Ti 3:1-7 / Lk 17:11-19
More than a century ago, Cardinal Newman offered the wise judgment that “a gentleman … is one who never inflicts pain.” In that one short sentence, he captured the whole point and purpose of the courtesies that we strive to teach our children and to extend to one another. They’re not just a matter of custom and what “nice people do.” Courtesy is the day-to-day embodiment of Jesus’ law of love: We treat one another with respect and deference because we recognize in each other the dignity and the inestimable worth that belong to every child of God.
Living in this world has never been particularly convenient or stress-free. The shapes of the stresses and challenges may change from era to era, but their existence is a constant. The generation just before us never had to face road rage, drive-by shootings, or the back pains and eye strains that come from sitting at a computer too long. But they had their own burdens that had to be faced and that made them feel, as we so often do, just too tired to be gracious.
For followers of Jesus, that cannot be. So the next time a variant of the old “I’m too tired” excuse slithers into your consciousness, send it away — fast. If Jesus could be gracious even as He hung upon the Cross — comforting His mother, St. John, and the good thief — we can take a deep breath and find the grace of courtesy within arm’s reach. And there’s a payoff when we do: Giving that tiny gift brings new energy to our tired hearts, and a fresh sense of purpose as well.
