“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:16-18).
At first glance, this might seem an odd Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday. Making the sign of the cross on one’s forehead with ashes is what this verse forbids. Or, is it? In Matthew 6:5-15, our Lord gives similar instructions on prayer: “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” This is followed by Matthew’s account of Jesus teaching His disciples the Lord’s Prayer, which Christians all over the world and for hundreds of years have prayed in public as well as in private. There are other verses in Scripture to meet regularly to pray and worship God regularly and as openly as possible (Hebrews 10:23-25: 1 Timothy 2:1-7).
In fact, St. Matthew begins the entire section by saying, “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:1). “Charitable deeds” is a translation of δικαιοσύνην (dikaiosynēn: righteousness, justice) which refers to good works in general. Yet in 1 Peter 2:12 we are told, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”
Then Matthew 6:2 reads, “Thus, when you give to the needy (ἐλεημοσύνην, eleēmosynēn) sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” Yet 2 Corinthians 9:13 describes the gathering of offerings for the poor and for the work of the kingdom as “proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and with all men.” From the earliest days of the church, offerings have been brought forward and placed on the altar as sacrifices of thanksgiving during public worship.
Our Lord is addressing what we would today call “virtue signaling”, ostentatious displays of piety without genuine faith in God. “Sees in secret (κρυπτῷ; kryptō)” implies seeing that which is hidden, or within the heart.
The outward acts, even giving away all one’s possessions to the poor avail nothing if not done in sincere faith and love (1 Corinthians 13:3). They do not gain for us salvation, nor blessing from the Lord. But if done in faith and love, and in common confession with others, not drawing attention to ourselves as individuals, they testify to God’s love and mercy.
One suggested Old Testament lesson for Ash Wednesday, Jonah 3:1-10, illustrates the ancient association of sackcloth and ashes with a fast, or time of repentance, and the other, Joel 2:12-19, speaks of the entire people of God declaring a season of fasting.
We began our observance of Lent on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, with a vespers service of public confession and absolution with the imposition of ashes. Our catechism teaches that we may confess our sins before the congregation as part of the liturgy, or to the pastor in private. Either way we have the assurance that the word of absolution are as sure as if we heard them directly from the Lord Himself.
The imposition of ashes is a more elaborate form of making the sign of the cross, which Lutherans have done since the 16th Century. Martin Luther strongly encouraged Christians to make the sign of the cross as a daily devotional practice. He also retained the practice at the beginning of the service as Trinitarin invocation, during baptism, confession and absolution, during the Lord’s Supper and the closing benediction. Luther viewed the sign not as superstition but as a spiritual weapon against the devil and a proclamation of faith in Christ’s victory on the cross. He believed it strengthened the conscience and reminded believers of God’s promises. Ashes remind us of our sinful nature that will not pass away until we die physically. “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).
Luz Maria has again been asked to mentor deaconess students in the third cycle of the diaconal program offered by Concordia Seminary "El Reformador" in the Dominican Republic. On Tuesday, March 3, we partipicated in an online orientation meeting for "Practical Diaconal Guidance I". Exis Freites and Mineida García, ladies of "Prince of Peace" Lutheran Church, Sierra Caroní, represented Venezuela among the more than 50 women from other Latin American countries. Concordia Seminary "El Reformador", established in 2017 by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, serves Spanish -speaking Lutherans from all over Central and South America by training pastors and deaconesses .
Pray for victims of tragedy in Chile
We received word from our fellow Global Lutheran Outreach (GLO) missionary, Pastor Adrian Ventura, that on Thursday, February 19, a truck carrying liquefied gas overturned, spilling its entire cargo onto an avenue in the Renca district of Santiago, Chile. Following the spill, a raging fire engulfed several cars, including their occupants; four people died at the scene, and several others suffered burns over 90 percent of their bodies. One of the young men caught in the flames was Luis Miguel Gómez, a Venezuelan and son of Belkis Mendoza, a member of “Cristo es Amor” (Christ is Love) Lutheran Church in Barquisimeto. Luis passed away on Wednesday, February 25, at the Workers' Hospital. Belkis was able to obtain a humanitarian visa and spend her son Luis's final days with him. We ask for your prayers for the Gómez Mendoza family, who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
