The first reading holds a lot of power for me. My previous reflection had the same ideas in it, but this flat out says put others before you. I think we get so caught up in our own lives that we sometimes forget that other people are out there who desperately need our help. In my opinion, helping others does not mean you have to do extravagant things, but it can just be a simple smile as you are on your way to class or work. I have many goals in life, but one of my main goals is to help someone, in some way, every day. I am reminded of the movie, Pay It Forward, when I read this passage. For those who have not seen it, it’s about a project a little boy invents where he does something kind for someone and then tells them to pay it forward. The purpose of this is to get people to act out of kindness and show strength for others who don’t have it. I think sometimes the little things people do to help others is God’s way of working through each one of us. If we can allow him to do this, think of how many people we can help.

The gospel says basically the same thing. Jesus is telling us to go out of our way to be kind to those who are in need. It’s easy to be kind to people who will eventually help us, but it can be difficult to take the time to help support others who will never be able to help us in a physical way. However, I have found that every person I have helped, who I never thought would be able to help me, has impacted my life more than I could ever imagine.