SUPERIOR GENERAL SPEAKS…

MESSAGE 2023

DO GOOD ANYWAY…

Human beings that we are, we have to admit that generally, we want others to do good for us. We want to be respected, loved, understood, accepted and to be treated with dignity and fairness.  There is a tendency to focus on how we’ve been hurt far more than how we’ve been helped. We are likely to find justification to a negative story to tell about others being insensitive, selfish, uncaring, unfair, or just plain wrong.

How easy it is to justify ourselves saying. ‘I dislike those who treat me rudely. Others say, ‘I dislike those who lack morals. Whatever may be the other person’s behaviour, the one who is affected is the one who holds negativity. Jesus turns such situations around and says: ‘do to others just what I have done to you’. He doesn’t leave us just at that point where he expects us to imitate him aimlessly. But rather he gives us the grace which flows from what he has already done to us to enable us to do good to others.

Jesus faced His opponents with a lot of calmness, dignity and poise. At times he even plainly walked away from situations he thought, would not give good results. Before Pilot He just chose to be silent. Where there was need he never failed to care-front. Is that very easy? The more we open ourselves to God’s grace, the more we are likely to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and to do good to a certain extent that he has done.

All may not click to our standards. There are some nasty people out there. From politicians to friends who betray us. There’s no shortage of such examples. But nobody is all bad. And nobody is all perfect. While our closest friends may have flaws, our enemies will have redeeming qualities. Everyone is somewhere on the scale between zero and the perfect human. This is why we need to look only for the good and ignore the bad.

We consciously need to take responsibility for inducing good into the world. The poem‘Do it anyway’ attributed to Mother Teresa with its original version fromKent Keith, gives us guaranteed  reason so as why we need to keep doing good. 

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.

Give the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

Finding the best in others can transform our own lives. Every single person is born with the potential to be good. Therefore what we need to focus on is what they have, not what they lack. Life is too short to dislike people. The truth is a fair few people whom we dislike in the journey of our lives, are heart friends of some other people. The number of course differs from person to person depending upon how much loving and forgiving we are.

Once during my Annual retreat Rev. Fr, George Kaitholil, well-known preacher and distinguished writer, said something which has almost remained etched in my mind, ‘if you know the truth of your enemy, you would purchase him/her with gold. Jesus knew for sure, the truth of his so called enemies and therefore from the cross at his last breath he could gracefully utter, “Father they know not, what they do.” It was not merely any external law that pressed him up to do good. He consciously chose to be benevolent towards all.

While I was in Class II, I realised that my cousin who was our class monitor was beating me often for no reason. One day I complained to my mother. My mother was prompt to take my side and assured me to come to the school and meet the monitor. I felt thrilled thinking that my cousin would get good scolding from my mother. The next day as assured, my mother met my cousin. Placed her hand on her shoulder and very gently told her, ‘bai’ since you are Faria’s older sister, please take care of her. Since she is feeble see that no one beats her.” What a tactful way my mother dealt with my cousin! From then on, she became very protective of me. If my mother had to scold her, she might have acted more arrogantly. I was offered a life lesson by my mother. Right around the time I grew sensible, my mother used to tell me, ‘the more we do good to others, the more we remain blest’. Every morning when I start my day I orient myself in being calm and cool in all situations of my life. But as the day progresses, the story sometimes turns different. I wish to humbly acknowledge that I still need to work to live up to that standard.

How beautiful the world we live in would be if only we could look for something good in every one! When we do this, we feel happier and we grow in positive feelings towards other people. The energy of positive feelings we express to others subsequently turns into real positive vibes. In a world weighed down by selfishness and self-glory, how do we as followers of Christ understand the concept of doing good to others? Do we consciously choose to be benevolent and to act benevolently?  It is said of Christ “… he for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame.”

In the final analysis, Jesus knew it is between him and his Father. So he went on doing good any way…

Sr. Faria Barretto

Superior General

Handmaids of Christ, Calangute