麻豆约拍

Good morning.聽 I was walking with my young son in Covent Garden when we were approached by a dishevelled man asking me for money. I didn鈥檛 have any cash on me at the time and I said as much expecting the man to try someone else. But he wouldn鈥檛 leave. 鈥淧lease!鈥� he begged 鈥淚 am so hungry, can鈥檛 you just give me something?鈥� I patiently explained again that I would have been happy to, but that I didn鈥檛 have cash to hand. He finally shuffled off dejectedly. I walked in the other direction but couldn鈥檛 get him out of my head. Was there really nothing I could do for him? I turned and ran after him. 鈥淵ou know what?鈥� I said, 鈥淚 can get you something to eat with my credit card.鈥� I took him into a hip coffee shop and told him to order whatever he wanted. He chose a slice of cake and a cup of coffee. But when it came to paying the Barista wouldn鈥檛 allow it: 鈥渓et me have a share in this good deed as well,鈥� he said.
I wished the poor man well and left him happily munching cake and sipping coffee.
A Jewish teaching came to mind Mizvah Goreret Mitzvah 鈥淥ne good deed elicits another.鈥� This wisdom is traditionally understood to mean that the more one habituates oneself to do good, the easier it becomes. But another way of understanding聽 this, is that through the good we do we elicit good in others. I inspired the barista, who would he now inspire? And how far would this chain extend?

The Prophet Hosea says: 鈥淪ow Righteousness for yourselves; Reap the fruits of goodness鈥�
Almighty God, bless us with the capacity to sow seeds of kindness so that they grow beyond our wildest imagination.