By Bishop Stephen Chow Sau Yan, SJ
Love your neighbour
Do not put the Lord your God to the test [Luke: 4-12]
Living alone in Yuen Long, Ah Ming’s mother could look after herself. However, she has not dared step out of her apartment during the pandemic, let alone shop at the wet market.
Ming and his wife discussed various ways of helping his ageing mother. Finally, they decided to split the family temporarily: Ming would move with their younger son to live with his mom, while his wife and their elder son would stay in their apartment.
Just before moving to Yuen Long, Ming’s mother texted them that she received a WhatsApp from the neighbour, who offered to pick up groceries for her when she went shopping. Thus, Ming’s family no longer needs to consider “splitting up.”
Picking up stuff like rice, soy sauce and vegetables for an ageing neighbour is not that hard. However, even though it may be a simple act of kindness, many will not even think of it. It often prompts questions like: will the elderly be allergic to food I bought, would my offer to help be spurned, or perhaps I would pick up the coronavirus!
As St. Paul instructs the Philippians in the second reading of this Second Sunday of Lent, “In this way, stand firm in the Lord” (Phil 4:1), it is essential to try to assist those in need of help and offer them the warmth of love, then leave the rest to God.
What small act of kindness would you be prepared to do today?
