Today is the start of the Lent Season

Lent

Lent is the period of six weeks (40 days not including Sundays) leading up to Easter, the most important festival in the Christian calendar. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. The last week of Lent is called Holy Week. Based on Matthew 6:16-18, fasting during Lent should be a private act of devotion to God rather than a public display for human approval.

Jesus instructs believers not to look gloomy or "disfigure their faces" like hypocrites seeking recognition, but to wash, appear normal, and keep their sacrifice secret. Key Principles of Lenten Fasting (Non-Hypocritical)

Keep it Private: Focus on God as the audience, not others. Heart-Motivation: The goal is spiritual, not to impress (Isaiah 58:3-7). Inner Disposition: Avoid a "sad countenance" or "gloomy" appearance that signals fasting to others. Internal Focus: Use the sacrifice to build a deeper relationship with God.

The Warning against "Hypocrites"

Performative Piety: Hypocrites in Jesus' time purposefully looked disheveled to appear holy. The Reward: Seeking public praise means receiving the reward in full from people, rather than God. Avoid Ostentation: True fasting is not about bragging or showing off spiritual discipline.

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. When fasting, the focus should be on repentance and seeking God, rather than on the external show of discomfort.

Soon you will be seeing hypocrites all around you, they will be seen feasting.