Thursday, August 13, 2020 –
Today we are going to cover the word kindness. While there is not a specific definition in the Catechism, there is a deeper understanding of the word in Catholicism than the general dictionary entry. This is because kindness is one the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
So, let’s define the Fruits of the Holy Spirit…because that one ***IS*** in the Catechism:
FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: The perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the “first fruits” of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church identifies twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit (1832). (CCC, glossary)
Umm…okay, what does 1832 say?
1832 The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. the tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: “charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.” (CCC)
Suuurree…can we dig deeper with our outside resources? Yup! All right. Let me dig out Bishop Morrow’s My Catholic Faith (MCF) again and also throw in a dash of Catholic Dictionary by Father Hardon (henceforth known as CD-H). And, for extra good measure, some Catholic Dictionary by Catholic Culture (noted below as CD-CC).
Let’s start with where the Fruits of the Holy Spirit come from: Saint Paul, of course! In Galatians 5: 22-23, Saint Paul says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is, charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, chastity. Against such there is no law.”
SCREECH! Wait…I do not see kindness. You are correct. In the Vulgate (principal Latin translation), kindness is listed as “benignity.” It comes from the Latin benignitas, which means kindness, courtesy, mercy. It has its roots in bene (well, best) + gigni (from gigno, which means to birth, to bring forth, to beget). Benignity literally means to bring forth the best.
If we look to the Catholic Culture definition of kindness we get the following:
KINDNESS: One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit; the quality of understanding sympathy and concern for those in trouble or need. It is shown in affability of speech, generosity of conduct, and forgiveness of injuries sustained. (CD-CC)
Great! We have noted that benignity = kindness and given a working definition. But wait! There’s more. We need to back up and circle back to our discussion of kindness in terms of what the Fruits of the Holy Spirit means because we sort of just left that Catechism stuff flapping in the breeze.
Digging out our Catholic Dictionary by Father Hardon we get the following entry:
FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Supernatural works that, according to St. Paul, manifest the presence of the Holy Spirit. The one who performs them recognizes God’s presence by the happiness he experiences, and other the Divine presence by witnessing these good works (Galatians 5: 22-23). They are, in other words, identifiable effects of the Holy Spirit. In the Vulgate text they are charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, and chastity. (CD-H, pp. 184-185)
All right. Now we are cooking! The Fruits of the Holy Spirit, which includes benignity = kindness are:
- Supernatural works
- That manifest the presence of the Holy Spirit
- For the person performing the works it helps them recognize God’s presence because of the happiness we experience in doing the work
- For the person on the receiving end (AKA “witnessing the work”), it helps them see the Divine presence through the other person’s work
- In summary: the Fruits are the “identifiable effects of the Holy Spirit”
Bishop Morrow wraps all this up with a nice bow:
Which are the twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost? –The twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost are: charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, long-suffering, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, and chastity.
1. These twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost are good habits performed under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. They make us happy and contented, and help us to be pleasing to both God and man.
With the fruits of the Holy Ghost it becomes easier for us to persevere in the union with God by the practice of virtue; our heart inclines with charity towards God and our neighbor, and finds it almost natural to be detached from the world. (MCF, 42, p. 85)
Now that we have an understanding of kindness, let’s do a couple of thought experiments:
1) Madame Langosta is coming over for dinner. As the host, you make preparations for her and ask if she has any preferences, allergies, or other information to help you plan your meal. “Oh! By the way,” she says, “I have a terrible allergy to fish! Please be careful not to serve anything remotely resembling the little, slimy bastards.”
“Oh my!,” you commiserate, “I certainly do not wish you to suffer an allergic reaction whist you are over for dinner. I will absolutely not use fish or fish-like-substances in anything I cook. Is there anything more I can do to ensure you have a delicious and safe meal? Would you like me to send an ingredients list?”
2) Señor Cangrejo, hearing how amazing your cooking is from Madame Langosta, delights in an invitation to dinner the following week. Again, as the host you make preparations for him and ask if he has any preferences, allergies, or other information to help you plan the meal. “Thank you, dear,” he replied, “but I am quite well and will enjoy anything you make.”
Unfortunately, he did not disclose he is currently living with his great aunt, Frau Garnele, who is most allergic to fish. Even the hint of the sea on the breath of her favorite nephew would send her into anaphylactic shock! Had you only known; you would certainly have gone out of your way to banish any molecule of mollusk from your meal. But, you did not know!
I might surprise you that in both of these instances you are being kind. Here’s the kicker: you cannot be kind or unkind to an unknown. Frankly, it would be silly for us to never eat fish just because someone somewhere who have no knowledge of and may or may never come into contact with **might** be allergic to fish. It is not mean or unkind to think that. It is perfectly rational! Besides, shrimp is delicious!
Now, if Señor Cangrejo had indeed told you about his great aunt Frau Garnele and her severe fish allergy, pleading with you to abstain from creatures of the sea for dinner, and you said, “Fisk that! I’ll make what I darn well please!” you’d be a jerk and definitely NOT acting with kindness.
Heart of Jesus, enriching all who invoke Thee, have mercy on us.
