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Wednesday 11th Week OT
The Institute
June 17, 2015
SHINE OR NOT SHINE?
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At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus tells his disciples that their light must shine before others so “that they may see your good deeds and glorify
your heavenly Father”
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But in today’s Gospel, he exhorts them to
practice their piety in a hidden way so that only their heavenly Father will
see their righteous deeds and reward them
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So how are we to practice our piety: in a hidden
way or for others to see?
DISCIPLES VS
HYPOCRITES +++++++++++++++++++++++
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On the one hand, the purpose of our good deeds
is to lead others to praise our Father in heaven
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On the other, we are not to practice our piety
to garner the praise and acclaim of others
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This is why Jesus draws such a sharp contrast
between his disciples and the hypocrites
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Whereas the latter are divided in their
allegiance to God, seeking the praise of human beings as well as of God, Jesus’
disciples are to be single-minded and whole-hearted in their devotion to God
BY OUR FRUITS WE’RE
KNOWN ++++++++++++++++++
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For example, receiving ashes on our foreheads as
Lent begins is an outward sign of our intention to reform our lives and grow in
holiness
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However, there must be people who receive ashes
to be noticed or do so out of social pressure
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What we reap at Easter and through the year is
the true harvest of our devotional acts of piety or giving alms
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Building on images from today’s first reading,
we know that by our fruits we are known
SINGLE MINDED OR DIVIDED
HEARTS? ++++++++++++
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When we are single-minded and whole-hearted in
our devotion to God, the sole purpose of our good deeds is to lead others to
praise God
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But when we act with a divided heart that seeks
the praise of human beings as well as of God, our deeds are often much less
about leading others to praise God and more about garnering praise for
ourselves
CONCLUSION
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This is a contrast in piety that is both sharp
and subtle
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