Before Thy Father

Thy father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. (Mat.6, 18)

Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the first chapters of the Gospel, addresses those, who fast, and talks about fasting that pleases God. “Be not as the hypocrites” – do not fast like hypocrites, do not pray like hypocrites, do not do alms like hypocrites. All these deeds that must be done in the name of God, people brought down to earth and now do before men only. Lord watches with sadness that everything what needs to come from God and strive for God, got sunk in earth. He constantly tries to raise people’s eyes to heaven.

Alms – strait to God, past people; prayer – strait to God, past people; fasting – strait to God, past people, past their opinions and praises. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees” – He says to those who bring Godly things down to earth seeking glory from men only.

“Ye receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only” (Jn.5, 44). Our Savior, Who is worth every glory and honor, was saying of Himself, that He was not seeking neither His own will, nor His own glory. He always sees unworthy, pitiful and defiled people, who are seeking only glory from men! And this makes them hypocritical.

Lord wants to tear those souls from the earth and aim them to the One, Who sees in secret and does not accept hypocrisy. Righteous Lord is calling unto those who pray and fast before men and says to them: “Not unto men, but unto thy Father which is in secret”... Lord wants to gather and raise their eyes to His and our Father, Who sees in secret, so that we could discover that unspeakable communication with the Father, that can be known only in secret, in the very depths of non-hypocritical soul.

Your Father is in secret and He will respond and revel to you in secret as well. And He, Who sees in secret, not only sees your weak prayer, internal fasting of your soul, but its sinful secrets as well. Having reached the most unclean depths of your soul, He does not turn away from you. A man would turn away, but not God. Instead He spreads out His hands all the day unto rebellious people (Is.65, 2), to bring rebellious hearts to Him and rewards the hearts, that seek Him, with the kind of communication with Him, that brings a new life into them and turns them into habitation of God (Ef.2, 22).

(Translated by Tatiana Rozzell from “Every Day is a Gift from God. Diaries of an Orthodox Priest”, author unknown)