In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we learn that through the efforts of Paul and Barnabas, God “opens the door of faith” to the Gentiles. In our very secular world, with so many people expressing indifference or even outright hostility to faith, how might we go about doing that? The key to the answer is found in today’s Gospel: “I give you a new commandment: that you love one another, as I have loved you.” Jesus invites us to love one another: it is by the depth of that love, by its authenticity and perseverance that people will know what we really believe.

Most of us try, each in our own way, to do just that. Since “charity begins at home”, we start there: we do our best to love our parents, siblings, spouses, children, friends, neighbours, fellow parishioners. But we are also called to take it beyond that inner circle and include “random acts of kindness”: simple courtesies, such as a note acknowledging a kindness received, a meal for a family coping with the illness or death of a loved one, offering up our seat on the bus, holding the elevator for someone rushing to catch it. When we extend ourselves in such ways, we learn that the road to happiness is not just about satisfying our own desires, but is found in acts of intentional loving, freely chosen. When we act in such ways, we communicate to others that they have worth, that they are remembered and appreciated – that they are loved. We bear convincing witness to the One who is Love.

Over the last few weeks, with the events surrounding my mother Ursula’s illness, death, and her glorious funeral Mass, my family and I have been extremely grateful for the words of sympathy and the deeds of kindness with which we have been graced. We thank all of you who shared memories and kind words, who attended the wake and the funeral Mass, who offered Masses and contributed to her memorial fund, who brought flowers and food, and who helped us in a thousand different ways.

This week, try to be conscious of the small acts of kindness directed toward you: by your inner circle of friends and family, by acquaintances and work colleagues, even by strangers. Take some time to be consciously grateful for these signs of love. Then ask yourself: how can I be a channel of God’s love for others this day? How will I communicate to others today the reality that they are precious in God’s sight, that they are loved and appreciated? Let these tender mercies signal to them – and to you – that we all have worth, that we are loved. In this way, God will be glorified. This is how God creates, little by little, “a new heaven and a new earth.”