Ice Cream Kindness

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began. (John 17:1-11)

This passage from today’s reading reminds me of what I say at the end of Mass: “Go in peace glorifying the Lord by your life.”  There are options from which to choose, but this one seems the best because it presents a challenge to all of us.  In a way, it means make the Lord proud of us.  We are to live a life that gives glory to God by what we say and do especially in these difficult times.

We glorify the Lord when we are kind.  Kindness is a mark of our humanity.  An example of kindness, and a lack thereof, occurred on Mother’s Day weekend at a Mashpee ice cream shop – the Polar Cave Ice Cream Parlor.  The shop’s owner, Mark Lawrence, closed his shop shortly after re-opening with social-distancing protocols because his young employees were verbally abused.  Some customers shouted profanities at the teens, and one young girl quit after finishing her shift.

Kindness was shown by Lawrence who set up a GoFundMe page for this girl, and as of May 13, $38,000 was raised for her college expenses!  Many patrons donated to this Fund and in doing so, they glorified the Lord.

Even Governor Baker commented on this incident.  Having visited Polar Cave himself and noting its popularity, he said, as reported in the Boston Globe, that there was a larger message of needed shared sacrifice and common decency amid the pandemic.  Baker said, “Day in and day out, I believe the vast majority of people in Massachusetts will stand up and accept their responsibility.”

We all must continue to glorify the Lord through simple acts of kindness.   These acts are a remedy for despair and give us hope.

Deacon David Pierce