Daily Readings - Sat Jul 01 2017

In today’s readings, we encounter a profound invitation to live our faith with humility and sincerity. The Gospel from Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 reminds us that our acts of piety—prayer, fasting, and charity—should be done without seeking recognition. Jesus teaches that true righteousness is found in secret, where only God sees. The Epistle, perhaps from 1 Corinthians, emphasizes detaching from earthly treasures and storing up riches in heaven through selfless love and generosity. The Old Testament reading, such as Isaiah 58:6-11, calls for a fasting that loosens the bonds of injustice, highlighting the importance of caring for the marginalized. These readings are interconnected, each illuminating a facet of a life lived in faith. The Old Testament sets the stage by linking fasting with social justice, urging us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. The Epistle builds on this by tying our spiritual practices to our detachment from materialism, encouraging us to focus on eternal rewards. The Gospel culminates this message by teaching us to perform these acts humbly, without seeking earthly praise. Together, they call us to a life of genuine faith, humility, and concern for others. Applying this to our daily lives, we are reminded to approach prayer, fasting, and charity with sincerity. Let us practice these virtues without expectation of recognition, trusting in God’s providence. In our actions, we should seek to serve others selflessly, whether through quiet acts of kindness or standing up for justice. The moral lesson here is clear: our faith should be lived authentically, reflecting a commitment to humility and a dedication to the well-being of all. May we embrace this call, living a life that truly reflects our faith through genuine prayer, fasting, and charity.