THE HOLIEST Commentaries on St. Matthew
Tablet Nine
Chapter 6
"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven."
"Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward." (Matthew 6:1-2)
<1>To do good, to be good, and all the acts of giving instead of receiving, are for self-purification. <2>He who strives in the path of spiritual progress in truth is trying to overcome the illusion of this external world (Maya). The desire to be glorified by man is one of them which binds the human to the earth.
<3>"Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee," because that is the way of the hypocrites. That is the way of those who try to look spiritual but inside are filthy. In truth they receive their reward, which is the glory of men, but their spirit will not grow, and will even be more darkened.
"But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:"
"That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly." (Matthew 6:3-4)
<4>So those who truly want to do good will do it in secret. They will not do it to be glorified by man but will receive their reward inside as spiritual progress from the Father who is in Heaven. <5>Even if they do a good action in the open, they do it not to receive the attention of others but to set an example for them.
"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."
"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." (Matthew 6:5-6)
<6>This Law is true about any action. The action should be done not to receive praise and attention from others for selfish reasons ("to be glorified by men"), but to make the spirit purified and grow toward the goal -- to be(come) Divine. To try to be glorified by man for our actions is the way of the hypocrites.
"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."
"Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." (Matthew 6:7-8)
<7>The true prayer is done when a person is in deep meditation and in the silence of the heart. With merely repeating or much speaking, nothing will be gained. <8>Also there is no need to pray for anything, because whatever is necessary for you to have will be provided by God. Furthermore, God has already given man the body, intelligence, and all the tools necessary for him to use and to gain his basic necessities. <9>In truth, the only necessary prayer to the Lord is for His guidance to overcome the power of the tama guna over our Souls and detach ourselves from Maya.
"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name."
"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
"Give us this day our daily bread."
"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9-13)
<10>This was the prayer given by Esa to be performed by his followers. Before starting to pray, the ideation of respect and devotion toward God should be invoked. That is why the first verse gives praise to the Lord, "Hallowed be thy name," the same as, "We pay our salutations to the Divine Father."
<11>The second verse is an expression of the desire that the Will of the Lord be done, which is for His Kingdom to be established on earth, "as it is in heaven." <12>As it is shown in The Greatest Sign, there are three Kingdoms Of Heaven: the Kingdom Of Heaven In Heaven, the Kingdom Of Heaven within, and the Kingdom Of Heaven On Earth. The Kingdom Of Heaven In Heaven already has been established. When the Kingdom Of Heaven within (
) and the Kingdom Of Heaven On Earth (
) are also established, then His Kingdom will come and His Will, will be done on earth as it is in Heaven (
). <13>So in this verse the Will (Desire) of the Lord has been expressed. He desires to see that His Kingdom come and through it the whole universe progress as rapidly as possible toward the goal (Pure Consciousness).
<14>"Give us this day our daily bread": To do His Will and/or before starting any spiritual progress, man's physiological and safety needs should be met. That is why the daily bread (minimum necessities) should be provided for all.
<15>"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." We forgive those who have done wrong to us, and the Lord will forgive us also. Forgive and you will be forgiven.
<16>"And lead us not into temptation." The essence and reason for any wrong doing is temptation, when an action seems good to us to do, but in reality is against the Laws of the Lord. When temptation comes to the person through his lower nature, it is a great task to overcome it. <17>Also temptation occurs because of the power of the tama guna (crudifies the consciousness) and attraction to Maya. So in truth this verse is similar to the sentence, "We open our hearts to Your Grace and pray for Your Guidance in overcoming the power of the tama guna over our Souls, and detaching ourselves from Maya," or "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (tama guna, Maya)."
<18>"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever." He has complete power over the three gunas and is the master of the universe. So only He can deliver us from evil or the power of the tama guna and help us detach ourselves from Maya. He is the only subject of praise in the universe, and only with directing all our attention and our being to Him can we be delivered from the ocean of Maya. So "the kingdom, and the power, and the glory" is His forever. The "Amen" is the same as "Aum" or "OM" (
), which is to invoke the Lord or the Divine vibration in the universe.
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:"
"But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15)
<19>Forgive whatever wrong has been done to you, and then you also will be forgiven. But do not forgive the bad done to society.
"Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."
"But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;"
"That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." (Matthew 6:16-18)
<20>This is the same lesson as taught on alms-giving in the first verses of this chapter. Do good not to be glorified by men, but for your own spiritual progress, because in truth you do all these things for your own benefit to progress to Pure Consciousness. You do not do them for the Lord. God does not need your fasting, alms-giving, etc, but these are all for purification of your own Soul. <21>However, with doing these things for the sake of your own Soul and with detachment to them, you will invoke the Grace of the Lord, and through that Grace you will be saved.
<22>Also the act of washing, being clean, and staying fresh (like taking a half-bath) is emphasized.