doing our good deeds in secret

Today we hear from St Ambrose in A Year with the Church Fathers. He says that Jesus clearly taught us to do most of our good deeds in secret, so that we don’t lose our eternal reward by bragging about what we’ve done. Of course, we are also encouraged to DO our good deeds publicly, so that we can be “salt and light” in our community, and inspire others to do good deeds. So it comes down to motivation. If we’re doing our good deeds publicly to win favor from other people, we lose our eternal reward. But if we do it to help others to do the same, we’re being salt and light.

This is a good thing to remember when you hear the news. The news media is going to report the horrible things that are happening all around the world every day. You might find yourself wondering how the world could be such a nasty place. But keep in mind that there are literally millions of Christians all over the world doing good in secret. You’re not going to hear about it. But it’s happening.

Say a prayer for them.

God, thanks for teaching us to do our good deeds in secret.