A few years ago there was a popular movie out called “Pay It Forward”. It was about Trevor, a young boy who lived with his alcoholic mother. One day his new social studies teacher gave the class an assignment which really intrigued Trevor. The assignment was ato come up with an idea to change the world. Trevor’s idea was that we ought to change the way we do favors. In other words, whenever someone does something good for us, we don’t repay them. Instead, we do good deeds for 3 other people. We don’t pay it back; we pay it forward. The rest of the story shows Trevor’s efforts to make good on his idea, and how revolutionary it affected him, his mother, the teacher, and circles of people completely unknown to him.
“Pay It Forward” is really an expression of the Golden Rule that we heard about in our gospel: “Do to others what you would have them do to you”. It’s a key part of the Sermon on the Mount, and about a way of life we’re all called to live. The focus is on doing for others, not on what we get in return. It’s really calling on us to be creative in how we serve. In other words, it’s up to us to initiate a loving act and not wait to respond to something someone does for us.
In the movie, people first needed to have something done for them by someone else before they passed a good deed along. That’s not all that different from our relationship to God. God sent His Son to die for us. God did something for us that we could never do, and showed us the ultimate love. Now God asks us to pay it forward.
I am truly blessed to be part of a whole group who have been responding to God’s generosity and ‘paying it forward’ in service to others for many years. Today, my Congregation of Religious Women, the Dominicans of Adrian, MI., celebrates 100 years of independence. Prior to this date 100 years ago, we were part of the Dominicans of Newburg, N.Y. As our Sisters moved Westward to serve, however, communicating back to New York was almost impossible, so Rome approved the separation from Newburg and our becoming an independent Dominican Institute. Through education, health care, pastoral ministry, and peace and justice advocacy, we have been blessed as a Congregation to ‘Do Unto Others”, and today we celebrate that gift.
- As we all leave here now, we ask: is there someone we know who needs a loving gesture, a word of encouragement, an act of forgiveness, or needs to be treated the way we would want to be treated?
As we have received the life and love of God, so we should, in turn, generously do unto others.
