I started to church on a pleasant and beautiful Sunday.
My last visit to Church was 2 months ago in India. I realized that in my life I have skipped church on Sundays just less than ten times, until I was in India, for the past 27 years!
I didn’t want to lie to my mom the next time she calls me.
I didn't want to lie to her that I was going to church every Sunday.
I went for the 02:00 PM CST mass to a Church in Irving.
In India priests used to preach in their sermons that people in USA watch the Holy Mass in television and that they have no Family. When I entered the Church I knew the priest had lied. He broke the commandment “thou shall not lie” – I hope it is one of the Ten Commandments.
There were beautiful girls going around in perfect attire, which is considered atrociously improper in India. I loved it; even though I was standing inside a Holy Place I could not stop wondering about the girl in the sky blue jean and white shirt, she looked like an Angel!”. I thought it was okay and may be I scored some points in Heaven since I thought of her as an `Angel` in Gods House. I thanked God for the gift of vision!
A big fat lady, on my left, dressed as if it was her wedding, gave me a paper. I looked at it, English in it was garbled! I thought, may be, this is one of the `contests` they have in churches where proper words / sentences should be framed from garbled words / letters which would ideally be a verse in the Holy Bible. The one who unscrambles it first would get a five inch diameter ever-silver vessel. I still cannot think of a proper use for that vessel in a city, may be in a village before 80s, it would have had a wide usage everyday morning!
Altar was well lit with scented candles, it smelled jasmine or lavender or whatever, but it was good. The priest was walking towards altar with the altar boys leading the march holding a seven foot cross. The choir started to sing, and now I realized the garbled English was Spanish!
The priest was a plump man with lot of hair, on his head. His hairstyle resembled Elvis Presley’s! I looked at the cross and asked, “God! Why my hair?!”. What is that priest going to do with so much? I was trying to recollect the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ by Jesus Christ. Did He teach anything like, “Blessed are the Bald, for they shall be called Sons of God!”?. God … Why my Hair?!!
I felt a cool breeze on my plain polished ‘rock’ bald head. It felt like a cold soft hand touching my bald head. I would have shouted "Ghost!" if I was not in a church.
A thought struck as a lightning! I had always thought Jesus did not have any sense of humor, but now I realized that he had the best and he was the best! Jesus said, “You are Peter, and on this ‘rock’ I will build my Church, ....”. The word ‘rock’ caught me. May be Peter was as bald as me, and may be, Jesus winked after saying this and none noted it down!
Suddenly, I heard a voice asking , “Bless you son …… and did you feel my touch?”. Was I hallucinating? I did not know. I still believe it was Gods voice. I was in joy. I had my answer at that instant, “God loves bald people more, may be because he could touch their heads easily when he blesses!”.
The heavenly touch. It all came in a flash, rain drops falling, cool breeze blowing, sun shining, children playing tabla, easier to wash crow shit and more, on my bald head! Everything looked simple and meaningful now. Indeed, it was a Heavenly touch! It is really hard to understand God. May be one in the Trinity is bald and uses a hairpiece. Who knows? God only knows!
A day sans romance, never a day at all!
Yes, I was already in Love with the girl sitting next to me. In church, you fall in Love. You have to, else, why do you think Jesus Christ died on the Cross? It was for Love and Love alone!
Looking at her I imagined reciting the following poem to her:
“Chubby cheeks, dimpled chin.
Rosy lips, teeth within.
Curly hair, very fair.
Eyes are blue, lovely too.
Teachers pet My Sweet Heart, is that you?”
And she would say:
“Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Call me childish, I don’t care!
I call it romanticism.
What makes you hate this universe and forget the lovely girl sitting next to you in a church?!
Sermon!
The plump priest began to speak and sleep caught me. I fought, but I could not win.
Devil!
I knew I was dreaming. She was sitting next to me and holding my hand. No, not the girl who was actually sitting next to me! She shouted in my ears, “Wake up!!”.
Angel!
I opened my eyes, but my ears were still blocking Spanish. I realized that the Holy Mass had progressed to the part where we show the sign of peace to each other. Folks standing in front of me, probably married couples, gave a hug and a kiss on lips … on lips?!! Wonderful! In India, a traditional “vanakkam” is the sign of peace. This is the first time I saw a hug and a kiss inside a church. I don’t know if God hanging on the cross feels for the sin we commit, but I am sure He did feel for that kiss!
What is difficult in hugging and kissing someone you know, to show the sign of peace? Why can’t they show the same love and say peace to a stranger? Wouldn’t the world be a better place for everyone if that happened? Why can't people hug and kiss a stranger to say that ‘I love you or peace be with you’? Why can't we do it when Jesus did it ? Why can’t I be the stranger to that girl? There are many questions for which we can never find an answer, even in Gods house!
From left, the fat lady gave me a handshake and said something in Spanish, probably “peace be with you”. When I turned to the sweet Chubby girl on my right …. I hated God!!
Did I snore when I was sleeping? What did I do, oh God!? I dint see the girl, instead a tall fat man was smiling at me. He shook my hand, gave a hug and said something in Spanish, his words did not match with the fat lady’s! I shouted …."Get off me dude, I know who you are."…in silence !!
The mass ended, I knelt and closed my eyes to pray. I knew all the angels were looking at me and laughing at what had happened. I realized God was there and he was really funny! He had talked to me today. He made me feel good about being bald.
I opened my eyes and turned to my left, the fat lady was gone. I turned to my right, the fat gay dude was gone.
I saw Chubby walking towards me, she knelt beside me … I looked at her … She looked at me … and said, “Hi, my name is … “.
I believed in God.
- Robert Williams RM
