That your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. The same concluding structure as the giving and prayer sections: the Father who sees in secret rewards what the Father alone sees. The three piety disciplines — giving, prayer, and fasting — are all grounded in the same theology: the Father is present and attentive in the secret space; his seeing is sufficient validation; his reward exceeds the human applause that the hypocrites pursue. The disciple who gives, prays, and fasts for the Father alone is the disciple who has oriented their entire interior life toward the only audience that ultimately matters.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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