Holiness is found above all in your hidden life. There, where you are seen only by God ...

Jesus said to his disciples: “Take care not to do righteous actions so that people can see them; otherwise, you will have no reward from your heavenly Father. " Matthew 6: 1

Very often when we do something good, we want others to see it. We want them to be aware of how good we are. Because? Because it is nice to be recognized and honored by others. But Jesus tells us to do the exact opposite.

Jesus tells us that when we do a work of charity, fast or pray, we should do it in a hidden way. In other words, we shouldn't do it in such a way as to be noticed and praised by others. It is not that there is something wrong with seeing others in our goodness. Rather, Jesus' teaching goes to the heart of our motivations for our good deeds. He is trying to tell us that we should act holy because we want to draw close to God and serve His will, not so that we can be recognized and praised by others.

This offers us a great opportunity to look deeply and honestly at our motivations. Why do you do what you do? Think about the good things you try to do. So think about your motivation for doing those things. I hope you are motivated to do holy things simply because you want to be holy and you want to serve the will of God. Are you happy with God and only God seeing your good deeds? Are you okay with anyone else who recognizes your selflessness and acts of love? I hope the answer is "Yes".

Holiness is found above all in your hidden life. There, where you are seen only by God, you must act in a way that pleases God. You must live a life of virtue, prayer, sacrifice and self-giving when only God sees. If you can live this way in your hidden life, you can also be sure that your hidden life of grace will influence others in a way that only God can orchestrate. When you seek holiness in a hidden way, God sees it and uses it for good. This hidden life of grace becomes the basis for who you are and how you interact with others. They may not see everything you do, but they will be influenced by the goodness in your soul.

Lord, help me to live a hidden life of grace. Help me to serve you even when nobody sees. From the solitude of those moments, give birth to your grace and mercy for the world. Jesus I believe in you.