Feb. 13, 2018: Love is Kind - Divine Mercy Week 2
Feb. 13, 2018: Love is Kind - Divine Mercy Week 2
Have you ever had a stranger who blessed you with an unexpected act of kindness? There is 5-year old girl -- named Alli -- who was so excited about going to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World because she loves the Disney movies about princesses. The day that she and her family went to the Magic Kingdom, Alli dressed up as a princess. Unexpectedly, a security guard approached Alli with a notepad and a pen and asked, “Excuse me Princess, can I have your autograph?” The mom noticed that the book was already filled with scribbles of other children. Alli could not get over the fact that the guard thought she was a real princess. The security guard took the time to compliment a stranger with his act of kindness, and it made the little girl’s day.
St. Paul wrote that love is kind. Love is more than a mere feeling. Pope Francis said that, “love is ever ready to be of assistance...love benefits and helps others.” There is happiness in giving, spending our time for others without asking to be repaid, purely for the pleasure of giving and serving.
Isn’t it true for most of us that we sometimes overlook the needs and desires of others. Our Lord warned us against this in our gospel when he said to his disciples, “Watch out; guard against the leaven of the Pharisees.” (Mk 8:15) Just as only a small amount of yeast can transform a clump of flour into an airy dough, judgmental attitude of Pharisees can transform what is good into something bad. When we are focused on ourselves, spending our time and energy for others seems like a burden that we prefer to avoid. We may heard of the saying, “Charity begins at home.” If we can’t love the people closest to us, it’s nearly impossible to truly love a stranger. Children need to see their parents being kind and loving to each other; children need to see teachers and neighbors perform acts of kindness for others. When we learn to love when we are young, it become natural throughout our lives to love one another. During our holy season of Lent, let us not focus so much on giving up chocolate, Facebook, or TV, but focus on being kind to our family, neighbors, and strangers.
Mother Teresa often said that, “Love to be real, it must cost—it must hurt—it must empty us of self.” What is my honest reaction to that idea? Do I serve others for others, expecting nothing in return? Or are my motives mixed with my own desires for the praise of others? Can we ask the Lord to teach us to love as he loves?
-Fr Paul Yi
