Dear AETH community:
One body! From the Greek Oikoumene, ecumenism in its simplest etymology means "one house". Following this spirit of unity and recognizing that we are all one body in Christ, we present to you our Holy Week Series 2024: Ecumenical Visions. Every week during this preparatory period leading up to Holy Week, we will be sharing reflections allusive to the season, representing the voices and traditions that make us the Church of the Lord.
Today, Ash Wednesday, which opens Lent, we begin with a moving reflection from our Board of Directors Vice President, Dr. Luis Rivera Rodriguez. I invite you to search, read and reflect on each writing and allow each letter to speak to your life through these Ecumenical Visions of Holy Week.
God bless you;
Rev. Dr. Jessica Lugo
Executive Director AETH
Holy Week Series: Ecumenical Visions of the Season Of the secret and the public
Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18
As we begin our journey toward Holy Week, we walk the path of Lent. And at the beginning we hear words of admonition that warn us of a great temptation for the Christian life. "Take heed that you do not practice your righteousness before men, that you may be seen by them... in order to be honored by men." (Matthew 6:1-2) It is a call to refrain from false religiosity.
It is a type of exhibitionist spirituality that basically seeks recognition and boasting from others. It is born of the need to become the object of attention for the purpose or motivation of gaining fame, honor and power through acts of faith. Helping others is perverted into a system of patronage that leaves the needy in debt (6:2). Prayer to God becomes a monologue and ostentatious speech (6:5). Fasting ceases to be an act of true inner constriction and becomes a public pantomime (6:16).
This type of spirituality, Jesus warns us, is idolatrous because it is not theocentric but egocentric. The attention is no longer on God but on ourselves, and the intention is not to glorify God but ourselves. The Christian life is distorted when it is decentered from God and neighbor to focus on a fractured and disoriented ego that seeks prestige, notoriety and complacency, even if it is through religious means.
The theatrical spirituality that seeks fame does not have God's endorsement. God knows our thoughts, discerns our intentions, and knows our ways in secret... in the depths and intimacy of our being. Our God calls us by his grace so that sincerity and anonymity distinguish our life. It is only from this humble and disinterested posture that the Christian life acquires a public dimension with evangelizing power. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)
By: Dr. Luis R. Rivera-Rodríguez, M.D.
Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary
Dr. Luis R. Rivera
He is a native of Puerto Rico and has lived in Illinois since 1995. He was professor of theology and academic dean at three seminaries: Puerto Rico Evangelical Seminary (1986-1995), McCormick Theological Seminary (1995-2013) and Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary (2013-2021). He is retired but is active in research and volunteers with three organizations: AETH, Hispanic Theological Initiative, and InTrust Center for Theological Schools.