Daily Catholic Lectio
Wed, 18 June 2025
Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time – Wednesday
2 Corinthians 9:6–11. Matthew 6:1–6, 16–18
The Reward that Comes from God
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
Fasting, almsgiving, and prayer were considered the three pillars of Jewish piety. The Torah, prophetic writings, and rabbinic literature consistently highlighted these as essential acts of devotion. Their deeper goal was to foster repentance (teshuva), righteousness (tzedakah), and devotion (avodah) among the faithful. But in the time of Jesus, these sacred acts were increasingly reduced to empty rituals and public displays meant to earn admiration rather than deepen faith.
Jesus reorients the focus from outward display to inward transformation.
Fasting is not just about refraining from food, but turning one’s heart toward God (cf. Joel 2:12–13). On the Day of Atonement, fasting was the foremost act of repentance (cf. Leviticus 16:29–31).
Almsgiving, the act of giving to others, is meant to restore another’s dignity and offer wholeness (cf. Deuteronomy 15:7–8).
Prayer is not a performance but a conversation of the heart with God (cf. Daniel 6:10).
Jesus invites His disciples to shift their gaze—from the attention of others to the attention of the heart.
Fasting is an act of self-love: by willingly embracing hunger, we purify our desires. Almsgiving becomes an expression of fraternal love, correcting broken relationships with our neighbours. Prayer shapes our love for God, anchoring our hearts in divine intimacy (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1434).
This Gospel passage, traditionally proclaimed on Ash Wednesday, reminds us that fasting, almsgiving, and prayer are not seasonal rituals but essential foundations of Christian life. These acts are meaningful only when they are done in secret—seen not by men but by God, who alone rewards what is hidden.
Often, religion can shrink into mere rituals. Instead of connecting us to ourselves, to each other, and to God, it becomes an arena of competition: “Whose God is the true God?” The result is division, not communion. But fasting, charity, and prayer transcend religions—they are universal human expressions of love, sacrifice, and longing. If we start here, we start well.
“Your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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