By Fr Joe Babendreier

The man arrived with a Russian translation of the Bible. He took it out of his suitcase, thinking it would be a wonderful gift to offer his hosts. He was travelling from the United States to a town in a country that used to be part of the Soviet Union. This was about thirty years ago, just a few weeks after Christians in those territories were once again free to go to Church. For almost seventy years, during the Communist regime, anyone caught with a Bible was sent to prison, or even worse, to the Gulag.

The husband and wife took the Bible in their hands and each one kissed it. Not having suspected that his gift would be so precious, the American businessman stood in amazement and watched. The whole family gathered around the dining room table solemnly and knelt down to pray. Then they sat down. The husband started reading the Bible out loud, while his wife and his children listened.

The American stayed with them for a while. Feeling tired from the long journey, he excused himself and went to bed. The next morning, he woke up…<<readmore>>