The English-Speaking Catholic Church of Paris

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1st April , 2007

NOT GUILTY, MY LORD

My cousin, Peggy, was more than a little put out. Her father, John, who had retired from the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Authority, had taken on a contract in Saudi Arabia to connect a state-of-the-art bus line between Riyadh and Jeddah. Since going to Riyadh in August every member of his family had received a letter from John – except Peggy! It was only when John came home for his Christmas R and R that she discovered why.

John had in fact written. He was a wonderful calligrapher, and someone in the mail room in Riyadh noticed the beautiful writing and opened the envelope. One of John’s remarks in the letter was “The Justice System here is quite different than ours”. The following morning the religious police came to John’s office and arrested him. They brought him to the courtroom where Sheik Kamel, who spoke perfect English, was in session.

John was being charged with criticizing their religious beliefs. John pleaded Not Guilty, and said that in fact he was very interested in their religion (which was the truth), and that he was very disappointed that he could not find a Koran in English anywhere in Riyadh. The Sheik found this hard to believe, but was pleased that an American was interested in the Koran. He told John that he would exonerate him, but would have to reprimand him in Arabic to satisfy the religious police. He then drove him home in his Mercedes!

Some time later the Sheik came to John’s office and said, “Mr. John, you are right, even I could not find an English version of the Koran in Riyadh.” He then presented him with an English Koran and invited John to his palace, which led to a most interesting visit. Consequently the resentment often shown by some of the Saudi workers towards an American in their office evaporated!

Not too surprisingly John did not renew his contract after the year, but it’s one of life’s little eccentricities that it’s because of the love of an Irish-American Catholic from the Bronx for his family that one can now find a Koran in English in Riyadh!

But then, love can have all kinds of strange consequences! But nothing like as strange as what we are celebrating over this coming week – that a God who loves us with an infinite love; that a God who is all-powerful; that a God who has never done anything but good for us; that such a God should die a criminal’s death for us, and rise to life again in order that the lives of all might be raised to a new level. In this coming week, especially on Good Friday, we will in our liturgy be praying for all, including those who don’t acknowledge Christ, or even believe in God. And, as we pray, we will be thankful for the wonderful gift of faith and love that has been given to us.

Holy Week is above all a time of action. Christ brought His preaching ministry to a climax in the saving action of His Passion, Death and Resurrection. He invites us to bring our lives, our journeys, and unite them with His as He guides us to the glorious new Life of the Resurrection. He invites us to express our faith, our love, in our daily actions.