The Gospel According to St. Matthew

⭑ Catholic Public Domain Version 2009 ⭑

- Chapter 6 -

(Deuteronomy 15:7–11)

“Pay attention, lest you perform your justice before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you shall not have a reward with your Father, who is in heaven.(a)

Therefore, when you give alms, do not choose to sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the towns, so that they may be honored by men. Amen I say to 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 almsgiving may be in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.

The Lord’s Prayer

(Luke 11:1–4)

And when you pray, you should not be like the hypocrites, who love standing in the synagogues and at the corners of the streets to pray, so that they may be seen by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.

But you, when you pray, enter into your room, and having shut the door, pray to your Father in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.

And when praying, do not choose many words, as the pagans do. For they think that by their excess of words they might be heeded.

Therefore, do not choose to imitate them. For your Father knows what your needs may be, even before you ask him.

Therefore, you shall pray in this way: Our Father, who is in heaven: May your name be kept holy.

May your kingdom come. May your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth.

Give us this day our life-sustaining bread.(b)

(c)

And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation.(d) But free us from evil. Amen.

For if you will forgive men their sins, your heavenly Father also will forgive you your offenses.

But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your sins.

Proper Fasting

And when you fast, do not choose to become gloomy, like the hypocrites. For they alter their faces, so that their fasting may be apparent to men. Amen I say to you, that they have received their reward.

But as for you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

so that your fasting will not be apparent to men, but to your Father, who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.

Treasures in Heaven

(Luke 12:32–34)

Do not choose to store up for yourselves treasures on earth: where rust and moth consume, and where thieves break in and steal.(e)

Instead, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven: where neither rust nor moth consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there also is your heart.

The Lamp of the Body

(Luke 11:33–36)

The lamp of your body is your eye. If your eye is wholesome, your entire body will be filled with light.

But if your eye has been corrupted, your entire body will be darkened. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great will that darkness be!

No one is able to serve two masters. For either he will have hatred for the one, and love the other, or he will persevere with the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.(f)

Do Not Worry

(Luke 12:22–31)

And so I say to you, do not be anxious about your life, as to what you will eat, nor about your body, as to what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Consider the birds of the air, how they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of much greater value than they are?

And which of you, by thinking, is able to add one cubit to his stature?

And as for clothing, why are you anxious? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither work nor weave.

But I say to you, that not even Solomon, in all his glory, was arrayed like one of these.

So if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and cast into the oven tomorrow, how much more will he care for you, O little in faith?

Therefore, do not choose to be anxious, saying: ‘What shall we eat, and what shall we drink, and with what shall we be clothed?’

For the Gentiles seek all these things. Yet your Father knows that you need all these things.

Therefore, seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be added to you as well.

Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow; for the future day will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its evil.”

Footnotes

(a)6:1 Your justice:that is, works of justice; viz., fasting, prayer, and almsdeeds; which ought to be performed not out of ostentation, or a view to please men, but solely to please God.(Challoner)

(b)6:11 The word ‘super’ in Latin is sometimes used to refer to remaining alive (above ground). The word ‘substantialem’ refers to what is essential or necessary. So supersubstantialem refers to what is necessary to sustain life, in this case, spiritual life.(Conte)

(c)6:11 Supersubstantial bread:In St. Luke the same word is rendered daily bread. It is understood of the bread of life, which we receive in the Blessed Sacrament.(Challoner)

(d)6:13 Lead us not into temptation:That is, suffer us not to be overcome by temptation.(Challoner)

(e)6:19 The Latin word ‘aerugo’ also can refer to avarice, which consumes the soul as rust consumes metal.(Conte)

(f)6:24 Mammon:That is, riches, worldly interest.(Challoner)