"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. (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21)
I love treasure hunts, or did when I was a child. The idea of finding a treasure map and finding the right clues to the right places, and finally getting to the treasure was a dream every child growing up during my era. Once I did go on a treasure hunt in Denver, Colorado; a new mall had built a huge clay "mountain" and lined cubic zirconias all around it, and placed five diamonds in their midst. For a small fee, you could hunt for a diamond. My friends had just recently moved there, and the wife worked at a jewelry store. They suggested I talk to their jeweler and he would give me the things to look for in a real diamond. He simply said the diamonds are smaller and duller than the fakes. The fakes are a bit larger and shiny. Long story short, I found the last diamond.
Lent is very much like a treasure hunt. We have the Bible as our map, we have the life of Jesus as our model, we have prayer and the Holy Spirit as our guide, and each of the forty days we journey within our spirits and minds to find the true treasure which is a deeper relationship with the One who died for us, and then rose again to give us victory over sin and death.
This is day one. Read the passage and mark those things on your heart; this is a deeply personal journey between you and God. You should pray more, listen as you pray, and if you should fast, replace the meal or the food you are giving up with a spiritual discipline, such as reading passages of scripture or praying more. And notice the last verse in today's passage, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
PRAYER: Lord, bless us on this journey. Help us to travel steady and true. It is You we seek within ourselves so that others may see You, too. We pray in Jesus Christ's precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed journey in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
