Think for a moment about each question, and then answer honestly, clicking on the button that indicates not how you think you should behave,
but how you actually act:
Usually
Sometimes
Rarely
Do you listen patiently when someone launches for the fifth time into the same tired old story or the same stale jokes?
When people begin to gossip, do you make strenuous efforts to change the subject quickly?
When someone insults you, do you (before you respond to the insult) call to mind how many times God has forgiven you, and then resolve to be just as forgiving?
When you're not sure about another person's motives, do you assume that his motives are good until you have evidence otherwise?
Do you make efforts to be reconciled with persons who have wronged you?
Do you try to suppress those sarcastic remarks that leap into your mind?
When others anger you, do you start praying for them immediately, before you find yourself brooding about how they've wronged you?
Are you as polite to the members of your own family as you are to strangers?
Give yourself 2 points for each "usually" and 1 point
for each "sometimes." Enter your score here and then
scroll down to see how well you did.
14-16 Wow! You are kind!
10-12 Okay, you're pretty nice, but if you're serious about following Christ, you can do better. This email can help you.
6-8 Looks like you need help being kinder. Read on to see if I'm right; this email could change your life for the better.
2-4 I'll bet your relations with others are rocky! This email can make your life significantly better
and your days happier.
Why not start now?
0 You're in spiritual trouble
when it comes to kindness!
If you don't realize that already, this email can help . . .
but probably you're going to need to talk to a priest, too.
(Before you continue, forward this Kindness Test
to your spouse, or to your friends, coworkers,
and relatives, to see how well they do!)
If you answered these
questions honestly,
you're probably troubled
about your score.
Don't be discouraged.
Like the harried members of our staff,
you probably just can't find the time
— and can't ever seem to develop the patience —
you need in order to be consistently kind
amid
the irritations that afflict you daily.
As we struggle with just these problems, we've found The Hidden Power of Kindness to be a godsend.
From these remarkable pages, we've learned to be kinder . . .
and so can you, even in difficult circumstances.
"Supremely practical.
If you would like to improve your relations with others and lead a happier and more peaceful life, get this book and read it carefully." Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J. Homiletic and Pastoral Review
The good news is that there's nothing complicated or magical about learning to do so; it just takes greater attention to the things we do and how we do them.
The Hidden Power of Kindness will show you how to become more aware of your offhand daily actions (particularly the kind that led you to get a less than perfect score on the Kindness Test).
It includes simple, step-by-step, and spiritually crucial directions that show you how to overcome the habitual unkindnesses that creep — undetected — into the behavior of even the most careful Christians.
If you really want to make progress in the spiritual life, you can't afford to miss the bracing insights in this handbook for souls who yearn to be kinder.
They'll give you years of solid help in overcoming sin so that, finally, you'll live more fully and more fruitfully in God's love.
In The Hidden Power of Kindness,
you'll discover:
Four ways you can become
more considerate . . . immediately!
Sympathy: why it's your spiritual responsibility to show it to others — and five ways you can start doing so
Three things to do — and three things you must not do — to grow kinder quickly
Four surprising reasons why it's spiritually dangerous to criticize others
Three sure-fire remedies to
eliminate sinful anger from your life
Seven ways you can turn
to your own spiritual benefit the wrongs that others do to you
Six ways you can find and root out the hidden envy that may be choking your spirit right now
And much more to help you grow kinder — and holier!
Plus, you'll benefit from:
The full 67-question self-examination
you can use to monitor your progress
in growing kinder and holier
The Hidden Power of Kindness
A Practical Handbook for Souls Who Dare to Transform the World, One Deed at a Time
by
Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik
256 pgs pbk
$17.95
Sophia Institute Press
Box 5284, Manchester, NH 03108
1-800-888-9344 www.sophiainstitute.com
Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik
(1913–1986)
Fr. Lovasik once said that his life's ideal was to "make God more known and loved through my writings." Fr. Lovasik did missionary work in America's coal and steel regions, founded the Sisters of the Divine Spirit, a missionary congregation, and wrote numerous books and pamphlets emphasizing prayer and the Holy Eucharist.
"This wonderful book increases our insights into the wonders of the message that speaks so powerfully to us: 'Love is patient, love is kind . . . ' " Sr. Mary Rose McGeady
Covenant House
"Speaks passionately about the nature of true kindness." Publishers Weekly
"This work cannot fail to influence for the good all who are indirectly or directly touched by it." Most Rev. Fabian Bruskewitz
Bishop of Lincoln
"Fr. Lovasik's book shows that kindness is love put into practice, and traces how kindness must begin in our thoughts, be communicated in our words and reach its fullest expression in our daily actions. This book is made to order for anyone seriously wanting to respond to the present movement of the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth for Christ!" Rev. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R.
The Hidden Power of Kindness
A Practical Handbook for Souls
Who Dare to Transform the World, One Deed at a Time
by
Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik
