5. (Mt 6:4) “But when thou givest alms, do not let thy left hand know what thy right hand is doing, so that they alms may be given in secret; and thy Father, who sees in secret, will reward thee.”
Everything we have to give as alms, and even the urge to give alms are gifts from our Heavenly Father. But we are still hiding from Our Father “among the trees” (Gen 3:8) and trying to cover our nakedness with fig leaves (Gen 3:7). Because we are made in His Image, we are inclined to imitate Our Father (Who is Self-Giving Love) by giving alms. But we have forgotten Our Source because acknowledging Him requires acknowledging our nakedness and dependence on Him. So we want our action of giving alms to make us appear beautifully clothed, godlike, and independent in the eyes of other people. Part of this charade is convincing ourselves of our own independent goodness which is why Jesus says, “Do not let thy left hand know what thy right hand is doing” (Mt 6:3). Rather than acting “in order to be seen” (Mt 6:1) by others, we should act to be seen by Our Heavenly Father “Who sees in secret” (Mt 6:6) and Who loves us totally despite our naked sinfulness. He has prepared new “garments of skin” (Gen 3:21) for us, desiring to clothe us in His Beloved Son, Jesus (Gal 3:27) and “with Power from on High” (Lk 24:49).
