As I prayed with today's Gospel, I was struck by the amount of humility that is required to perform prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in the way the Lord asks of us. Humility can be considered the "hidden virtue." The Lord asks all of us to live humbly, yet those truly practicing the virtue of humility rarely are noticed or recognized for it. The hypocrites that Jesus speaks of in today's Gospel are ultimately lacking in the virtue of humility. Of course, none of us want to be a hypocrite! So how do we truly grow in humility and in our relationship with the Lord?

Hypocrites seek earthly rewards. Those who are truly humble seek heavenly rewards. The purpose of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving is to lead us deeper into relationship with the LORD, not to have our name hung on a shiny plaque or to be recognized in front of hundreds of people. I struggle with this sometimes because I personally love to be affirmed. I love the feeling of knowing that others approve of my hard work. More often than not, I can recognize that this comes from a place of pride in my heart. This desire to be loved and affirmed is not bad in and of itself, but the Lord wants to be the one we run to for love and affirmation. Humility is meant to counteract our pride and lead us back to the Lord in our search for acceptance and approval. May our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving this day lead us back to Him in the hidden depths of our heart where true humility dwells.

How will you pray with humility today?

How will you fast with humility today?

​How will you give alms with humility today?

"Lord, grant me humility."

"Let me not be like the hypocrites."

​"Your reward will be great in heaven."

Humbly spend 5 minutes alone in silence with the Lord, whether in a chapel or in your room or in another quiet place.