God sees our behavior.

What can we do to make people admire us? We are not ashamed, we are not afraid, people don’t care … and they will do everything to be pretty, famous, powerful, “celebrities”, what if others laugh at them.

The Lord Jesus advises: “Be careful and do not do your good deeds in front of people so that they will admire you…” (Mt 6:1). Jesus addresses that those who truly want to belong to him must focus their piety on the inside of their lives, to the sincerity of their actions and the selflessness with which they do them. The Gospels often talk about the Lord Jesus’ criticism of the Pharisees. Yes, they were pious, and they did a lot of good, and yet he criticizes them. We must notice that the Lord Jesus fundamentally does not criticize good deeds, but the evil intention of those who do them. Their pride. Thus, he points out that the Pharisees are not concerned with the glorification of God but with their glorification. They did well so that people would praise them for it. They acted so that people would notice them. He also says to our address: “… don’t blow your trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and the streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth: They have already received their reward” (Mt 6:2).

And that is enough for us to understand that for such deeds they have already received their reward, and therefore they will not receive another one from God. However, we receive instruction on how a good disciple of Christ should behave properly: “But when you give alms, let your left hand not know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms will remain hidden. And your Father will reward you because he sees even in secret” (Mt 6,3-4). God wants us to act without witnesses because God is present everywhere and is our greatest witness of love. God wants us to they also acted out of selfless love, and that means we don’t expect anything here on earth, but only in eternity, and already here on earth, we want to praise God. By God. Because the words of the Lord Jesus are being fulfilled: “And your Father will reward you, for he sees even in secret” (Mt 6:4).

For example, prayer only makes sense when it comes from within. Fasting is effective for our salvation only when it washes away our sins, and that means when a person does it sincerely when he acknowledges his sinfulness, error, and fall… After all, no one needs to know about this, and it is also more beneficial when people don’t notice us, and it’s not noticeable. Yes, we realize that a pious person does not perform the prescribed deeds and does it only for self-gratification and the favor of people. However, the pious is the one who does good deeds to glorify God and at the same time leaves the reward to God, whether he accepts this manifestation of piety from him or not, and that means whether he receives and what kind of reward he receives.

Let’s ask our conscience – how is it with our piety, prayers, and sacraments – is it always aimed at my sanctification, enrichment, or for people to see me? How much do I try to devote myself to God in secret at home, for example in prayer, and acts of love without claim to reward? Don’t I want to be pious only to myself?