1 March 2026

I was speaking to a granny. She told me about two of her grandchildren. One was in the police. The other was in social work. Neither of them were working for the money. They both loved their jobs and, as a result, had a deep sense of fulfilment. I would say their response was vocational.

Everyone has at least one vocation – the vocation to be, to be a human being which is given to us in birth. We are all made in the image of God and carry something sacred within us. This shapes our life and our relationships with others.

Some  have a second vocation – the vocation to be a Christian which is established not in birth but in baptism. This develops in some but not others. You can tell whether someone is a Christian if they bear the fruits of the Spirit in their lives – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

The one in the middle is very important – kindness. It doesn’t cost us anything to be kind – to speak, to smile, to help, to wait, to encourage. Right at the heart of this quality is the word ‘kin’, a member of the family. To be kind to someone is to treat them as your kin – your mother, your brother, your wife, your child.

Among the many things which Baroness Valerie Amos has written about NHS maternity services in England is the surprising ‘lack of kindness’ shown to women  who are having difficult pregnancies and births, who are  from ethnic minorities or  who have lost a child.

It is shocking to think that the milk of human kindness has been withdrawn by medical staff from vulnerable mothers in maternity wards. In being kind, we are not going beyond the call of duty, we are simply being human towards fellow human beings who  could be  our kith and kin.