July 19, 2005
In the old cowboy movies it was always easy to tell the “good guys” from the “bad guys”. The sheriff and his posse always had white horses and hats – the bank and stagecoach robbers, black. It also appeared the bad guys often outnumbered the good, sometimes surrounding the tall handsome hero with evil grimaces and guns drawn. With no disrespect intended, I can almost see Our Savior standing there, all dressed in white with the Scribes and Pharisees swathed in black staring at Him looking a bit like vultures.
Some years ago I remember sitting on an airplane watching the other passengers board. At a distance I saw a distinguished looking bearded man wearing a 1950’s style fedora and carrying an old-fashioned leather “valise”, or a small hard suitcase now relegated to dark basements and dusty attics. He was patiently making his way towards the back of the plane where I was seated. As he approached I noticed some white strings dangling from both sides of his waist. Being from Brooklyn, I immediately knew he was not only Jewish, but the beard, the hat, and the prayer shawl (what I call a “kosher scapular”) were clear signs of him being an orthodox Jew.
When he came to my row, he looked at his ticket, then me; he smiled and sat down, “So, you’re a Franciscan” he said. I was somewhat surprised because most Catholics often ask, “What Order are you?” as they are unfamiliar with the gray color of our habit. Anyway, this man certainly knew the signs of being a Franciscan – the cowl, rope, and sandals. I extended my hand and introduced myself and he graciously did the same. So there we were, Catholic friar and Jewish rabbi, sitting together on a plane. He leaned over to me, chuckled and said in a stage whisper, “I bet some reservation agent thought this would be amusing!”
The rabbi was very well acquainted with Saint Francis and was interested in our work with the poor. I did my part to add to the conversation by asking about his work. “Rabbi”, I asked, “where is your congregation?” He said, “Well, I don’t have a congregation per se, because I’m a scribe”. Then he broke out in a big smile, gently grabbed my arm, leaned over and said, “I know we don’t come across very good in your New Testament...!” to which I blurted out a laugh which I’m sure gave away my discomfort.
Then, for the next twenty minutes he explained what a modern-day scribe does; namely, writing the entire Torah, that is, the first five books of the Bible – by hand! He does his work using special quills from kosher birds and ink and parchment prepared by ancient techniques. His work is very meticulous; even one small mistake in copying from one scroll to another invalidates the new scroll. Do you know it takes a scribe three years to complete one Torah? Well, I was so captivated by my traveling companion, I didn’t even realize we had taken off!
From that day, most times when I read about “the Scribes”, I think of my friend who I met on the plane. I also often remind people that not all the Scribes and Pharisees were sinister looking vultures, some I’m sure were kind and gentle like doves. Don’t forget, both Our Lord Himself and Our Lady were Jewish, as were the apostles and first disciples. The faith of the Jewish people is our roots – it is spiritually suicidal to sever oneself from ones roots. In like manner, the Christian faith may be described as the fullest and finest flower for the Jewish people. To my Jewish friends Richard, Steve, Bill, and David who have accepted Jesus as their Messiah, and especially those of the Hebrew Catholic Association, and my Brooklyn buddy Mitch who celebrates his birthday today – may God bless you – and especially bless my friend the Scribe, wherever he is!
Fr. Glenn Sudano, CFR
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