So that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:4
“Let us love to pray and labor unseen, and cherish in the secret of our hearts the graces of God and the growth of our immortal souls.”
Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) in The Lives of the Saints by Alan Butler, 1894 (Global Grey edition, 2019) 13 June reading.
Sometimes the shortest meditations pack the most punch.
Jesus desires that we pray and labor unseen. Anthony reminds us that when we do, we experience the graces of God and growth in our souls. We experience Him in powerful ways and grow spiritually.
Who might you pray for at length with only God as your audience?
Pause and ask the Spirit to guide you. Consider taking a block of time today or over multiply days to pray for this person or group of people as God leads you in an unseen way.
How might you labor generously for God today or in the days ahead?
Again, pray and follow God’s leading on this. Perhaps start by assessing your giftedness. Make margin in your schedule to use it, saying no to some things so you can say yes to this unseen labor.
Then pause and examine the graces God gave you and the growth in your soul.