Lenten Reflection for March 2nd

Many of us are familiar with the concepts of the ‘ripple effect’ or the ‘butterfly effect’, where one small event that seems inconsequential has the ability to create and affect other matters down the line in the future. Sometimes we might witness the initial cause and not the effect, other times we see the result of the initial cause but not where it started.

Norton Juster is the author of a children’s book called The Phantom Tollbooth, in it there is a line that says, ‘...whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world’. What would our world look like if we were to think of acts of kindness in this way?

Kindness is a Fruit of the Spirit that I can see branching from the Gift of Understanding. God can give us the grace to Understand and appreciate the love that He has shown to us even though we are far from deserving that Kindness.

In Saint Paul’s letter to Titus he writes, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:4-5)

When we recognise and have gratitude for the Lord’s saving grace, it can encourage us to extend that kindness to others in turn. Saint Paul continues in his letter saying he insists on being mindful of the above so that, “...those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone.” (Titus 3:8)

Let’s pray that the Lord will help us to have gratitude for His Loving-Kindness to us and to be attentive to where we can extend His grace to those around us.

For our younger brothers and sisters in Christ:

There’s a certain saying that goes, ‘somewhere a butterfly is fluttering its wings and causing a hurricane in another part of the world.’ Now, this seems silly, but one thing it can make us think about is how all of our words and actions have an effect on people around us. Are we treating people kindly or are we sometimes acting unkind toward others?

Through God’s love, He has taught us how to be kind to others. Saint Paul reminds us in the Bible, “...those who believe in God will be careful to use their lives for doing good. These things are good and will help all people.” (Titus 3:8)

And as helpful as it is to reflect and think on this idea of kindness, it’s best to find ways to actually put the ideas into practice. To do this, we can try to look for ways to show a bit of extra kindness to friends and family during your week.

Perhaps that means offering extra help with chores or doing something helpful without having to be asked. Offering a genuine compliment to someone, perhaps congratulating a friend who you noticed did well in a sport or on a school assignment. Perhaps it’s just being available to listen to someone when they are feeling down.

Let’s pray for God’s gift of Kindness and keep our eyes open for ways we can show kindness to others!

God bless you!