I got it wrong that evening

‘You are of your father the Devil’ – I thought I would finally tell him. I couldn’t take it anymore that evening in Catania in 1978! I was there in the square, with Ray, that day. We were checking the piazza out and seeing if we could approach someone to talk about Jesus. Sitting at a table outside a bar, was a group of young men, no doubt friends chatting together, as many do, especially in summer, when the cool of the evening finally settles and it’s ‘safe’ to venture out without melting in the Sicilian sun. Ray could speak some Italian, but he preferred for me to initiate the conversation. I knew, that as soon as I would probe the situation to find a common ground, an interesting argument that would lead into talking about Jesus, Ray would start to pray, interceding for me and for the young men.

‘You are of your father the Devil’. I was sure this was what I would have ended up telling Giovanni, one of the guys, that evening. He was the quietest of the group. He seemed more somber and thoughtful, while the other friends were typically questioning me about my faith, smiling here and there when I was trying to lead them to Jesus. Ray continued to pray. In truth often God can give words of knowledge to create a breach in the hearts of people so that the Gospel can shed its light. That was my strategy; I would continue to be receptive and sensitive to the insight of the Spirit, hoping to find a point of contact with these people. Ray was still interceding; the conversation was going on and the ‘quiet’ guy was beginning to interject with some comments.

‘You are of your father the Devil’. I would have repeated to Giovanni what Jesus similarly had told the Pharisees on one occasion. He was the quieter one, but becoming more nervous and aggressive with his words. This is also typical, but he was different and a bit annoying, now influencing negatively the other guys, who up to this moment had been OK. The prayers of Ray must have reached a level where it became clear to me to state it as it is and speak the truth clearly. Jesus had also been very patient in debating with some Jews about the truth. Mind you, these Jews had believed in Christ, but were still attached to their comfortable traditions, but in truth, were wrong. Jesus couldn’t help it anymore and finally told them how deceived they were in thinking that their father was the patriarch Abraham. In fact their real father was not Abraham, but the Devil. No wonder, those Jews after hearing heard these words, tried to stone Jesus. 

  ‘You are of your father the Devil’. Jesus himself would have supported my words and so I decided politely, but firmly to go about rebuking my debater. It finally boiled down to this, when one Giovanni’s friend at the bar opened his wallet and proudly showed me two pictures. He said that the two persons in the picture were the most important people he and his friend likewise cherished in their lives. Meanwhile, Giovanni, that by now had become more nervous by the minute, was interjecting here and there with unnerving comments. The first picture was of Saint Agatha, the patron saint of Catania and the next one was a bust of Mussolini in all his splendor and authority during the early years of the II World War. They held the saint and the dictator above Jesus! How could be possible? These young men were bigots and fascists. For some reason, I directed my attention to Giovanni who had now become more assertive.

‘You are of your father the Devil’. I gathered my given authority and told him. Just as Jesus told those hypocrites, so I told these guys - but particularly to one – ‘your father is the devil’. I was ready for a reaction just as Jesus must have been ready to face persecution when they tried to stone him. In fact, Giovanni who had become aggressive with his words now jumped up and tried to hit me. His friends then tried to hold him back. Ray also tried to defend me. Well that was a cost I was prepared to pay. We decided to move out – of course what could we have done otherwise? Then one of the guys followed us and coming closer quietly said,

“Do you know why my friend was so enraged?”

I thought to myself that somehow the Word of God had breached in Giovanni’s heart, but he was not ready to accept the Lord in his life because still in bondage of the Devil. But how wrong and misplaced were my words that evening…

…Then his friend continued, ‘My friend’s father died just today’.