"Nella fantasia io vedo un mondo giusto. Li tutti vivono in pace e in onestà ."
- Ennio Morricone and Chiara Ferraù
In my imagination I see a just world, where everyone lives in peace and honesty ... a bright world where, each night, there is less darkness and spirits are always free.
No matter the language, variations of those thoughts are surely in the hearts and minds of millions of people around the world tonight. I know I wish them for each of you. Sometimes, in the lead-up to Christmas, unexpected gifts come from out of the blue. Such was the case when a friend in Manitoba sent me an email with a link to a video performance of "Nella Fantasia" by Jackie Evancho (youtube.com/watch?v=HQFHQFHQF-l9NBNBtX8)
Roger had no way of knowing that I have watched this young lady grow into her incredible voice since first I heard her sing on America's Got Talent when she was only 10.
This time, perhaps because I was already feeling my usual nostalgia for Christmases long gone, the peace and beauty of her rendition of "Nella Fantasia" brought tears to my eyes - and then I wondered - What would those who have committed atrocities in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere in the world think and do if they could only watch that 13-year old singing? Could they maintain their hatreds and killings in the face of the music and Evancho's talent and sincerity?
Why is it that human beings, in the name of a myriad of loving gods, must fight one another to the death in the vain hope of proving that only one of those gods is the true Almighty power?
Many of those thoughts were already on my mind and building well before I watched the video.
This year, the questions were rekindled during my October call to send birthday greetings to my brother, a retired vicar in England. Toward the end of our conversation, Bruce mentioned that he and his wife had received word about an endangered relief mission that has been smuggling food and supplies to isolated villagers in Northern Iraq.
Asking for the prayers of family and friends back in Europe and England, some phrases from an aid worker with Crisis Relief International have been with me ever since: "We lost the city of Qaraqosh. It fell to ISIS and they are beheading children systematically. .. ISIS has pushed back the Kurdish forces and is within 10 minutes of where our CRI team is working. Thousands more fled into the city of Erbil last night. The UN has evacuated its staff there."
Can we even contemplate the fear? The minister went on to ask, "Please pray sincerely for the deliverance of the people of Northern Iraq..." That news was bad enough. But after last week's Taliban massacre of 183 children in a Pakastani school so close to our celebration of a birth that may or may not have happened over 2,000 years ago, it is becoming harder and harder to pray in the religious meaning of that word. Instead, it seems to make more sense for each of us to listen to the wisdom of our children and try, with love and kindness, to make "peace and honesty" our mantra in everything we do. Then Jackie Evancho was asked after singing at a concert in 2011 what she would most like for a Christmas gift, she said, "I really, really want to see a difference in how the world is treated because I'm a big fan of taking care of the world. .. so I hope that happens." Amen to that.
Don't worry, Jackie; with the beauty of your voice and the honesty of your wish, you're already making our world a better place.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. I wish you all a happy, healthy and safe New Year.
