Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
[Jesus said to his disciples,] 1“Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. 2When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 4so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
5“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
16“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
Give alms, pray, fast. It is said that if you want to live forever, you must do three things: plant a tree, write a book, and have a child. But what if somebody cuts down your tree? What if no one buys and reads your book? What if your child denies or forgets you? That will be the end of your forever. The problem with these three things is that they are all for your ego, which will never live forever.
Now Jesus is telling us that if we want to live forever or be truly alive, we can do three things: pray faithfully to our God, make sacrifices for others, and share with the poor. These are not for our ego but for others. We will live forever in the hearts of those who have received our goodness. And when we do these things in secret, God sees them and blesses us unto eternal life.