Social researcher and author Hugh MacKay AO spoke today on his new book, The Kindness Revolution, reminding us our capacity for kindness is fundamental to our humanity.

The cumulative effect of so much disruption is fragmentation, the opposite of what we need to survive and thrive as a species. After fires, pandemics, floods, will we take advantage of a crisis of humanity and turn kindness into a revolution, nurture it from the ground up? We don’t need to wait for leaders to act. Kindness is already innate in us.

Hugh’s message today in the crypt of St Patrick’s Catholic church in The Rocks resonates with the words of Pope Francis, quoted in today’s Gospel reflection by Fr Michael Whelan sm:   ‘We should continue working to build bridges between peoples, bridges which will enable us to break down the walls of exclusion and exploitation…. We must confront terror with love.’   

Michael Whelan’s homily is here.