Jonah
While I was still a humanities student lodging at John Pianta’s café, I got to know a Jewish youngster called Jonah. He was about eighteen, was remarkably good looking, and had an exceptionally fine singing voice. He was a good billiards player too.
We met at Elijah’s bookstore, and he would always ask for me as soon as he came into the shop. I liked him a lot, and he was very attached to me. Every spare minute he had, he spent in my room; we sang together, played the piano, or read. He liked to hear the thousand little stories I used to tell.
One day he got into a difficult quarrel which could have had sorry consequences for him. He came running to me for advice.
Jonah, my friend, I said to him, if you were a Christian, I would advise you to go to Confession. But in your case, that’s not possible.
But we Jews can go to Confession, if we want to.
Go to Confession by all means, but your confessor is not obliged to secrecy. Neither can he forgive your sins or administer any sacraments.
If you’ll take me, I’ll go to a priest.
I could do that for you, but a lot of preparation is necessary.
What sort of preparation?
Confession takes away sins committed after baptism. If you wish to receive any of the other sacraments, you must receive baptism first.
What must I do to be baptised?
You must be instructed in the Christian religion. You must believe in Jesus Christ, true God and true man. After that you can be baptised.
What good will baptism do me?
It wipes out original sin, and actual sins too. It opens the way to the other sacraments. Finally, it makes you a child of God and an heir to heaven.
We Jews cannot be saved?
No, my dear Jonah; since Jesus Christ came, the Jews cannot be saved unless they believe in him.
If it comes to my mother’s ears that I want to become a Christian, heaven help me!
Don’t be afraid; God is the master of all hearts. If he calls you to become a Christian, he will do it in such a way as to satisfy your mother, or provide in some way for the good of your soul.
You are such a good friend of mine; if you were in my place, what would you do?
I would begin to take instruction in the Christian religion. Anyway, God will show you what to do in the future. Take this little catechism and begin to study it. Pray that God will enlighten you, and he will help you to know the truth.
From that day onward Jonah became attracted to the Christian faith. He used to come to the café and, after he played a game of billiards, he would come looking for me to discuss religion and the catechism. In a few months he had learned to make the sign of the cross, could say the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Creed, and knew the other principal truths of the faith. He was very happy and became better every day in his speech and his actions.
Jonah had been left fatherless as a child. His mother Rachel had heard vague reports about Jonah’s intentions, but as yet she knew nothing certain. This is how the news broke: One day, while making Jonah’s bed she came across his catechism, which he had inadvertently left under his mattress.
She went screaming through the house, took the catechism to the rabbi, and suspecting what was afoot, rushed to the student Bosco’s lodgings. She had often heard her son speak of him. Picture to yourselves ugliness itself, and you will have an idea of Jonah’s mother. She was blind in one eye and deaf in both ears; she had a big nose, hardly any teeth, and a long, pointed chin; she was thick lipped, with a twisted mouth; her voice sounded like the squeal of a foal. The other Jews used to call her the Lilith the Witch, a name they use for the ugliest thing they can imagine.
I got a fright when I saw her. Before I had time to recover, she opened up on me:
I swear you’ve done wrong! Yes, you! You’ve ruined my Jonah. You’ve brought public disgrace on him. I don’t know what will become of him. I’m afraid he’ll end up a Christian, and you’ll have been the cause of it.
I understood then who she was and of whom she was speaking; as calmly as I could, I explained that she ought to be happy about it and to thank me for doing him so much good.
And what’s the good of that? Is it a good thing for a person to deny his own religion?
Calm down, my good woman, I said to her.
Listen. I didn’t go looking for your son Jonah. We met in Elijah’s bookshop. We became friends without any special reason. He’s very fond of me, and I like him too. As his true friend, I want him to save his soul and to get to know our religion, because outside it no one can be saved. Good mother of Jonah, please note that I only gave your son a book and told him to study it. If he becomes a Christian, he does not abandon his Jewish religion; he perfects it.
If Jonah should have the misfortune to become a Christian, he would have to abandon our prophets, because Christians do not believe in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, nor in Moses and the prophets.
We do believe in all the holy patriarchs and prophets of the Bible. Their writings, their sayings, and their prophecies are the foundation of the Christian faith.
If our rabbi were only here, he would know how to answer you. I know neither the Mishnah nor the Gemara (the two parts of the Talmud). But what is to become of my poor Jonah?
So saying, she left. It would be too long to recount the many attacks that the mother, the rabbi, and various of Jonah’s relatives made on me. Neither threats nor violence had any effect on that courageous young man; he withstood them all and continued to take instruction.
Since he was no longer safe amongst his family, he had to leave home and live almost as a beggar. Many people came to his aid. And that all might be done with due prudence, I recommended my pupil to a learned priest who took a fatherly interest in him. When Jonah’s religious instructions were completed, he was impatient to become a Christian. A solemnity was arranged that set a good example for all the people of Chieri. Other Jews were impressed too, and later several others embraced Christianity.
Jonah’s godparents were Charles and Octavia Bertinetti, who provided what the neophyte needed. After becoming a Catholic, he was able to earn an honest livelihood by his own efforts. The newly-baptised’s name was Aloysius.