We begin our Lenten journey towards the 19th General Congregation with the first phrase of the prayer:
We pray to you, Father, for the Hijas de Jesus during this time of the General Congregation.
The Word illumines us
Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So, whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Mt 6:1-6,16-18
Saint Candida invites us
Farewell, my daughter; be good, but be very good, for God wills it so, and it is only right that we should fulfill it. I hope we will be true Hijas de Jesus.
[Letter # 9 to Sr. Antonia Robles. 25 May 1889. Volume I].
It helps us to live
What are the hypocrisies do you need to free yourself from?
What is true within you?
In what ways are you like Jesus?
