November 3, 2015 WBAS Prayer of the Week, REL Topic- Prayer, REL Asset - Prayer Card
By: Kathy Hendricks
These days, that dark side is on display far too often. Incivility has risen to new levels as political compromise and honest debate fade into oblivion. The hideous comments posted to news articles and denigration of public figures could qualify as an Olympic sport. Fear of one another results in the stockpiling of guns, and demonizing the poor for their own fate draws adulation for both pundits and politicians. It is more than enough to make God weep.
Printable Prayer for Kindness Prayer Cards
This isn’t the whole of humanity, however, and I am trying to keep that in mind. It helps, then, to read about someone who was the soul of kindness. Pope John XXIII is often referred to as “the Good Pope.” It is a testament to his affable nature and his generous heart. He visited sick children in the hospital and embraced those in reformatory school with loving acceptance. His famous “moonlight speech” on the opening night of the Second Vatican Council was delivered impromptu from his apartment window to the crowds below. He told them to go home and hug and kiss their children.
At our best, we humans do what Good Pope John advised all those years ago: “And so, let us continue to love each other, to look out for each other along the way: to welcome whoever comes close to us, and set aside whatever difficulty it might bring.” If ever there were words to make God smile, it would be those. So I'm choosing to notice the random acts of kindness that do prevail among us.
Start cultivating a soul of kindness today! Notice the acts of kindness around you and reflect on ways you can serve others. Download a Prayer of Kindness and pray it in your home or parish.
