Friday, September 30 (17), 2001
Eph. 1:7-17; Mk. 8:1-10

Having fed four thousand men with seven loaves, the Lord "straightway entered into a ship and came into the parts of Dalmanutha" [Mk.8:10], as if nothing special has happened.  Such is true charity: do good with no show-off and, forgetting what has been done, always reach forth unto things before you  [Phil.3:13].

Basically, this is natural for those who have enough kindness in their hearts.  Look at a strong man who lifts heavy loads and makes nothing of it, while a weakling boasts even about a meager weight. Likewise, for those who are strong in kindness, doing good is no problem – just give him an opportunity, – and for someone with kindness in short supply doing good is, indeed, a problem: having done something good, he remembers it forever, looking back at it with pride again and again.

A kind heart needs doing good; unless it does enough good, it cannot be satisfied, like a hungry man without enough food.  And, just like a normal man who thinks about food only as long as he is hungry and forgets about it when the meal is over, a truly kind man cares about his charity only until the job is done, and when the job is done he forgets it.