The Second Night.

 

To my surprise, during the week, Nick offered to come over again next Friday. With a smile, I accepted: same bat-channel, same bat-time.

This time, I didn’t struggle much thinking about what to cook.

When he arrived, around 7 PM, I was finishing up the cooking and starting to set the table.

A little while later, he noticed that I had moved the figures of the Three Kings in my nativity scene, placing them next to the manger.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"I’m not going to question Jesus, but do you really believe in a star that was wandering through the sky guiding some wise men?"

"I’m not sure if the biblical account is describing a real event or if it’s a symbolic narrative. Both supporters and detractors have strong arguments, and I honestly don’t know which side is right. And I suspect that neither do they, despite their speeches."

"You don’t have an opinion?"

"I don’t think I need one. Or rather, I’m Catholic and I believe in what the Church believes. If my personal opinion differs from something the Church has been saying since apostolic times, then I know my personal opinion is wrong. That said, it’s not impossible that God might have created an atmospheric event that caught the attention of some astrologers, and that with their knowledge, they connected that event to the birth of a king of the Jews. As my grandfather used to say, 'se non è vero è ben trovato.'”

“???”

“If it’s not true, it’s well told.”

"The real difficulty with this story is the star?"

"Exactly. It moved forward, appeared, and disappeared. Astronomers try to find a real event that fits this description, and in that sense, Kepler gave a beautiful explanation, both astronomical and astrological. But it hasn’t convinced everyone. So there are those who think it’s just a symbol of God’s desire, or that it’s a miraculous act, and so on with explanations that don’t explain anything, but only confuse. So, I accept the text as true, both symbolically and literally."

"It’s curious that you don’t have an opinion. Everyone wants one about everything."

"Not me," I said with a smile. "On some things I’m sure, on others, I have faith. But, like in the case of the Star of Bethlehem, when the experts studying the matter simply tell me they don’t know anything, why should I guess? Like a little child, I just hold God’s hand and ask Him to guide me through the confusion."

"Do you do that even when it comes to the crisis your Church is going through?"

"Yes, though in this case, it’s easier to know what stance to take. The Catholic Church has been around for over two thousand years. What I have to do is stay faithful to all these years; the recent novelties should just be ignored. Or better said: lamented, knowing what false Catholics are doing while using the Church’s structure to do so. However, the more they stray from Jesus, the closer they get to failure, for the branch that is cut off from the vine withers and dies."

"I think my atheist position is more comfortable."

"It may be. But now, my atheist friend, sit down before the food gets cold!"

"My God, it smells amazing!"

"Of course, dear atheist!" I said with another smile.