Have you ever stopped to consider the merit in being kind to someone who smiles at you? It’s easy to be generous with a friend who’s always there or a family member who returns favors. But Father  Ángel Espinosa de los Monteros , inspired by a maxim of  Saint Francis de Sales , drops a bombshell of reality that shakes our consciences:

“Not knowing how to be good to the bad guys is proof that we are not all good.”

This statement is not merely a pious reflection; it is a challenge to our human and spiritual integrity. If our kindness ends where conflict begins, is it truly kindness, or simply an exchange of pleasantries?

The art of not judging what we do not know

Father Ángel invites us to look beyond the label of “bad.” We tend to be ruthless judges of others’ actions, but we ignore the stories behind them.

• Is the woman who survives on the streets evil?  Is  the child who steals fruit to quell his or his brother’s hunger evil?  Even in prisons, behind the bars of guilt, there are broken pasts, injustices, and decisions forced by desperation. Judging is easy; understanding is an act of profound love. God, in his omnipotence, allows the sun to rise for everyone, respecting a freedom that we sometimes struggle to grasp. He doesn’t send a lightning bolt to the house of the unjust, but waits, with infinite patience, for our transformation.

Overcoming evil with an “excess” of good

To illustrate this point, the story takes us to Victor Hugo’s masterful work,  Les Misérables . The scene is iconic:  Jean Valjean  steals money from the bishop who gave him refuge. Upon being captured, the bishop, instead of accusing him, gives him more candlesticks and says to him in front of the police:  “Why did you forget these? “

That “crazy” act was not a weakness, it was a purchase:  “I buy your soul for God . “

That is the key that Father Ángel proposes:  to overcome evil with good . It is not about justifying theft or lying, but about understanding that human justice seeks punishment, while divine charity seeks  conversion .

The challenge at your own table

You don’t have to go to jail to apply this. The “bad guy” in your life could be that brother-in-law who spoke ill of you, the business partner who let you down, or the absent father. The natural tendency is icy silence or exclusion. However, the true test of our goodness lies precisely there: in being able to do good to those who cannot (or will not) reciprocate.

Let us do all the good we can , without exceptions, without waiting lists. Because at the end of the day, the measure of our light is taken in the darkness of others.