"Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
...you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
But, rather than scattering from the Mount of Olives to tell everyone what they had seen and heard, they retired immediately to Jerusalem and the Upper Room, where they continued in prayer for nine days. They had to do that. There was much inner work to be done among those few who remained with the Lord.
First, they had to get organized. In the Cenacle they recognized Peter's authority. He had been only the spokesman for the Lord before; but now he spoke with the authority of the Lord. And they had to appoint one of their own to replace Judas Iscariot, the traitor.
Then they had to pray and wait upon the Holy Spirit. That is, they had much work to do in their hearts and minds. The sobriety program of Alcoholics Anonymous has an adage for new members, "No two-stepping!" Meaning, don't skip from the First Step -- "we admitted we were alcoholics and our lives had become unmanageable" -- to the Twelfth Step -- "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs."
Many new members, in their relief and joy of their new freedom immediately rush out and tell everyone that they too should join AA. They can be so taken up in that enthusiasm that they're immediately discouraged when their families and friends are neither persuaded of their newfound sobriety, not inclined to join them in attending a meeting.
People in recovery have much inner work to do, as do the Lord's disciples. Before you go "...throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in heaven.
That's what Lent is all about. We can make a show of the ashes on our foreheads. That's kind of fun and everyone knows we're Catholic, but we're not saved by the show we make. Appearances are nothing more than appearances. Often, the more ostentatious our religion, the shallower its roots. Oddly, Catholic Churches are often packed on Ash Wednesday, more so than any other day of the year. I don't why that is, but it seems to mean nothing.
"Wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden; and your Father, who sees what is hidden, will repay you."
