With the COVID-19 pandemic and general election, Fr. Sakowski said kindness seems to be even scarcer, according to the St. Mary & St. Raymond Catholic Churches' bulletin. 

"A little kindness goes a long way at a time in which divisions and contempt are palpable, and almost all of us feel emotionally and spiritually exhausted," he wrote in the bulletin. "These past few weeks, I have been astounded and grateful at how frequently a simple kind and empathetic gaze into someone’s eyes elicits tears and a deeper sense of peace. I wish I could say that it’s always easy to practice empathy and kindness. It is often challenging because I am not being kind to myself or (to put it more precisely) I am not allowing myself to receive the kindness that I need."

But God will always be kind. He is eternally kind because "His mercy endures forever," Sakowski said. Not only will His kindness and mercy last forever, but His love and grace as well. This type of love in covenantal and is "unshakable."

"[It] truly 'sees' into our brokenness and woundedness, receiving us with blessing and delight. Think of the woman caught in adultery. My friend, Fr. Sean Kilcawley, suggests that Jesus stooped down to write on the ground because that is very likely where she was staring," Sakowski wrote in the bulletin. "Finally, he catches her eye and she receives a gaze that knows her truthfully and gives the kindness her heart so deeply desires. Matthew the tax collector was transformed by a similar gaze of kindness."

Jesus saw Matthew with a merciful understanding in his tax office and asked Matthew to follow him. Matthew followed Him, thus changing his life forever by following Jesus. 

"His life was never the same after receiving a gaze of kindness from Jesus," Sakowski said in the bulletin. "Kindness is a gift. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot earn God’s kindness, mercy or love. He freely bestows it upon us, choosing and delighting in us, and calling us into heavenly celebration."