See how the Lord blesses those who fear him. — Psalm 128:4

Mass Readings: Ruth 2:1-3,8-11;4:13-17 / Matthew 23:1-12 

Praying in Public 

When I lived in New York, I was part of a group that prayed the Rosary near the Grand Central subway station. At evening rush hour, about 500 people passed us per minute! Our purpose was to make people think about God for a moment. One day a man who obviously knew his Bible came by to tell us that we were like the scribes and Pharisees in today’s Gospel who perform their works to be seen. 

We talked that over later and decided that Jesus was condemning those who wanted to be praised and rewarded for praying in public, whereas we received mostly nasty looks or worse. But it made us think about our motivations and how we might appear self-righteous to others. We continued to pray in public, but — we hoped — a bit more humbly. 

Prayer: Lord, may my devotion be directed to Your glory and not mine.