August 11
“Of Courtesy, it is much less
than courage of heart or holiness
Yet in my walks it seems to me
That the grace of God is Courtesy.”
-Hilaire Belloc
Today’s Reflection:
In our hectic world of hustle and bustle, of technology and scientific discovery, where the value of the human person is often reduced to a number or a statistic and where we have dehumanized classes of people based on race, color, gender, and abilities, we must renew the value of courtesy and the common expressions of love. For it is from the small acts of love and kindness, inspired by the grace of God, that the truly magnanimous deeds of self-donation flow. Courtesy, the outgrowth of true respect for the human person, leads us along the path to true love of neighbor.