Never underestimate the power of a kind word: a simple hello, a pat on the back, a word of encouragement, a smile. As the sun melts ice, kindness melts hostility. “You can achieve more with a spoonful of honey than with a barrel of vinegar,” said the kindly St. Francis de Sales. Our lives are short; you will never pass this way again, and if kindness be needed along your pilgrimage, show it for it may save your life as the following story illustrates.

When the local Rabbi from the little village of Prochink in Poland embarked on his morning constitutional he would always greet Herr Mueller, a local farmer, with the warmth of human kindness. The Rabbi made a point of greeting everyone whose path he crossed with the same blessing of kindness, Jew and non-Jew alike.

Everyone would respond in kind to the Rabbi, but Mr. Muller was an exception. He would turn away in stony silence, shutting out the soft words of gentle greeting from his Jewish neighbor. Relations between Jews and non-Jews in this village were not particularly good, and friendships were rare. But Rabbi Shapira was not deterred or discouraged. Day after day, he would greet the silent Herr Mueller with a hearty hello, until, finally convinced of the rabbi’s sincerity, the farmer began returning the greeting with a tip of his hat and even a hint of a smile.

This routine went on for many years, and finally stopped when the Nazis came.

The Rabbi and his family were transferred from one concentration camp to the next until they reached the final destination point: Auschwitz. As he disembarked from the train, he was ordered to join the line where selection was taking place. Standing in the back of the line, he saw from a distance the camp commandant’s baton swing left, swing right. He knew that left signified certain death, but right bought survival.

His heart palpitating, he drew closer to the Commandant as the line surged forward. He was one person away from the man in charge of the selection, the man whose arbitrary decision could send him into the flames of the gas chamber. Despite his own fear, he looked curiously, almost boldly into the face of the Commandant with his customary assurance as his turn was called. At that moment, the man turned to glance at him, and their eyes locked.

The kind Rabbi said quietly, “Good morning, Herr Mueller!” Herr Mueller’s eyes, cold and unfathomable, twitched for a fraction of a second. “Good morning, Herr Rabiner!” he answered, also very quietly.

And then he swung his baton forward. “Recht” he shouted with a barely perceptible nod. “Right” to…Life!

The Rabbi”s simple gesture of kindness saved his life.

The Lord says, “bless those who curse you” (Luke 6 : 28). This might seem a hard teaching to follow, but in our post-election culture where there is so much uncivil discourse and lack of human kindness, isn’t that what the Lord is asking of us?

—Fr. Hugh Duffy