NOTES for Mat 6:6

The context, in which these words of the Savior are said, is clear: Jesus sharply objects spirituality for show specific to Pharisees (prayer, alms, fasting). Certainly, it is important for us to hear this, because we also – oh as it is not indifferent, whether people notice that we are high-spirituals. But if we step aside a little from this context, then we can see again two typical cases, when these words fall the cap fits.

One case – when we limit our devotional life by situations of common prayer. We promptly attend church services, other prayer meetings, but there is no personal, intimate prayer. We put the church, the community intermediary between God and us, being fenced off from excessive closeness to Him. But indeed intermediaries cannot be in love and excessive closeness cannot be also! Jesus reminds us today of this.

The second variant - is when we are so filled by our personal problems that we perceive any prayerful situation as a reason to lay out at once all these problems to God. Then we don’t listen attentively to worship service when being in Church, we don’t pray together with others, we think only of our own and ask only about our own, breaking down the prayerful unity of the assembly. Jesus’ words turn out to be a hint: There is a place, where to bring all our problems to God – it is our personal, “home” prayer. The church has been created for our communal standing before God.