But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly

 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.   Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

* * * 

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

On Saturday we read that Jesus taught:  "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.  You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven perfect."

 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven."  As we move into this next chapter of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus here starts to address the three most basic aspects of spiritual living:  charitable giving, prayer, and fasting.  These three disciplines, my study bible says, relate directly to God's righteousness -- the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven.

"Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."   The word hypocrite originally meant actor.  It literally means (in Greek) "under a mask" as in the ancient theater players wore masks to indicate the character they portrayed.  My study bible says that hypocrites are play-actors practicing piety for show, who desire to please men rather than God.  Wearing masks of compassion, inwardly they are heartless.  Therefore their reward is the applause of people and nothing more.

"But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."  My study bible comments that God is not impressed with what others think of us, nor even by what we think of ourselves.  God will reward good deeds based on pure motives of the heart. 

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.   Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  The hypocrites miss the spirit of prayer, my study bible says.  It describes prayer as an intimate, personal communion with God that leads to the vision of God's glory (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Hypocrisy blocks out such communion and vision.  My study bible adds that true prayer is not in telling God what God already knows, and then saying what to do about it.  Neither is it appearing pious in front of other people.  True prayer is humble (go into your room), personal (pray to your Father), and sincere.

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  To keep a sad countenance in order to show off fasting is yet another mere external display.  Once again, as with each topic in today's reading, Jesus rejects this kind of hypocrisy.  My study bible says that for the one who fasts, the compassion of God outshines the physical discomfort.  Fasting is for spiritual growth, and for the glory of God, and not to be seen by those around us.  My study bible reminds us that fasting, especially in the context of discipleship, isn't just about abstinence of food.  But it consists in a type of beneficial self-denial in all areas of life, and is thus a discipline to avoid being controlled by one's passions:  that would include, for instance, participating in gossip, or showing off, or withdrawing from useless conflict and acrimony.  My study bible quotes St. John Chrysostom:  "What good is it if we abstain from eating birds and fish, but bite and devour our brothers?"

I find the emphasis on the hidden and the secret quite interesting in today's reading.   There are three times in today's selection of verses when Jesus doubles the emphasis on this word translated as secret.  He tells us "do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly," to "pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly," and "when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."   The word translated as secret in Greek is kryptos/κρυπτός.  Its literal meaning is "hidden."   It's the root for words in English like cryptography, cryptic, or even Superman's kryptonite, the (fictitious) secret alien substance that takes away his powers.  Jesus' use of this term seems to indicate the importance of "secret" practices of our faith, as they keep us from hypocrisy, which destroys sincerity.  These secret or hidden practices Jesus describes in today's reading involve prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  Most notable is prayer, because we not only have that double use of the word secret (for both our action, and for the "seeing" done by our Father), but the Father Himself is in "the secret place."  In addition, we go into our inner chamber to pray.  This word in Greek for room (tameion/ταμεῖόν) was indicative of an inner room in a house used to store valuables or "treasure."  (In modern Greek, it's evolved to be the word used for a cash register or point of sale checkout.)  Therefore there's a triple-secret message here with regard to praying, for we go into a secret or hidden room, we pray to the Father who is hidden in a secret place, and who sees in secret.  Conversely to what we might assume in terms of modern thinking, all of this secrecy is designed to keep us honest and sincere.  When we do things for show -- or simply even in a way that others can see -- it's much too easy to keep considering the opinions of the others who see or watch, rather than expressing the sincerity of the heart.  Thus, charity done in secret is charity done for sincere motivations.  Religious fasting done in secret is truly done to honor God.   And praying in secret is our hope of being honest with ourselves and with God, bringing out what's in the heart.  Jesus contrasts these things done in a hidden way with things done for the glory we get from others.  John's Gospel makes a special effort to use similar terms in criticizing those among the religious leaders who believed in Christ but were ruled more by fear:   "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).   There is a consistent emphasis across the Gospels in contrasting the things we do for the praise or glory in the sight of other human beings rather than for the God who sees in secret and is in the secret (or hidden) place.  Even when we are sincere, keeping such practices in a hidden or secret way helps to keep us honest.  There is always the possible influence of the people we know are watching, and our desire to please them that can get in the way of sincerity from the heart.  If I am being really honest, I confess here that this is why my blog is written anonymously.  Although by now a great many of my friends know I write this blog, I wanted to do so sincerely and without worrying about whether or not my friends would be pleased by what they read.  For better or worse, I know that worry as a type of personal weakness.  But it seems to me that in seeking to please God, in keeping in mind that the One who is in the secret place sees everything, we are better able to keep in mind the state of our hearts -- and the state of the heart has been the entire emphasis of the Sermon on the Mount so far.  This awareness of what takes place in a hidden and secret way keeps us humble, and fully dependent upon God, as Jesus indicates in the very first Beatitude, when He teaches, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."   As the theme of the Sermon on the Mount has been to somehow fulfill and even go beyond the law, we understand the emphasis on the heart, on even those things that are hidden within us.  Let us keep in mind Jesus' emphasis on the whole integrity of a person.  He does not ask us for outward show of conformity to ideas so much as emphasizes an inner integrity and fidelity to God, a communion that keeps us honest with both God and ourselves.