“THREE ARE WE THREE ARE THEE…”

Sitting in fellowship on a Sunday morning, just as the Pastor started to minister on the Holy Communion and its importance (it was a communion service), I remembered a story a friend and senior colleague of mine told me.

The story is about a catholic Bishop who sailed across the world. In one of his journeys, he came across an island which his sailors and ship captain told him was occupied by three men who were very, very holy, but these men haven’t had any contact with the outside world. On hearing these, the Bishop disagreed with them that since these men haven’t had contact with the outside world and so long as these men haven’t been ministered to about Jesus Christ, they couldn’t be holy.

So in good faith, the bishop’s ship docked and he went to the men of the island. There he taught them as much as possible and also the Lord’s Prayer because before then, the prayer of the three men was “Lord, three are we, three are thee. Bless us.” and when the sun was down the bishop retired to his ship for the night. The next day the bishop climbed into a small boat heading ashore to see his new converts, it was then that he saw the three men… running… towards him… on... water. The men were screaming and saying “master, master, please we have forgotten the prayer you thought us yesterday”. On hearing this, the bishop returned to his ship and left the island for good. When asked by his sailors he said “they are holy enough, they don’t need me.”

This story made me reflect on religion and how we take it. But then, what makes one holy? Is it religion? Or is it the rituals we accord to religion? We live in a time when religion and its rituals have been over emphasized. The problem now does not lie with the religion (be you Christian, Muslim or pagan) but rather, the problem lies with the rituals and ceremonies attached to the religion.

Most people see anybody who does not partake in their religions ‘rituals’ as infidels. This makes me wonder how spiritual and truthful those who are seen partaking in these rituals are. Rituals, like the Lord’s Supper, Christmas, Ramadan, Sallah, or other festivals, have taken up more spaces in the hearts of worshipers than the religions themselves.

Sitting there in the fellowship I couldn’t help but wonder what would be in the hearts of people if I (a worker and usher) don’t take part in the communion. A backslider some would think me, forgetting that “when purpose is lost, abuse is inevitable”.

As I stood up to get inline and partake in the ‘ritual’, I couldn’t help but wonder how much the Bishop would have complicated the simple lives of those three men. And as I returned to my sit (after taking my portion of the ‘ritual’) to pray, the prayer of the three men kept ringing in my head “three are we, three are thee. Bless us.”

Ekejiuba Innocent

Beautiful Bats?

.short story. short story. short story. short story. short story. short story. short story.

By Kayode Taiwo Olla

A flock first flew past. Then another one. There was a sudden sweep through the air each of the time. I looked up to the sky. Goodness, innumerable bats they were! And I stared into the skies beyond as they disappeared in the distance ahead of me.

Wow, what a spectacle!

Amidst a flock of classmates I thronged along, with a friend, to a literature class I had then. In a moment, my lecturer’s usual statement echoed in my memory ears.

‘Romantic poets see beauty where there is no beauty! They see beauty in all nature!’ he would usually say.

‘Mmm!’ I would breathe, for I liked to be like those writers.

The words had sunk. No, I had swallowed them hook, line and sinker – with the bait too!

          Now, as the bats disappeared into the vague clouds, sweet appreciation of nature was springing new through my whole system.

I tried to fix my glasses well so as to catch clear sight of just a single one. But I couldn’t see, for soon they were all gone. Oh!

I’ve heard bats are ugly. But now I want to see for myself at least; and I could bring beauty out of the sight I see! Or so I thought.

Oh, another set flew near. I adjusted my specks over my nose and raised my gaze.

‘Ugh! What is this!?’ I grunted. Really, I’d never seen a bird so ugly! Ugly like mad!

But I held my breath and gazed on to the sky, trying to imagine beauty where it is not. One bat I spotted.

‘Look!’ I called my friend’s attention. ‘I never knew the bat is this beautiful! Look at!’ I said with sudden liking for the bat.

And she gazed down at me too.

I smiled genially. Oh, I should have known bats are no refined, genteel elements! She just opened her mouth.

Boy, it was kind of repulsive.

Aw, what’s this now? Ha, maybe that’s bats way of smiling back anyway!

Next, she dropped with some force some messy stuff from her mouth! Before man could dodge – you know what? SPLASH!!!

‘What!?’

Hey, at least, thank goodness I looked this animal of a thing through my windscreen – I mean my specks!

‘Ugh!!! Bat’s saliva spattered on my specks!’ I grunted.

‘Aw, sorry! Sorry!’ my friend said. ‘You know what? I just thought this looks like a replica of what happens in life itself! There are bats of humans too! Nasty, unmindful – you know?’ he remarked.

‘Eh! Oh boy! Bat’s saliva! My specks!!’ I retorted, not interested at that moment in my friend’s drawing a moral from mere nature.

He chuckled at what I said. ‘D’you think that’s saliva?’ he said. ‘Bats don’t spit saliva! That’s shit! Shit!’

‘Huh? I saw her spit from her mouth, uh? Her mouth!’

‘Oh, sorry – bats shit from their mouth, if you don’t know!’

‘Huh!!’

Insult added to injury!

I looked into the distance. If only I could still see that bat and I’d stone her till she dropped down! But they had all disappeared from sight!

‘Look,’ I said, addressing the bat and gazing in the direction it took, ‘you’ve proved yourself what you are for real, uh? You’ve proved yourself what you are for real – a bat! You’ve proved people right in the long run – I think you need to hear that! People said you’re bat – now I have no doubt you’re bat! Look, if I look up into the sky next time you fly past, call me a flamingo!’

‘Ha, friend!’ my companion called.

‘Yes, look,’ I interposed, turning to him, ‘next time my lecturer says romantic poets see beauty where there is no beauty, I’ll raise my hand and object –

“Sorry sir, but there is no beauty where there is no beauty!’

‘True, you can’t make someone virtuous by assuming they are, or that they will behave so!’ my friend interposed meditatively, drawing a lesson from nature again.

‘Mm, that’s true; in fact, applicable in daily relationships!’ I said.

‘Hey, friend,’ he said, ‘this bat shit today is really symbolic of life itself, I think you can see. You know what I just thought now?’

‘What?’

‘If we decide to shut our eyes so we don’t see bad people, good people will even pass by us without us knowing! That’s it! I mean in life we can’t ignore all people just because we see or hear that some are nasty, as you can’t forgo the beauty of the whole sky just because of some nasty bats!’

‘Mm, very true! Very true!’ I breathed, getting inspiration from the whole event. Lost in thought, I was gazing up.

And then at once, another flock of those nasty things flew towards our head.

‘Ugh!!!’ I yelled, covering my face with my hands.