The Golden Rule

I was listening to a Catholic radio station recently on the way to work and the host was praying an intentional Rosary for the audience. Listeners would call in, state their prayer intention and the host and caller would then pray a Hail Mary together. Some of the most common intentions were for illness, the loss of a loved one or prayers for family members in trouble. I was touched in multiple ways by this exercise.

First by the compassion of the host who listened intently, asked questions and assured the callers that they would be in his prayers.  I was struck by the simple and calm nature in which each person was engaged in conversation about their situation and received acknowledgment for their intention. It made me think about our own conversations, especially with those that are important to us. With everything we have going on in our lives, it is easy to become distracted and not be able to see past our own situation. We may hear the words that are spoken but are we responding and acting appropriately? Are we living as Jesus taught us and showing kindness and compassion to others?

As I continued to listen to each of the callers, I started to wonder how many of their friends, family members, co-workers and fellow parishioners were aware of what they were going through. Every one of us struggle with something in our lives from time to time and often it is invisible to those we encounter each day.  On the surface it may seem like everything is fine but underneath it can be a different story.

We are taught at an early age to treat others as we want to be treated, “The Golden Rule”. We all have moments of weakness when we act in ways that are not true to God’s word or the example that Jesus taught us, but we should strive to live by this rule on a daily basis no matter our situation. This is especially true when we are going through a difficult time and feeling like we are just trying to survive. I know when I am having a bad day or struggling with a personal situation, the smallest act of kindness or compassion can have a big impact – a smile, a quick hello or a kind gesture. It may not be easy, but it is important to still show these acts of kindness towards others even when we are not at our best. Through these acts we allow ourselves to experience the hand of God reaching out with encouragement. God presents Himself and speaks to us in various ways – through the people we interact with, through prayer and through, of course, the scriptures. Are we listening and do we even realize when He is speaking to us?

It is unlikely that we will have as direct of a communication as Saint Francis of Assisi experienced when Jesus spoke to him from the cross at San Damiano, but our hearts and minds must be open to hear and accept the message when presented to us in whatever form it takes. God is constantly showing Himself to us and hopefully we are able to recognize Him and hear His voice.

Before dying on the cross, Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment – “Love one another as I have loved you”. We can help carry this message forward and convey the kindness and love of God to others through our words and actions.  If we allow our love of God to direct the way we live our lives, that love will pour out to those around us.

Most of us have had times when we felt that we could have handled something differently, used different words or helped more in a certain situation. We usually have these feelings because we were distracted and did not give our full attention to the moment. The stress and commotion of our daily routine can create a fog that gets in our way and clouds the beauty of God’s grace present in our lives.  If we take a moment, allow the fog to clear and look around, we will see God’s love all around us. If we listen carefully, we can hear expressions of that love and if we act according to the teachings of Christ, we can spread that love to the world.