Chapter 26

'Berto

Now Garrison turned to Roberto. "What's your position with the Lord?"

"I'm not even sure what that means," he said, "but to judge from how Toni answered, I guess I'd have to say that I have nothing to do with God and like it fine that way."

"So you're not a Christian?"

"No. I never have been. I suppose they baptized me when I was a baby, because from what my parents have said they were still active Catholics then, but I can't remember ever being in a church until today."

"You don't know anything, then, about God?"

"Just what I've heard from Toni."

Garrison nodded. "With all due respect to your fiancée, her ideas are not completely accurate."

"So mine aren't either?"

"I would guess they're not. I won't quiz you on those ideas – you don't need a theological examination right now. But I am concerned that neither of you serves the Lord. We have a general policy in this church that we perform weddings for Christians. There are avenues which others may pursue and contract fully legitimate marriages. Our concern is to sanction only those marriages which we believe God has created."

Roberto felt baffled. "Are you saying you won't marry us?"

"No, I'm not. But I have to say that right now I couldn't honestly recommend to the other elders that we do so." He leaned back in his chair again. "One of the reasons we have a body of elders – if you'll allow me a bit of explanation – is that different people are different. If you were talking to José Mendoza, I'm sure he would have already told you no, and sent you on your way – or perhaps not, since we are a body of elders, and he doesn't have any more unilateral authority than I do. But he's an abrupt man with definite convictions, and it would show in his response. If you were talking to Tyrone, on the other hand, he might already have done everything but promise you the use of the building – compassion is his strong point. We have five elders here, and we balance each other. I tend to be dry and intellectual – as I know from what my brother elders have told me. The passion that exists in José and Tyrone balances out my drier view of things." He rubbed his hands together, as if it would help him think. "That's why no one elder can decide by himself whether the church will allow the use of its building for a wedding. What one man might think is right or wrong, might have another light when the whole body examines the matter. What we're doing here is helping me to decide what I'll recommend to the other elders."

"And right now I guess you'd recommend that you guys not do our wedding?"

"Right now, that's correct."

"You know, there are probably plenty of preachers who'll do the wedding, no questions asked."

"I'm sure you're right. And that's their business, and if you go to one of them, that's your business. Our business, here at MJT, is to live according to our convictions of what's right and what's wrong. We're not responsible for what some other church does. We are responsible for what we do."

He felt Toni's hand squeezing his. He looked at her, but her eyes were down, looking at the floor, or her feet, perhaps, and he couldn't tell what she might be thinking. He looked back up at Garrison. "If I told you I'm a Christian would that change your mind?"

Garrison smiled. "Not now, no – I've already heard your honest answer. And I've heard Antonia's answer too. I appreciate, by the way, the fact that you both have been honest with me. You wouldn't believe the stories a church hears, about weddings and other things. Some people seem to think that Christians turn their brains off the minute they come to the Lord." He chuckled. "We don't, though, and while sometimes we may, in our desire to be compassionate, become the victims of con artists, it's not often that happens."

"We're not con artists, Jim."

"I know you're not. I look at your fiancée, and I see a woman who is heartbroken at what I'm saying. She's not faking it, Roberto – I've seen fakery."

Roberto looked over at Toni again, and there were tears on her face. He reached around awkwardly with his free hand, and pulled her to him. "Are you going to be okay, Toni?" he asked, a mere whisper in her ear.

She nodded, and reached up with her free hand to grip his arm for a moment. Roberto released her and turned back to Jim Garrison. He had been trying to resist irritation that the questions had tried to rouse, but now his response was different. "You saw she was hurting..."

Garrison leaned forward, looking into Roberto's eyes. "That's what Christianity is about. Antonia seems to think it's a religion of inflexible rules. You haven't said what you think of it, but clearly you don't think it has anything for you. But in fact, the faith of the Lord Jesus is about compassion. We don't, and I don't, condone sin. But we do, and I do, experience pain when others suffer the consequences of sin – as Antonia is doing, and as you're doing even if you don't realize it." He took a breath. "I care about both of you – not, of course, in the same way you care about each other, but I do care. It hurts me when a young woman sits in my office and tells me that she doesn't think God loves her anymore. It hurts me when a young man tells me that he doesn't care about God. And regardless of what the elders decide about your wedding, I want to help you."

A few minutes before Roberto would probably have said that the best help Garrison could give would be to do the wedding. But now he looked at things differently. "Are all preachers like you?"

"Yes and no. As I said before, everyone is different. José has a very fiery reaction to sin, which is why we have to balance him. He is compassionate once he knows you, but if he doesn't, his reaction might seem harsh. Tyrone sometimes is too soft, willing to provide sanction even where there is no repentance. But I have never yet met a preacher who didn't care about people, and what they suffer."

"How about those TV preachers who take everyone's money and tell them lies?"

"I haven't met them. What I know about some of them makes me very angry, for they're abusing the Gospel. But I haven't met them."

Roberto nodded. "Okay, that's fair. But what about our wedding?"

Garrison sighed and looked down at the Bible. "There is something Jesus said which I know by heart. It goes, 'What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.' The question I'm asking myself now is this: Has God joined you and Antonia together? If so, then there is more reason for us to agree to your request. If not, then you shouldn't be married at all, and in fact ought to separate now so as not to compound the sin. I'm going to ask you, Roberto, and I know it might be hard for you to answer, given your views: Do you think God has joined you and Antonia together?"