The Unforeseen Effects of Good Zeal

Yesterday at a Serra Club appreciation dinner for sisters in Northeast Kansas, Archbishop Naumann commented that in the morning he had presided at mass in a parish in Axtell that had an extraordinary choir. When he asked how the choir came to be, he was told it began with Sr. Rita Claire Judge, who taught 3rd and 4th in the school several decades ago and transmitted her love of music to the children and the parish. The community came to value the beauty of the music and the prayerfulness it lent to their worship, so they passed on their commitment to the choir from generation to generation.

This story illustrates that when we are faithful to our work and share our enthusiasm—or, as St. Benedict would say, our zeal—with others, it will bear fruit. Love is contagious. Although we cannot foresee the form or direction it will take, we can trust that it will strengthen the body of Christ and speak of God’s goodness.

Aesop said, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Similarly, sharing our enthusiasm for the beauty of the life we have been given will plant seeds that will generate yet more life for the world.