Way back in the Easter season, I wrote a blog post about a sign I saw in a neighbor’s yard about just being kind. Well, that neighbor has done it again! This time the yard sign reads: “Be the Good.” How fitting at this time when much of what we read and hear about is war, hate, and protests. How can we be “the Good” while the media are loaded with news about Gaza, Israel, and the disasters and repercussions associated with fighting.
In today’s liturgy, we read the parable of a rich man who was very greedy (Luke 12:13-21). He was self-centered and selfish with his bountiful harvest. He planned to build bigger barns for his bigger-than-expected harvest. How about us? What kind of richness might we hoard or forget to share?
We are gifted with the good news about our Savior, Jesus Christ. Do we share that news even in little doses? Do we go out of our way to volunteer to assist someone in need? Maybe “being the good” will involve a financial donation to a worthy cause. It could mean going to an extra weekday Mass and praying for peace in our world. Perhaps we could provide companionship to someone who is recovering from an illness or a recent loss. We could not just “be the good” but also be the good example for someone who is watching our response to a problem?
We can find inspiration from St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians (6:9-10):
Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest,
if we do not give up.
So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially
to those who belong to the family of the faith.
Matthew’s Gospel (5:16) teaches us,
Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your Heavenly Father.
In the Old Testament, the prophecy of Micah (6:8) gives us advice:
You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you:
Only to do the right and to live goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.
So let us try to “be the good” and a generous inspiration to others in this busy, often self-centered world!
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Photograph by Jon Tyson on Unsplash.
The gospel passage is from the New American Bible, Oxford University Press, 1990.
Sharon Krause is a RENEW volunteer whose writing has appeared in several resources for small-group faith sharing. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Manchester, Connecticut. Over the years, she has served in many parish ministries.