I’m a second-generation American. Both of my parents were raised by immigrants who lived through the Great Depression. They didn’t have much, but they knew how to make the most of what they had. One of their favorite family activities was camping in the wilds of Montana—pitching a tarp, sleeping under the stars, and living simply. My grandfather and father both drilled one lesson into me: “Leave the campsite better than you found it.”
I remember watching my dad reset stones around the fire pit, rake the ground to make it look clean, and pick up trash—including garbage we didn’t even leave behind. That was courtesy. It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t rewarded. But it was right.
Contrast that with today’s world. We’re slipping into a culture of rudeness. People cut each other off in traffic. They ignore simple gestures like holding the door or saying “thank you.” They scroll their phones while others are talking. Online? It’s a war zone—anonymous trolls insult and attack without a second thought. Everyone is busy, rushed, distracted—and common courtesy is often the first thing to go.
But courtesy is not optional for a man of God. It’s part of Justice, one of the four cardinal virtues. Justice means giving others their due—and that includes dignity, respect, and kindness. Courtesy is the sub-virtue that expresses this in action: thoughtful words, patient listening, being helpful, letting others go first, offering a kind greeting, or simply not being annoying or dismissive. It’s the habit of seeing others not as obstacles, but as people made in the image of God.
Jesus, the perfection of virtue, practiced Courtesy constantly. He showed hospitality to strangers. He invited the poor and the unworthy to draw near. He corrected with kindness and never humiliated. To the Samaritan woman at the well—an outcast—He said,
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (Jn 4:10, RSVCE)
And in another place:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28, RSVCE)
Even when the world is cold, rushed, or cruel, Jesus calls you to be different. Be courteous.
Challenge:
Today, think of one area in your life—or one person—where you’ve been impatient, rude, or thoughtless. Ask Jesus for the grace to grow in courtesy. Then do something specific to honor the other: a cheerful hello to a stranger, a kind word to your wife or coworker, or a simple act of patience. Leave every “campsite” better than you found it.