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Good morning. An app on my phone informed me that today is Random Acts of Kindness Day. Quite why February 17th is chosen to be so it didn’t say. Perhaps at random. No sooner had I discovered this than I heard a heart-warming story from a hospice in Stourbridge. On Valentine’s Day a man with terminal cancer married his partner there, a wedding arranged very quickly because of his condition. The matron went to the local florists to get some flowers and another customer, overhearing the circumstances of this marriage, paid for two dozen red roses. The spontaneous kindness of this stranger added immensely to the couple’s happiness. His generosity may have anticipated Random Acts of Kindness Day a little but definitely caught the spirit of it. We tend to think of kindness as a soft virtue. “That’s kind” we say when someone moves out of our way or offers a helping hand. But kindness is more than politeness. I’ve heard it argued that it’s an inner disposition which leads to acts of goodness. Certainly in the Bible St Paul included kindness among the fruits of the Spirit, distinct but connected with love, joy, peace, faithfulness and self-control. These are described as the attributes of a godly or good life. A few years ago I accidentally left my pectoral cross – the cross I’ve always worn around my neck as a bishop – on a Circle Line tube train. I didn’t feel very kind to myself as a result of my stupidity. It wasn’t the material value which made me distraught but what that cross meant to me. Three weeks went by and I’d almost lost hope when a final call to London Transport Lost Property was made. They said they had a necklace which seemed to match my description. I didn’t mind what they called it. I’ve no idea who handed it in – there was no record – but I’ve thought of recording something for the slot on Saturday Live here on Radio 4 when people express gratitude to someone they’ve never had the chance to thank. But I can do so now. Thank you, kind person, whoever you are. An act of kindness seeks no reward, thanks or even recognition. It may not even be greeted with gratitude. In Luke’s Gospel Jesus speaks of God’s kindness being extended even to the ungrateful and wicked. In a world where suspicion and mistrust is so prevalent, Random Acts of Kindness Day may not be as eccentric as it sounds. And kindness may be more transformative than we imagine.