The First Week in Lent
Devotion Guide for the Week of Thursday, March 6, 2025
Imagine Worship Theme: "Seeing with the Heart" (Feeling)
Gospel — Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Jesus said, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. "So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received 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 done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever 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 whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Meditation by Kate Moran
The images of pride and ego stick out to me the most in these passages. In the time of social media, so many people do good deeds seemingly only to post them online and receive praise. But if we do good deeds in Christ’s name, with faith, and for His glory, most people won’t even know—because it’s not about recognition here on Earth. Our actions and any good deeds we do should be about honoring God rather than not seeking approval and praise from others. I understand why people crave that praise — I can’t deny the part of me that recognizes that it feels good to be recognized for achievements or good deeds. But as the passage says “…but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven……for where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” If we try to find meaning in our life through social media, I think we will find that life shallow and meaningless in the end. This passage also reminded me of a misconception I had as a child. To preface, I did not grow up in a Christian household, so I knew very little about Ash Wednesday. When I was in middle school I thought the kids who had the ashes on their foreheads were sort of “showing off” their religion in some way. Of course, this was my own naivety -- I thought this was some sort of way “to be seen by others”. As I got older and became curious I learned that the imposition of the ashes is completely optional for the faithful. The ashes are there to remind us that we are dust and to dust we shall return. There is no earthly treasure to gain from receiving the ashes.
Questions for Reflection
- When was the last time you caught yourself seeking approval from others? How might shifting your focus toward honoring God change your perspective?
- What does storing up treasures in heaven mean to you?
- This Lent, how will you make your communities more like the Kingdom of God?
Practice
Lent is a season of spiritual realignment, of reorienting ourselves to the way of Jesus. This week, consider asking yourself where your “treasure” is. Where do you spend most of your time, energy, and money? This isn’t to say that all of your treasure needs to go to church per se; after all, Jesus himself said to his followers are and ought to be the salt of the world, not that they should stay in the metaphorical saltshaker! But are the ways in which you spend your treasure in line with your deepest values? If, on reflection, you realize that they are not, maybe spend some time journaling or contemplating how you can store up your treasure in God’s “kin-dom” (a phrase coined by Mujerista theologian Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz). Don’t expect an immediate answer, but be prepared: God’s kin-dom has the lovely habit of flourishing in the least expected places in our lives and our world.
Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
Our loving Mother,
Parent of us all,
We pray that we might see your kin-dom flourish here while you are growing it, seed by seed.
Help us to rest in your love, not in the approval we think we can get from others.
Give us hearts that are quick to listen, swift to give compassion, and hesitant to mete out vengeance.
When we are tempted to measure our worth by numbers and by attention, remind us that you love us, and give us your love
freely,
forever.
May we always recognize that your kin-dom is what is real, here and now, always and forever.
Amen.
Visio Divina Week 1
Jesus Preaching by José Trujillo
