MISSION IS FUN

Profession of Faith in A Plane

BY FR DE BERTOLIS MCCJI

HAVE YOU ever had to swear that Jesus Christ is risen? I had to. Returning from vacation, on the plane between Rome and Cairo, I got a seat next to a little girl who was travelling alone. The steward sat her down, making sure she had a plastic bag around her neck in which her ticket and passport could be seen. They brought dinner; we ate in silence, but I realised that the little girl wanted to talk, so I gave her a chance. I asked her:

– Why do you travel alone? You are a brave girl; how old are you?
– Guess.
– Nine.
– No, eight.
– What’s your name?
– Guess!
– How can I?
– I’ll help you, my name means happiness.
– Saadia.
– No, Farah. What do you do?
– I am a priest.
– What does a priest do?

Now, I say to myself: try to explain ministerial priesthood to an eight-year-old girl! With all my science, experience and…. craft, I try it. Then she says to me:

-What’s your name?
– Guess.
– You help me too.
– My name is like someone from France, Fran….
– Francis, she replies all excited.
– How good you are!
– Who was Francis? she asks.

Here we are again… I start telling her the story of the wolf of Gubbio, in a soft voice since everything is silent in the plane and the lights are dimmed. Finally, a little boy, maybe six years old, pops up from the front seat and says: tell us the story of Jesus. We need it too…

I reply: what do you know about Jesus? He begins to tell me about Cain and Abel, then Noah with all his male and female animals. The girl listens to him attentively and so do I, though not in the same way. After Noah, I try to get them back on track, and tell them about the resurrection of the child of Nain. Then I ask them: how did Jesus die? They look at me intently.

The little boy says: ah yes, on the cross, with nails. The little girl looks at him.
I say, and I go further: yes, and then what? Did they bury him?
The boy answers: yes.
I say: and then, did it all end like that? They looked at me.
I say: no, after three days, the tomb was opened and Jesus came out alive and never died again. The little girl exclaims: nooo!.
I say: yes, yes, it’s true.
She goes on: swear it!
I almost jump in my seat: I swear it! Shaking her little finger under my nose, she says: look, whoever swears a lie ends bad!

No, no, I swear it, this is really true, maybe it’s the only true thing in the world!