repetition of “when you give alms. . .but when you give alms. . .when you pray. . .but when you pray. . .when you fast. . .but when you fast” certainly underscores that expectation. So perhaps this gospel isn’t about what we do, but how we do what we do, and why.

Interspersed between his repeated phrases, Jesus speaks about what is secret, what is hidden. God sees not just our religious practice (whether public or private), but also the internal motivations and the dispositions that shape what we ask for, who and how we help, and the choices we make about using the goods of creation. What else might God see? What if we look for what else might be hidden from view, not only in our hearts but in the world around us? What other hidden forces might shape our religious practice and how God receives it?

We can look around us today and see city streets filled with protest against violence and racial injustice. We can also see a nation that once elected a black man as president and that celebrates heroes and public figures of every hue and background. What we see may look relatively free of visible discrimination like that embodied in Jim Crow law and custom. But what about less visible forms of discrimination like mortgage lending practices and school funding policies? These, too perpetuate historic disadvantage. Now, what might our religious practice look like if we open our eyes and hearts to such hidden realities? In this light, how might we shape our prayer, fasting and almsgiving? How might God see and reward it?

Just as it does on Ash Wednesday, today’s gospel invites us to look past the surface, beyond the easily seen, to consider what may be hidden within and all around us. We are asked to let that shape our religious practice. The forms that our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving then take may be simple and quiet, or they may be as attention-grabbing as a flaming chariot and horses. The gospel is not about choosing between public and private display. Either way, what God sees—and seeks—is a direct connection between what we hold hidden in our hearts and all that is encompassed within the heart of God.
—BJ Brown

Today’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.

Today’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.