Practice the Elements of Kindness

Extra! Extra! , read all about it! The Fraternity of Kindness is recruiting new members. No enrollment is necessary. There are no officers, no meetings, and no dues. You must make up your mind that you want to belong to it and then begin immediately to keep the rules. By the way, the rules are simple. There are three little don’ts and three little dos and three actions for any unkindness committed:

Don’ts

1. Don’t speak unkindly of anyone.

2. Don’t speak unkindly to anyone.

3. Don’t act unkindly toward anyone.

Dos

1. Do speak kindly of someone at least once a day.

2. Do think kindly about someone at least once a day.

3. Do act kindly toward someone at least once a day.

For any unkindness committed

1. Make a brief act of contrition, such as “My Jesus, mercy!”

2. Offer an apology, if possible.

3. Say a little prayer….such as “Bless N., O Lord”…

for the one to whom you have been unkind.

Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik wrote about the Fraternity of Kindness in his book The Hidden Power of Kindness in 1962. These simple rules are as valid today as they were written over 50 years ago. They need to be practiced by all of us, but most importantly they need to be passed on to the young people of this world.

We are all deluged with irritations that afflict us daily (it even happens to folks who are retired), but that can never be used as an excuse not to be consistently kind. Kind actions may be difficult to catalogue, but they all carry joy. As St. Augustine once said, “Our hearts were made for Thee, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in Thee”.

A kindness may be as simple as being on time to meetings, especially to Mass and never leaving early. Or it may be as complex and charitable as donating an organ to a complete stranger who is afflicted with a horrible medical condition. A kindness may be a simple smile on your face, while standing in that long, long line at the Post Office, that catches the eye of someone who is depressed and helps that person’s outlook in life, even if it is only for a short time. Or it can be the ultimate model of self-sacrificing love for our neighbor; as our Lord said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” John 15:12-14.

Kindness anticipates other’s needs and wishes. For example, every Knight in our council has to realize their membership someday will end. No one will live forever, so it behooves every member of the council to at least bring in one new member to our ranks each year, and to mentor and walk with that member from the first degree to the third degree. Doing this without being told to do this is kindness, and prevents us from becoming careless in our charity.

Each of us has a story of “kindness” to tell. For most of us, (in reality…. perhaps for all of us) more kind deeds have been done on our behalf than we have shown to others. It is frightening to me to think about that when judgment day comes, but at the same time it becomes an incentive for me, as it should for all of us, to make kindness the golden rule of our lives as long as we are blessed to walk on this earth.

In less than 2 weeks we celebrate Ash Wednesday and begin our journey to witness the Resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday by prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial,….. all acts of kindness. We can also include studying and meditating on how much kinder we can all be. Look closely to the things you do and how you do them. Look closely on how you are helping our Order to grow and prosper. By practicing all types of kindness we imitate the conduct of our Lord and make this world a happier place.

Vivat Jesus

R. David Lopez

Deputy Grand Knight

Council 8600

February 3, 2012

A suggested reading for you during lent is The Hidden Power of Kindness: A Practical Handbook for Souls Who Dare to Transform the World one Deed at a Time, by Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik, 1962 (available at Amazon.com). Fr. Lovasik was born in 1913 of Slovak parents in Tarentum, Pennsylvania and was ordained to the priesthood in 1938. He founded Sisters of the Divine Spirit in 1955 and published about 10 books and more than 50 booklets and pamphlets. Fr. Lovasik joined our Lord in 1986. For more information about Fr. Lovasik see www.catholicauthors.com.