Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 6:1
This morning I sluggishly got out of bed after a restless night and opened my phone to look at my outlook calendar. So many meetings, an interview, class I had yet to read for, and all these other things I wanted to do, but with only around 14 hours to do them all. I had already slept in too late to go to the morning workout at my gym so disappointment was my first emotion of the day. But I knew that it may have been worth it since I would've probably been late to 8am Mass if I had gone to workout.
I wanted to take a running start to Lent this year. So even though I was upset about my inconsistent workout schedule, I got up quickly got ready for Mass walked across campus to the chapel. I was ready. Let's go. So pumped. I did not eat or drink anything, and pre-planned my meal and snack-meals the night before. Mass was quick and painless (our priest likes to be efficient early in the mornings). After Mass I knelt down and began my first 30 minute pray time of Lent. I read the day's scripture reading in my She Who Believed Journal (the gospel for today) and reflected on it as a stepping stone to Lent.
In Matthew 6, Jesus tells to remain humble, and many of our devotions, priests, and mentors will tell us to pray with humility. The definition of humility is "a modest or low view of one's own importance". So how do we pray humbly? We pray with the intent to give glory to God, and we pray knowing that we are sinners searching for redemption. We also must live humbly as Christians. We should not go around "sounding the trumpets" like is said in Matthew, because our relationship with God, and our Lenten journeys are our personal faith. We cannot be boastful in prayer, because that is not what God wants (see Matthew 6:5). He wants us to take time with Him alone, and give ourselves to Him.
My Lenten journey and time is precious to me, and I am hoping to learn more about God in the next 40 days, while also offering up all my struggles, and inviting people to join me in that journey (in their own way of course). How is your first day of Lent going?
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