My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Lent will begin in a few days on March 5. In the Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday, Jesus tells 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" (Matt. 6:1). But earlier in the Gospel of St. Matthew, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father" (Matt. 5:14-16).

So which is it? Do we "take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them" or do we "let our light shine before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our heavenly Father"?

I don't think it is a contradiction to say that Jesus wants us to do both! The difference is in the motivation and intent. If we are moved by pride to do good deeds with the intent of garnering praise for ourselves, we have the wrong motive and intent. If we are moved to do good deeds out of genuine concern for those in need and do them with the intent of bringing glory to God, drawing people to the church and inspiring others to do the same, then we are acting with the proper motive and intent.

Towards the end of the passage in the Gospel for Ash Wednesday, Jesus adds, "When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting" (Matt. 6:16). Jesus is telling us that appearances are important, but it is necessary to make sure that our external appearances are consistent with the internal intentions of motivations of the mind and heart.

When it comes to appearance, the importance of clothing must be kept in mind. The external appearance of our clothes reflects an inner attitude. The tendency today is to wear casual and sometimes even sloppy clothes because that is what makes us feel comfortable. The result can be seen at airports, in schools, in workplaces and even in church where it appears that some people have just come from the beach or the gym or just rolled out of bed.

But the more noble purpose of clothing is to be considerate of others who have to look at us. Dressing properly communicates respect for the people in our presence.

Sometimes our clothing also communicates an official purpose or designated role, such as the uniform of a fire fighter, a police officer, a postal worker, an airline attendant, a nurse, a doctor, a judge, or, for that matter, the pope, a bishop, a priest or a nun. Without such uniforms, we would wonder if the person has the proper credentials, expertise, experience and authorization to exercise that role.

St. Paul tells Christians to "clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 13:14). He describes such clothing as follows: "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection" (Colossians 3:12-14).

In other words, that fact that we are Christians should be apparent by our actions and the way we live.

In some parts of the world, it is against the law to be a Christian. So we might ask, if you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

The power of Jesus' clothing can also be seen in this passage from St. Mark's Gospel: "There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for 12 years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, 'If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.' Immediately her flow of blood dried up" (Mark 5:25-28).

Remember that before his crucifixion, Jesus was stripped of his clothes. By this action, he was stripped of his dignity. But after his resurrection and ascension, Christ is clothed in glory.

We are invited to share in this glory. In the sacrament of baptism, the newly baptized person is given a white garment and is told, "You have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you by word and example, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven."

That is the focus of our Lenten observances from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. That is the glorious hope of the resurrection: to bring our Christian dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven!

May God give us this grace. Amen.