“All the good that others do at our suggestion will increase the splendor of our glory in heaven.” —St. John Bosco
It is a joy for us when our good deeds, whether words or actions, encourage others to do the same. This is a joy in itself, and both the good deed and its effect on others fill our Father’s heart with joy and bear witness to His love.
And how does the Lord reward us? We know that our Father cannot be outdone in love and generosity. Not only does He grant us the joy that comes from doing good and strengthens us in it, but He also attributes it to us as merit for eternity. Therefore, the good that another person does, inspired by our example, will increase the splendor of our glory, as St. John Bosco rightly says.
We can only marvel and give thanks for all that our Father does so that everything we do in His Spirit may be fruitful for ourselves and for others. He wants to fill us abundantly with His grace, and—thank God—He grants us eternity to discover His love more and more.
It is not wrong for us to rejoice that our Father is so generous and rewards us when others do something good at our suggestion, even though we may not have done much. Perhaps it was just a word, a gesture, or a good deed that inspired them and bore fruit. But for the Kingdom of God, all this is important, because it is nourished by love. Let us imagine that one day, when we stand before God, we feel that we don’t have much to show for ourselves. But then someone comes up to us and says, “You know what? Thanks to what you said or did back then, I set out on the path to God.”
Our Father will listen with pleasure… And we? Perhaps a little embarrassed, but at the same time infinitely grateful for God’s goodness, we will join in the ceaseless song of praise of the angels and saints.