Cheer Chain
Last year, Starbucks launched a public relations campaign to start a chain of good will by passing on good things to some of their customers in the hope that they, in turn, would pass that along by doing something thoughtful for another person.
When one customer randomly decided to pay for the coffee of the stranger behind them in line, it put a new twist on the promotion. So moved by this gesture of generosity, others followed suit. Dubbed a “Cheer Chain,” this remarkable show of human kindness spread nationwide and made the news in countless communities.
You might say it is pretty lame to think of this as “altruism,” understanding the difference between actual acts of kindness verses a “virtual charity” or a gesture you can make so you can call yourself a charitable person. But, does it matter that it began as “public relations” stunt? Does it matter if the only person who gets a charitable cup of coffee is the last person in the chain? At the very least, each link in the chain is a moment of positive interaction between human beings. It feels good to do something for someone else and it feels good to have something done for you.
As Catholics, we believe that good works naturally accompany a life of faith. We are also asked to recognize the source of that goodness and to be intentional about practicing virtue (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2002-2005).
Jesus said, “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:20).
Scripture teaches that entrance into God's kingdom, whether in its present or future stage, depends, not on the degree of our excellence in anything, but solely on our having the character itself which God demands.
If you want to do something as a gesture of generosity to a stranger, make it your goal not to be just part of the project, start one! When kindness is expressed, healthy relationships are created, community connections are nourished and people are inspired to pass kindness on.
Sparked by an extra-credit assignment Trevor McKinney, a 12-year old depicted in the movie “Pay It Forward” ( based on the novel of the same name by Catherine Ryan Hyde) undertook an assignment from his social studies teacher to “think of an idea to change the world, and put it into action”. Trevor’s idea was simple, do a big favor for three people and instead of asking them to pay it back, ask them to “pay it forward” to another three people.
There is an important lesson here for Christians. Our devotion must be directed towards Jesus. While we certainly are supposed to love our neighbor, especially our poor neighbor, we are to worship God in all we do. Jesus said, “The poor you will always have but you will not always have me (Mt. 26:11).
Kindness is a way to not only help others, but a way to help ourselves become better people.
When one customer randomly decided to pay for the coffee of the stranger behind them in line, it put a new twist on the promotion. So moved by this gesture of generosity, others followed suit. Dubbed a “Cheer Chain,” this remarkable show of human kindness spread nationwide and made the news in countless communities.
You might say it is pretty lame to think of this as “altruism,” understanding the difference between actual acts of kindness verses a “virtual charity” or a gesture you can make so you can call yourself a charitable person. But, does it matter that it began as “public relations” stunt? Does it matter if the only person who gets a charitable cup of coffee is the last person in the chain? At the very least, each link in the chain is a moment of positive interaction between human beings. It feels good to do something for someone else and it feels good to have something done for you.
As Catholics, we believe that good works naturally accompany a life of faith. We are also asked to recognize the source of that goodness and to be intentional about practicing virtue (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2002-2005).
Jesus said, “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:20).
Scripture teaches that entrance into God's kingdom, whether in its present or future stage, depends, not on the degree of our excellence in anything, but solely on our having the character itself which God demands.
If you want to do something as a gesture of generosity to a stranger, make it your goal not to be just part of the project, start one! When kindness is expressed, healthy relationships are created, community connections are nourished and people are inspired to pass kindness on.
Sparked by an extra-credit assignment Trevor McKinney, a 12-year old depicted in the movie “Pay It Forward” ( based on the novel of the same name by Catherine Ryan Hyde) undertook an assignment from his social studies teacher to “think of an idea to change the world, and put it into action”. Trevor’s idea was simple, do a big favor for three people and instead of asking them to pay it back, ask them to “pay it forward” to another three people.
There is an important lesson here for Christians. Our devotion must be directed towards Jesus. While we certainly are supposed to love our neighbor, especially our poor neighbor, we are to worship God in all we do. Jesus said, “The poor you will always have but you will not always have me (Mt. 26:11).
Kindness is a way to not only help others, but a way to help ourselves become better people.
posted by Evangelization at 4:14 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home