by Rev. Tony Crapolicchio

...Dr. Bernie Siegel stated, “it is human nature to see someone with a cast on a broken limb and display compassion by asking what happened to them”. That expression of concern exemplifies we are operating from a point of unselfish compassion. Dr. Siegel also stated, “as humans we allow our ability to express compassion to be driven by our physical senses.” Yet, we cannot see a wounded soul or emotional turmoil, pains with more need for our compassion than any broken bone. Why do we limit our ability to express compassion and kindness? Is not everyone an opportunity for us to express the higher qualities of our individual definition of God? In limiting our expressions of compassion, kindness, we not only limit ourselves; we limit the Divine expressing as ourselves. Our ability to show compassion is an avenue for us to express the love of a higher power. In ignoring an opportunity to do some small act of kindness, we ignore the opportunity to express Divinity in our lives. Dr. Ernest Holmes stated “ The only guarantee of our Divinity is in its expression through our humanity.” The qualities of God, goodness, love, and compassion express through humankind. However an individual defines God, that definition expresses It’s qualities through us as we express those qualities. The humanity of God lies in humankind’s ability to express compassion. An act of kindness elevates the individual consciousness to new levels of spiritual authority. With each act of kindness, we bring manifest a new demonstration of Divinity.

...One Thanksgiving I was having dinner in a restaurant with my family. At another table sat a petite African-American woman, neatly dressed in a pleated green skirt, which engulfed her small frame, her long silver hair wrapped in a bun. My guess is she was close to 80. Beside her plate was a Bible. I watched to see if anyone was going to join her but she continued to eat alone. I realized she reminded me of my grandmother who always had her Bible with her and wore her hair in the same fashion and who had passed away a few years before. Before she could finish her meal, I asked our waiter to add this lady’s check to ours and to not tell who paid for her meal and only to say it was paid for by someone who wanted to thank her for the memories. She stopped as she was leaving, took my hand and said “thank you”. I said, “I asked the waiter not say who paid for your meal”. She said, “Honey he didn’t”. Then she said, I reminded her of her only grandchild who was killed in an automobile accident with her daughter, her only child, many years ago. She was not thanking me for the meal. She was thanking me for the memories. Two people looked beyond physical appearance and recognized the bond of a loving essence, which resides within everyone. Both feeling the presence of Divinity within each other, all brought about by one act of kindness.

...There is a saying which goes,“ We are each angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing each other.” Acts of compassion are the means through which our consciousness takes flight to experience an awareness of our innate divinity and grace. There are troubles in this world and we must not bury our head in the sand to them. We are meant to see those troubles in full view through the eyes of the compassion and ask, what higher expression God’s love may I express in this moment? We are born to be an expression of all the goodness in life. In that statement lies the key to anyone demonstrating a life filled with the love of God. For with love all things are possible. We affirm our Divinity with our acts of Humanity. Acts of kindness are like seeds blowing in the wind, leaving our mental grasp and landing upon another’s consciousness in which they will flourish. When we express kindness and love, we bring to life a demonstration of spiritual expression, affirming to life itself, “ I am a spiritual being expressing the loving kindness of the Divine.” In the 91st Psalm the verse reads “God shall give his angels charge over thee”. You are the angel who has been sent to express the compassion of a loving Spirit. One individual, performing one act of kindness brings to life the infinite love of the Universe for the betterment of all of humankind. Allow your consciousness to be the outlet for the healing and loving energy of Spirit to express and perform some random act of kindness every day. Smile at a stranger; give a quarter to the fellow holding the “I will work for food” sign. Do something which feeds your soul, expands your consciousness, your life and the lives of others.

Within simple acts of humanity lies the affirmation of your true divinity.

Rev. Tony Crapolicchio is the Pastor of Trinity Church of Religious Science. Sunday Services @ 11:00 AM in The Frazer Center of Atlanta. For more information call
404-296-6064 or see the display ad in this issue of Aquarius.