PLANE STORY:

THE PERSON IN SEAT 17C

[This is a story I wrote yesterday for this Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B. It was for the Saturday Adult 4:30 in the Afternoon Mass - and I'm going to try it out on our Teenage Mass for this Sunday evening. Please note that Samuel is the main character in today's first reading and Andrew is the main character in today's gospel.]

The plane was stuck on the tarmac - after its arrival at O’Hare Airport, Chicago.

A snow storm to the west - a snow storm to the north - caused delays in landings and take offs.

Then the plane just sat there - a decent distance from the terminal.

The pilot announced at least 3 times, “We’re trying to get an arrival spot - but planes came in here ahead of us - because they couldn’t land where they were going - because of the weather. Sorry ---- they are ahead of us - but they are promising we’ll get a spot ------- soon.

The “soon” sound didn’t sound too convincing.

The pilot who made the announcement was just a voice - and not a face - as he made the announcement. He was rather happy about that.

The person in 17C just sat there patiently - sat there very calmly - in an aisle seat.

Time ticked and ticked and ticked.

When that same announcement was made a fourth time, someone was really ticked off. Someone in the back of the plane screamed: “Come on. Stop lying. This isn’t fair. We have people waiting for us at the curb.”

Cell phones are convenient - but they come with a price.

The person in 17C didn’t get upset.

He was surprised he didn’t get upset.

As he sat there he wondered where and when he got this gift of patience. He certainly didn’t have it 10 years ago. He certainly didn’t get it from his mom and dad - both of whom were time conscious - and neatnics - and wanted their kids to never be late - to on time always - and never to keep people waiting.

He sat there in the plane - on the tarmac - as if in prayer and meditation in a quiet afternoon church.

It was 4 o’clock in the afternoon - and they were supposed to get off the plane at 3:25.

As the person in 17C sat there, hearing comments from around him - as he heard the level of frustration rising - he started thinking about two people whom he had met in his life - both of whom probably contributed to his receiving the gift of serenity.

The first was a Rabbi - the Rabbi - in his life. He began thinking about this person with great gratitude.
He met the Rabbi in the hospital when the 2 of them were in the same hospital - in the same room - about 7 years ago. Both were there for the same heart problem. Both were getting the same heart operation - a quadruple-by-pass. Both had the same heart specialist and surgeon.

The person in 17C knew this guy in the other bed was Jewish. It was Saturday morning. He was in a hospital gown - with his yarmulke on. He also had a prayer shawl around his shoulders - and the man was praying.

With that the person in 17C asked the man, “By any chance, are you a Rabbi or something?”

The man answered, “Actually I am.”

17C introduced himself. Then the Rabbi introduced himself as, “Sam.”

They talked about their families and where they were from - standard conversation starters. Then their visitors came in for the day. When they left the two men continued their conversation.

17C said he was quite nervous about the upcoming operation.

Sam, the Rabbi, was quite calm before the operation.

17C noticed that Sam was very calm after the operation as well - and he was still nervous. “Now what?” he thought.

Alone 17C asked his roommate, “Rabbi Sam, what’s your secret?”

Sam, the Rabbi, said, “What secret? The secret for what?”

17C said, “That’s 2 questions.”

Sam, the Rabbi, said, “Haven’t you ever noticed that Jews like the ask questions?”

17C said, “I’m asking you about the secret of your serenity? What’s the secret of your serenity?”

Sam answered, “Did you just noticed you asked 2 questions? Are you Jewish by any chance?”

17C laughed and said, “No, I’m Catholic - well Catholic, but I don’t practice being Catholic.”

Sam said, “Why not?”

Silence.

Then Sam said, “I’m easy going. And it’s no secret why I’m easy going. I see God is in on everything. I simply say to God, “Speak Lord. Your servant is listening.”

17C said, “Well what does God say to you?”

Sam said, “God is saying, ‘Sam you’re getting older. You got to cut down on the fats. You gotta get more exercise. More walking Sam. More walking. And one more thing, Sam. You’re mortal.”

A pause ….

Sam then said, “I said to God at that one, ‘God, what’s that supposed to mean? ‘You’re mortal, Sam, you’re mortal.’”

“And God said, “Sam you got term limits.”

17C said, “Oh….”

Another pause - some silence.

Then 17C said, “It sounds like you’re doing it.”

“Doing what?”

“You’re listening to God.”

Silence.

Then the Rabbi said, “I learned all this from my Rabbi when I made my Bar Mitzvah when I was a kid. I had to pick a Bible text. So I picked a story about Samuel - my namesake. I read the story about the time when Samuel was in the temple and Eli was the priest. Samuel heard someone calling. He thought it was Eli so he ran to him. Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to sleep.” This happened three times before he realized that the Lord was calling this kid named Samuel. Eli told Samuel, “If the Lord calls you again, say, ‘Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.’”

Then Sam said, “I didn’t know it then, but that was to be the secret of my life. In fact, that’s why I became a Rabbi - to teach people to listen to God. Didn’t you notice that I already told you that when we first began to speak?”

Sam then said, “Every moment of life is loaded with all kinds of messages from God. Once you wake up to that, you start to hear God always speaking to you. In fact, sometimes you feel like you’re in a traffic jam with God’s messages. There are so many of them.”

Silence.

Then Sam said, “I listen for God’s messages when I’m in a traffic jam or when I’m at the doctors or here in the hospital. It might be one of my kids needing attention. It might be the stars at night or a sunrise. It certainly was this heart operation.” Then Sam concluded, “Once you start listening - God starts talking.”

Silence.

As 17C sat there in seat 17C he thought about what Sam the Rabbi taught him. Then the second person in his life who taught him so much came to mind. This man’s name was “Andy.”

Andy was a guy he worked with - but they never really talked. He was just one more background person in his life. But 17C was aware that Andy was there at times.

One day both were in Burger King two streets away from where they worked. They were grabbing lunch. Andy was behind him in line - and they began talking.

They sat together and 17C asked Andy, Andy’s secret of life.”

Andy said, “What do you mean? What secret of life?

17C said, “Well, I don’t know really know you, but you always seem so easy going - so at peace.”

17C didn’t realize it at that moment as he was thinking about all this on the tarmac - but he asked Andy the same question he asked the Rabbi.

And Andy said, “Do you really want to know?”

17C said, “Yes!”

“Well,” Andy said, “I’m a Catholic and Christ is the center of my life.”

"Ooops!" - a feeling of  "Ooops!" plopped onto their table at  Burger King with that comment.

Then Andy continued, “In my church there was this big, blank brick wall. They didn’t know what to put there in that empty space.

“Well they put up there this big, big enormous cross - with Jesus on it.

“Some liked it. Some didn’t.

“I didn’t know at first what to think.

“Then I realized that Christ is the center of life. Once someone gets that - they got it all. Next I realized that people get this especially when they are feeling the cross in their life. Then they can discover that’s what the cross is all about. Jesus on the cross is like a big plane and we can get on him and fly through space on him - especially when the ride is bumpy.”

Then without knowing why, 17C said to Andy, there in that Burger King that day, “I’m a Catholic - but I haven’t gone to church in years.”

And Andy said, “That’s okay - well that’s sort of okay - but don’t look at the church - it can be crazy at times - just look at Christ. He’s the center. And Jesus had to deal with the crazies. He had to deal with the men he chose - even though they didn’t get it till after he was killed and one of them betrayed him.”

“Oh,” said 17C.

Quiet. That was a lot to digest - in Burger King.

And that was a few years back when he had those 2 experiences - the moments with the Rabbi and the moments with Andy.

17C sitting there on that tarmac was thanking God that Sam the Rabbi taught him that God is always speaking and he learned from Andy that God’s big word - big message to us - was Jesus - especially Jesus on the cross.

He realized it was Andy who got him back to church

Just then the pilot announced. “We just got clearance.”

Everyone - except 17C clapped.

The plane started heading for the terminal.

Just then 17B, who was right next to him, elbow to elbow, said to 17C, “Mister what’s your secret. I noticed you’ve been sitting here so, so calm, while everyone else is antsy and grumbling and yelling. What’s your secret?”

17C said, “Do you really want to know?”

17B said, “Yes.”

Well, 17C said, “God is speaking to us in moments like this and Jesus Christ helps us in moments like this.”

At that 17B’s jaw dropped - thinking to himself, “Who is this guy sitting here next to me? Tim Tebow?”