Jesus said to his disciples:
"Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
"When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
"When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."
I am frustated today.
I take my religion seriously. And although I have my qualms with the church, today, Ash Wednesday, is a very important day for me. It's a day when I feel especially connected to the Catholic Church and its memebers. The reading above was our gospel reading. It is my favorite reading, and the one that defines some of my key beliefs. My relationship with God is mine alone. It is no one else's business. And yet today, I am called to repent, called to wear the ashes as a sign of humility.
And although this is more a church tradition than a command made by Jesus, it is a way to connect to others in faith. So I wear them as a sign of my humilty, not to brag about my faith or push it on others. And yet my cousin, my own kin sees me and laughs, "oh no, not you too."
I am frustrated by this. I thought liberals were supposed to be openminded. To me, being a liberal is about accpeting ideas other than your own as valid. It's about not being closed to other ways of life. And guess what? That's what being a christian should be about too. Sometimes I really see the difference between the term "Christian" and the term "Follower of Christ" even though they're supposed to be synonomus.
Want to see the birth of liberal politics?
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