A couple weeks ago, I placed a breakfast order at my neighborhood Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru. When I went to pay and pick up my to-go bag at the window, the cashier said it was already paid for. I must have looked bewildered as the cashier proceeded to explain that a woman in the store had already paid for my meal. I was overcome with such gratitude and happiness. I immediately offered up my thanks to God and prayed for the woman and her intentions. The rest of my day was so bright and joyful because I kept thinking about the woman who showed such generosity to me.
 
Later, I could only think of how to repay the woman’s kindness by doing something generous for another person, an act known as “paying it forward.” Since this event, I’ve been to Dunkin’ Donuts twice and no one has been behind me in the drive-thru line for me to be able to pay it forward (or backward, rather). Each day, I feel as though I have a debt that is yet to be repaid. I was sharing this feeling with a friend when she said how the feeling is similar to when we finally understand Jesus’ immense love for us in his crucifixion.
 
Our debt to God can never be repaid. Psalm 116:12 says, “How can I repay the Lord for all the great good done for me?” We have the answer in verse 13: “I will raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” There is nothing we can give to God that he doesn’t already have. However, we can give our thanks to him for the graces he has bestowed upon us and ask for more grace so as to show him our desperate need for his infinite love and resources.
 
The grace God gives us wouldn’t be grace if we were able to give it back. In 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God [that is] with me.” Our faith in God is what compels us to act out of goodness for others. These acts of kindness are our ways of being proactive in responding to God’s generosity and love for us.
 
In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus tells the story of a master who entrusted his possessions to three servants. The servants who were given five talents and two talents went off to make more talents. The servant who was given one talent buried it. The master rebukes the servant who buried his talent because he hid it from others. The master says, “For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Matthew 25:29). This parable reminds me that God has entrusted us with gifts, be they monetary, skill-related, or time-related. We are to share these gifts with others, and in return for being good stewards of God’s gifts, he will provide us with more gifts. A friend of mine mentioned to me that even as she gave a little of the earnings she made from her first paycheck to God in the form of tithing and good deeds to others, she noticed that she always had enough for essential needs. Over the course of time after monthly charity budgeting, she earned a raise and could give more to charity while maintaining her needs.  
 
The idea of paying something forward to someone else is most powerful when we share with those whom we do not know or wouldn’t naturally help. We have a responsibility to show God’s love to our fellow human beings by loving them through service, random acts of kindness, sharing God’s word, and in our actions and words. We have learned the importance of this already through the Golden Rule: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).
 
In the meantime, I’ll continue to look for opportunities to pay it forward.

Kindness is “hard to show.” Gratitude is “rare.” Mercy is “weak.” I see these realities in my classroom and at summer camp all the time when we teach kids about good choices. We remind them, “Be kind to her!” “How would you like it if he pinched you with a racecar?” and “Would you want to have a friend cut your hair off in art class without permission?” We try so hard to encourage kids to be kind, but do we set examples of it ourselves? How can we expect this next generation to understand when to say “Thank you” or “Good morning, how was your weekend?” when we oftentimes don’t do this as adults?

This past Sunday, I was walking through a nearby neighborhood when I overheard a short and simple conversation between a man sitting on a bench in the heat and a well-dressed young man passing by him. The exchange brought tears to my eyes when I realized what happened. The scene went something like this:

(Young man walking by a man on a bench, earbuds in, and distracted by his phone.)

Man on the bench: Excuse me, hey you there!

(Startled, I listened in…)

He continued: I wanna know... why did you get me a coffee yesterday?

To which the young man took out his earbuds and answered casually: Because you asked me for one and I needed one too. 

In Aesop’s Fable, The Lion and the Mouse, even the most unassuming creature saves someone’s day and proves that “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Being a member of the universal Church, what can you do for a neighbor? Kindness is a fundamental value taught at a young age, and appreciated throughout a lifetime. When you show it, people notice, just as I did with the example above, and want to show it too. Christ was a model for kindness. He taught us how to be kind, how to show mercy, and how to pray for those in need. When we are merciful to others when they make mistakes or shortcomings, we are being the face of Christ to those who need it and are being compassionate to Christ himself.        

When we go about our daily lives thinking about ourselves, the things we need to do, and the places we need to be, we get bogged down in only what we need. We rarely consider the effect that our selfishness has on others. It is hard to show kindness if we don’t quite know where to start, but it’s something that anyone can show and soon becomes contagious. Here are ten ways to get started!

1.    Say something positive to someone you know.

2.    Say something positive to someone you don’t know, such as “Good morning!” or “Have a wonderful day!”

3.    Smile at a stranger

4.    Hold a door for a stranger

5.    Call a relative

6.    Leave a huge tip

7.    Ask a worker how their day is and actively listen to their response

8.    Say “I love you” more often to those you care about

9.    Pray for someone without telling them

10.  Give someone a hug