“Nazareth Blues”
from Parishioners by F. G. Jolley Jr
Xavier Monasses was a Cradle Catholic. He was also the only black Catholic at his Parish (aside from his wife, of course), the great Our Lady of the Plains. For whatever reason, the African American population has never been prominent in the mid-west or on the American plains, and Nazareth, Indiana was no exception to that rule. Although Xavier had come of age a little bit after the civil rights movement, he had generally been treated well in his small Indiana hometown. The same could not be said of his longsuffering parents, who bore the brunt of the Jim Crow (in so far as this echoed up from the South), but they managed to raise a fine boy in spite of their own difficulties. It is an unfortunate piece of American Catholic history that racism could be found even among the members of Christ’s Mystical Body, until the tides of history cooled such uncharitable beliefs.
Nevertheless, Xavier loved his town, and especially his parish, and the feeling seemed to be mutual. Xavier had long run an HVAC business, and served the town and surrounding area with great zeal. But, as with all stories, there is a fly in the ointment. Xavier’s wife of forty-five years, Lucille, who had borne him three strong sons (Jimmy, Luke, and Brandon) had been diagnosed with leukemia. And although he had run a strong business and put away savings for retirement, sending three young men to Catholic schools, (and prominent Catholic colleges) had not been cheap. And as his wife’s medical bills (and leukemia) continued to climb without any remission, Xavier was caught between a rock and a hard place. Or rather, put another way, we could say he was up under a heavy Cross that Providence delivered him near the end of his life. But what he didn’t know at this moment, is that the solution to this problem would be a source of wealth and goodness for generations to come.
At the time, however, the last thing on Xavier’s mind was how God would somehow bring good out of the terrible situation in which he found himself. Sitting at his oaken kitchen table, he glared listlessly at a pile of unpaid hospital bills. Xavier had begun to look more like a wax statue rather than a man at this point, as he sat pitifully and unmoving, his gaze fixated on a problem he did not know how to solve. Finally, a fly landed on the stack of bills, startling Xavier, who leaned back into the oak chair in which he sat. The chair let out a wooden groan that seemed to speak for Xavier, metaphorically expressing the agony of his soul out into the atmosphere of his Indiana kitchen.
Having come to his senses, he picked up his smart phone (a modern technology he had only recently and begrudgingly accepted as a necessary evil after years of boycott, and for the sake of facetime with his grandchildren) and called Luke again. Luke was his middle son who resided in North Carolina. He was due to be off work by now. (He had to work a lot of Saturday’s now, because money of money issues.)
“Hello?”
“Luke…”
“Pops! How are you”
“I’m not too good son…”
“Is there something going on, other than Mom, I mean?”
“Well, I haven’t wanted to tell you boys yet, knowing how business had been on the downhill since the recession, but I’ve got a money problem, son…”
“Okay, tell me about it”
“Your Mother’s bills keep coming in and I don’t have the money to pay for them anymore. Lately, the insurance company is deciding to cover less and less of her chemo treatment, and her need for multiple hospitalizations in the last year has really put me in the hole.”
“Dad I’m so sorry, I didn’t know…”
“How could you if I didn’t say anything?”
“Me and Larissa are tight right now with everything that is happening with the business and with our kids in the parochial schools. But we are gonna get this figured out. Let me call Jimmy and Brandon, and let them know.”
At these words, a sense of relief came over Xavier, as if his bowels had been untangled. He knew he could trust his son, at least this son, anyway, and he considered the matter under control. “Thank you, son, I knew you’d understand.” “Sure Dad, I’ll call you back after I’ve talked to the boys.”
Xavier had always had a rocky relationship with his first born, who they called Jimmy. They were cordial and on speaking terms, of course, but something had always been strained between the two. Lucille had said this unspoken tension` was what gave her the cancer in the first place. It seemed that old man Xavier could never totally let go of the fact that his son did not want to take over the HVAC business which he had built from the ground up, and which he considered to be his first son’s birthright. And the two younger brothers had followed the older brother east to start up their own trucking business.
Now Xavier swore up and down to Lucille on many occasions that he had forgiven his son for this affront, and I’m liable to believe him. A narrator can read thoughts, sure, but they certainly can’t judge souls, which is God’s business alone. Anyhow, sometimes when the will forgives, the emotions don’t always follow as quick as we would like. So, I always gave ol’ Xavier the benefit of the doubt and presumed he had forgiven his oldest. But whatever the truth was, it was no secret that some kind of tension existed between him and Jimmy, and Lucille certainly was not blind to it.
And this was why Xavier was so relieved to talk to Luke, because Luke would then take pressure off of him, by reaching out to his other sons, so that he wouldn’t have to. This strange triangulation that had developed between Xavier and his sons had not escaped Lucille’s attention, either. But who could fault Luke? As the brother in the middle, it seemed that he, too, had been placed between a rock and a hard place. But it was a space he had become so accustomed to occupying, that he hardly recognized its seeming dysfunction anymore. But sometimes, to the naked eye, there can be a fine line between what the world calls pathology, and the call to be a peacemaker, as proclaimed in the Gospel. A family can be a strange thing, touched as it is by sin.
So, Luke took up the call to be peacemaker, and put on a three-way to his other two brothers: Jimmy and Brandon. The three ran a trucking company together that worked the entire east coast, each brother running a hub: Jimmy in Buffalo, Luke in Raleigh, and Brandon down in Miami.
“Yeah, Hello…”
“Hey a Jimmy, hold on a sec, while Brandon patches in”
“Hello?”
“Brandon, is that you?”
“Yeah, Luke, it’s me. What’s going on? You got some issue up there?”
“No, aside from our normal cash flow problems, nothing new…it’s Dad…”
“What is it now?” asked Jimmy
“He’s having some money troubles…”
“Money troubles? Dads never mentioned money problems.”
“Yeah, well this is the first I’ve heard of it myself.”
“That’s a surprise…”
“What’s that supposed to mean, Jimmy?”
“It means he always tells you everything and leaves us in the dark”
“Hey, you know what Jimmy”, Brandon piped in, “this isn’t Luke’s fault”
“You know what, you’re right. I’m sorry, Luke”
“Apology accepted.”
“So, what exactly is going on?”
“Dad said with increased hospital visits and some issues with his insurance company, that he simply can’t cover the bills.”
“Well, what are we gonna tell him? Ever since the recession hit, we can barely cover expenses. We’re only just scraping by.”
“I know,” said Luke. “I was afraid when he asked that there wasn’t going to be much we could do.”
“Did he say how much he needed?”
“No, only that the bills were more than he could handle. However, knowing Dad, if he has asked his sons for help, it ain’t no small measure.”
A silence ensued, as if the men were all simultaneously pondering. Surprisingly, Jimmy was the one who spoke up: “Well, Dad did a lot wrong. But he raised us up good Catholics. The least we can do is make some sacrifices for him. We’re all stretched thin, and we can’t stop feeding our families, but let’s all pray about it, and see what we can honestly part with.” The men agreed, and decided to speak again in a few days.
Back in Indiana, Xaiver was trying to keep level-headed amidst the stress of his wife’s illness and the unpaid bills. He tried his best to keep to his normal schedule as much as possible, and do everything so as to project a sense of calm and stability for Lucille’s sake.
That night, Lucille was feeling pretty well (even though she had been fighting a mean cold), and after the two had dinner, Xavier gave his regular ‘weekly concert’ for her in the comfort of their living room. Xavier had learned an extremely intricate idiom of blues guitar from his late father called the “Bentonia style” developed by the great Skip James. There were probably only a few persons alive who could really play it, and Xavier was one of them.
It was a bit of a mystery as to how his father had learned this style of guitar playing, as he lived in Nazareth, Indiana, while this musical genre was developed in Bentonia, Mississippi. It was certainly too hard to learn straight off the records, especially considering Skip James was using an open-tuning and a sophisticated finger-picking technique. Of course it was possible he had learned it from the records, but statistically speaking, the chances of this were slim to none. Xaiver couldn’t ever remember his father telling him how he had learned to play, or who had taught him. But Xavier did remember that his father had a cousin who lived in Mississippi who everybody called “Red”. The most likely answer was that at some point, Red had taught him the basics of this style. Or at least he had shown him the tuning that James was using, so that he could figure out the rest for himself.
That night, while Xavier picked the Bentonia blues in their Indiana living room, it was as if he and Lucille forgot all about the cancer, even if just for a moment. He closed his set out with “Crow Jane” at Lucille’s request.
The next morning was Sunday, and Xavier was going to have to go to Mass by himself. Although Lucille had done well the day before, her state was fragile, and she was sick from the chemo that morning. So, Xavier dressed up in a black three-piece suit with a red tie, and a pair of brown leather shoes. He combed his wiry, silver hair, even though it didn’t move much. Then he left for Our Lady of the Plains in his navy-blue Buick.
Mass seemed to be more crowded than normal that particular Sunday, and Xaiver sat in his regular pew in the back. He was welcomed with warm, quiet smiles that seemed to say more than a bucket-full of words could. As the Mass carried on, Xavier did everything he could to turn his thoughts away from his troubles, which seemed to continually intrude upon his mind, competing for his attention with the actions of the Priest at the altar.
However, when it came time for Father’s homily, Xavier’s distractions were dispelled. “In today’s first reading, from the book of Wisdom, we are confronted with two hard truths: sin and death. But we also learn that sin and death were not the plan of a good God from the beginning, but entered into the world through the envy of Satan and the pride of man. Having fallen into this sad state, we frequently find ourselves like those in today’s Gospel, whether it be the woman with the issue of blood, the father seeking the healing of his sick daughter, or like the daughter herself, confided to bed with illness of body, or metaphorically with the illness of sin.
So, what is the remedy for this sad situation mankind finds himself in? Does God leave us alone in our sin and sickness? Absolutely not. With the faith of the woman who reached out to touch the hem of His garment, we must reach out and touch Christ through a regular reception of the sacraments. If we are sick with sin, we ought to seek Christ in the confessional, and he will heal us, just as that woman was healed of her hemorrhage. If we are sick with a disease of body, we should reach to touch Christ’s garment in the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. How often in our modern times do we forget this great sacrament! But is it not also one of the seven sacraments instituted by Christ? I think it is our lack of faith that has us neglect this great gift God has given to the Church.
Finally, God has given us another remedy for sin, sickness, and death. It is mentioned in today’s Epistle when Paul tells the Corinthians: “In this present time let your abundance supply their want, that their abundance also may supply your want, that there may be an equality, as it is written: He that had much, had nothing over; and he that had little, had no want.”
From this passage we can see that Paul is exhorting his hearers to share generously amongst themselves, so that, within the Body of Christ, no one should go wanting. For those with abundance should give to their brothers and sisters in the Church, so that no one is found to be in a state where they cannot provide for their necessities. But alas! I think our lack of faith, and the lack of charity that follows thereupon, also prevents us from giving alms. But did Our Lord Himself not say, ‘But that which remains, give alms, and behold all things are clean for you’? In this sense, then, it is the act of giving that will save our own souls from the decay of sin. But not only does it cleanse us from sin, it helps us to overcome death, by acting as our downpayment on heavenly rewards, where death no longer reigns, for Our Lord also says to ‘lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where there is neither rust nor moth, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
By giving alms, let us raise our brothers and sisters from the death of their poverty, as Christ raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. And in doing so, raise our own souls from a state of torpor, so common in our modern society. Let us imitate the charity of those first Christian communities, by supplying for the needs of our neighbor out of own abundance. I am reminded of an old Christian tradition which seems to have fallen by the wayside, but which I would like to see brought back to life, if not in its literal iteration, at least in spirit. This is the tradition of the community poor box of the local parish, where money was donated for the poor members of the community. Let us consider how we can create a moder poor box, for our parishioners who are in need.”
Upon hearing the homily, Xavier was a bit taken a back; there was so much to consider concerning his own situation contained therein that he would have to store the priest’s words away in the annals of his memory and return to them at a later time in order to fully digest, and hopefully apply, them as a remedy for the ills plaguing his own life. At Communion, Xavier remembered the needs of his wife, as well as asking for help in resolving his own financial crisis.
Later that day, Xavier could be found in his kitchen, sitting at the old oaken table, pondering over the priests’ words from the day’s homily. “Well,” Xavier thought to himself, “Lucille and I certainly seemed to have forgotten the sacrament of the sick that Father mentioned. I’ll have to suggest to Lucille that we have to priest come and administer it to her. But as for the other Scriptures, concerning alms giving, I’m the one that needs to be receiving. But I can’t force no one to give me what I need, so what am I going to do?”
However, later that night, when Xavier was noodling the blues on his rosewood guitar, a thought occurred to him. Maybe the creative juices that were flowing helped ignited it, but it was no doubt a touch of grace. Xavier promptly put his guitar aside and followed the lead he had received. “The Parable of the Unjust Steward”, he thought. “In the Parable of the Unjust Steward, the Lord commends the wicked servant for his shrewdness in obtaining what he needed. Then he upbraids the children of light for not having the wit of the children of the world in finding solutions to their own problems.” Xavier then looked down at the guitar that was resting on his knee and a smile appeared across his weary lips.
The next day, Xavier was on the phone with the receptionist at Our Lady of the Plains:
“Hello, this is Our Lady of the Plains Parish, how can I help you?”
“Yes, I am calling for Father Williams…”
“May I ask who is calling”
“Xavier Monasses.”
“Oh, hello Mr. Monasses! I hate to inform you, but Father is out of town. He is taking an extended retreat this year for two weeks. Another priest will be in for Sunday Masses and weekly confessions while he is gone. I also have a number that you can call for Sacramental emergencies, and the priest on call here can come and administer last rites if needed. And, I almost forgot. Father also was very insistent that if any parishioners wanted to talk directly to him, they could call his cell phone, but they may have to leave a message and wait until he is free to call back.”
“Hmmm. Can you give me Father’s cell phone number?”
“Yes, its 985-0002. Is there anything else I can do for you Mr. Monasses?”
“No, I think that’s all. Thank you for your help.”
Xavier hung up the phone and walked back to the bedroom. The room was dark, and the purring of a humidifier could be heard in the background. It smelled of Vick’s VapoRub and honeyed black tea. Lucille was frequently getting colds as a result of her weaking immune system. Xavier bent over the bed and looked at his wife’s angelic countenance. He pushed back a tuft of hair that covering her forehead, and then bent down to kiss the space which he had cleared. Lucille, now waking up, smiled at Xavier.
“Hey, honey, how are you feeling?”
Lucille tried to answer, but all that came up was a wet cough. And then another. And another. When she was done, she said, “lousy.”
“Well, there may be something that can help. And if it don’t make you feel better, it will sure help you bear with your sickness, anyhow.”
Xavier then explained to her about Father’s homily, and how he had mentioned that Sacrament of Anointing the Sick, and how he thought she ought to have it administered. Lucille readily agreed, and asked if he would contact Father. “Well, I called up there once already, but he’s outta town. But I have his cell, and I am going to see what we can get worked out.” “Thank you, Xavier.” Xavier leaned down, kissed her forehead again, and quietly left the room.
But before Xavier could reach out to Father Williamson, an incoming call from Luke came in.
“Hello?”
“Hey Dad.”
“Hey Luke, any news.”
“Yeah, pop. I talked with the boys and we were able to scrape about five thousand dollars up between the three of us. I don’t know if that’s enough, or even if it’s enough to make a dent. But it’s all we can muster.”
“Son, I am grateful for whatever you boys can give.”
“So, it’s not enough to cover all the expenses?”
“I’m afraid not, not by a long shot. But don’t you worry about it. The Lord will provide the rest. Anyway, you and your brothers may need to use some of that money for some plane tickets back home.”
“Plane tickets?”
“Yeah, but don’t buy em yet. I gotta make another call first.”
And on that ominous note, Xavier hung up the phone. He then dialed the number of his priest. The phone rang a good six times, and Xavier was ready to hang up, but on the seventh ring, the priest picked up. “Hello?” said Father Williams.
“Hello, Father, this is Xavier”
“Ah! And how are we doing? I take it not too well if you have called me while I’m on retreat. But I’m glad you did. What is going on?”
“Well, you know about Lucille. She’s okay, in so far as she don’t need the last rites yet. But after hearing your homily, we thought you could come give her anointing of the sick when you get back in town.”
“Yes, that sounds like a great idea. I will be happy to. Is there anything else on your mind?”
“Yes, Father, in fact there is.” Xavier then proceeded to explain his plan for how we was going to try and raise money for his wife’s unpaid medical bills. He told him how, since he couldn’t force nobodies’ hand to give him the money he needed, he would give the local parish community a little incentive to help out. He was planning on holding a local concert as a fundraiser for his wife, seeing that he was a pretty mean guitar player. And his hopes were that he would be able to hold the event out at Mayor Havelok’s house, which was more like an estate. “But Father, the thing is, I need to go ahead and have this as soon as possible. And I know you’re going to be gone for two weeks. I probably can’t get everything ready for this coming weekend, seeing I’ll have to get equipment and some kind of catering. And I got to let the word get out to the parishioners. But I am hoping I can hold this thing the Saturday before you get back. At least, I’m guessing you want be back until late Saturday night or early the next Sunday Morning?
“Yes, that’s about right.”
“Well, although I’d like you to be there, I’d like to have your permission and blessing to have this little parish fundraiser even though you won’t be present.”
“You have both, Xavier. And I will pray that it will be a successful endeavor. It sounds like you found a clever way to reinstitute the poor box at Our Lady of the Plains. I will be curious to hear how everything turns out.”
“Thank you, Father. And I’ll pray that you have a good rest of your retreat.”
With that, the call ended. Xavier felt everything was really coming together, but there were still a lot of hurdles to clear before this thing could get up and running. So, he took a deep breath, and made himself a cup of coffee. And although he didn’t do it often, he followed an old trick his father had taught him, and added a tablespoon of butter to his caffeinated beverage. It gives the coffee a little extra energy, and now, Xavier thought, he could use the boost. With his energizing elixir in hand, he called Luke back.
“Hello”
“Hey, Son”
“Dad, I’m glad to hear it’s you. Your last call left me a bit confused.”
“I’m sorry about that. I had a lot things going in my brain at once, but it’s all coming together now.”
“Okay, well tell me what’s going on.”
“Well, I got this idea. I’m gonna try and throw fundraiser here in Nazareth to raise the money I need. I’m gonna play a set of blues and charge a nice amount for the tickets. After I get off the phone with you, Mayor Havelock is gonna get a call. I want to see if he’ll let me use his property to throw the event on. However, I still have to figure out what we’re are gonna do for food. And of course I’ll have to rent everything else we need: a PA system, a small stage, and tables and chairs, although I’m sure Mayor Havelock has some picnic tables laying around. I thought you boys could possibly come in and help me set up and run the fundraiser.”
Luke thought about all that he and his brothers had going on with business, but then, his mind returned to what Jimmy had said: “the least we can do is make some sacrifices for him”. Then he answered his father, “I can’t speak for my brothers, but count me in.”
“Son that’s great. Don’t worry about bringing the wife and children, it will cost too much and be too much stress. Anyhow, we are going to have to stretch that five thousand as far as we can. Not only are you boys going to have to buy plane tickets, but I need help renting equipment and paying for catering.”
Just then, a thought shot through Luke’s brain, as if it had not come from himself. It was just one word: “Barbeque”. Since Luke had moved to North Carolina, he had been to quite a few, and he liked it so much, he had learned how to make it himself. Chopped pulled pork barbeque with vinegar-based sauce. Eastern North Carolina style. Although he had also had the Lexington style barbeque, he favored the Eastern, and had a friend teach him the whole process, including cooking an entire hog. He had become something of a barbeque master at this point in his life.
“Dad, you can hold off on the catering. All we need is a hog and some cinder blocks, and I can take care of the rest.”
“Son, what in the h*** are you talking about?”
“Well, I learned how to cook barbeque down here in North Carolina. I can build my own grill with cinder blocks. It’s cheap, works perfectly, and is big enough to cook a whole hog. After that, you pull the meat, and sauce it. Sauce is easy, it’s just vinegar, spices, and a dash of sugar. If they let me haul some on the plane, I’ve got gallons of the stuff here. If not, we’ll have to make it when I get there. And I’ll have to make some coleslaw for the sandwiches. Come to think of it, Mom’s recipe for loaded potato salad would go perfect with the barbeque. Brandon knows how to make that. For drinks, I’ve got a few cases of Cheerwine in the garage here I can haul up. My friend works for the company, and he laid these on me last year. There’s no way we can drink em all. And if we buy a tub of ice cream, we can make the North Carolina famous Cheerwine floats for whoever wants em.”
Xavier was a bit floored, as he didn’t expect Luke to have a full-made menu when he called. In fact, Luke didn’t expect it either. But Luke had been to quite a few barbeques, and he knew his way around the grill. It was paying off now. “Well, son, all I can say is, I’ll leave the menu to you. But you had better call your brothers and see if they can make it, too. I need you boys here not this Saturday but the next. So, you had better come in on Friday.”
“Okay, Dad, will do.”
While Luke called his brothers to confirm the trip, Xaiver called Mayor Havelock to ask about having the event on his property. Both ended in Xavier’s favor: the sons agreed to come and Mayor Havelock happily agreed to allow Xavier throw the event on his land. “You know,” said Mayor Havelock, “I’m something of a blues aficionado myself. I’ve listened to my Little Walter records so many times, my wife makes me play them in the basement now. I wish you hadn’t kept your talent a secret from the good people of Nazareth for so long.”
Luckily, the Mayor also had enough picnic tables that Xaiver wouldn’t need to rent any. But he was still going to have to track down a P.A. and a small stage. There was music store right outside of town that he could get the P.A. from, and with a little imagination, he could probably track down something in town that could work as a makeshift stage. “Now,” thought Xaiver, “all my little ducks are in a row.” Letting out a long sigh, he sat down at his wooden kitchen table, and penned the setlist for his concert.
A couple of weeks later, Mr. Monasses could be found at that same kitchen table, awaiting the arrival of his sons. The boys had to take separate flights in, but all agreed to wait at the South Bend airport so they could rent one car and ride in to Nazareth together. Once they had all arrived, Luke rented one of the last cars they had available, an old Ford Bronco, and he drove it into Nazareth, with Jimmy riding shotgun, and Brandon in the backseat. By the time they pulled into the driveway, Xavier had moved from the kitchen out to the front porch, as if this would somehow speed up the process.
When the men arrived, warm but awkward welcomes were given, and each brought their bags in. Then all the boys hurried back to their mother’s room to greet her. She was still getting over her cold, and was feeling under the weather. Then Xaiver put on a pot of coffee, and the men got down to brass tacks. There were a lot of logistics to be figured out in order to pull this thing off, and they had less than twenty-four hours to prepare for the festival. Specific duties were delegated to the men, all taking orders from Xavier, who now appeared more like a war general than the wax statute we met earlier. No one argued with him. However, when it came time to discuss the battle plans for tomorrow’s barbeque, Xavier handed over the reins to Luke, who gave details on how everything was to be prepared. He would need help building the cinderblock grill, and his brothers would have to prepare the potato salad and coleslaw. The rest he would take care of.
When the big day finally arrived, the men were working overtime. Luke and Jimmy were out at Mayor Havlock’s, and had been since a little before four in the morning. Not only did they have to build the cinderblock grill, but roasting a whole hog takes close to a dozen hours. They were going to have to make due with about ten for the actual cook time.
As for Xavier and Brandon, they had been out to pick up the P.A. system. After that, Xavier was going to drop Brandon back off at home, where he would prepare the loaded potato salad. It was a special recipe from Lucille’s days of working at a cafeteria in South Bend. It had all the goods: potatoes, bacon, cheese, chives, green onions, sour cream, mayo. But her secret ingredient was a little bit of pickle juice, which gave it a sweet bite. (In fact, Xavier and Lucille met when she was working in the South Bend cafeteria for the trade school Xavier had gone to. But that’s another story for another day.)
Once Xavier had gone out to Mayor Havelock’s to set up the P.A., Jimmy would go back home and make the coleslaw, while Luke manned the pig. Finally, Jimmy and Brandon would come back out to the mayor’s house, and the feast would be prepared. While all this was going on, Xavier ran a sound check. He had all but perfected his set list, which he went through one by one. He was going to open with three Skip James tunes: “Hard Time Killin’ Floor”, “Cherry Ball Blues”, and “Washington D.C. Hospital Center Blues”. Then he would move on to Blind Willie McTell’s “Statesboro Blues” After that, it was Barbeque Bob’s “Poor Boy Long Way From Home”. Next were a few instrumentals Xaiver had written called “Blues for Thea Bowman”, “Cross-Shaped Wooden Heart Blues”, and “Goin’ Home to Indiana.” The set would finish where is had begun, with some Skip James tunes. Second to last would be famous “I’m So Glad”, which the old rock band Cream had covered (and Xavier didn’t forget to remind his sons during the soundcheck that Cream had butchered the song worse than the hog on the grill, even though they had no idea just who this ‘Cream’ was). And finally, he would end with James’ beautiful “Mary Don’t You Weep”, one of those rare songs written by a Protestant that honored the Mother of God.
Around three o’ clock, the guests started arriving, and arriving in droves. Between Mayor Havelock’s pull, the modern phenomenon of social media, and the town gossip Kathy Burgess, the whole parish was aware of the event within just a few days. The turnout was greater than expected. There were too many there to name, but I’m sure, if you had been there, you would have recognized many of the good folks of Nazareth, with whom you have already become acquainted.
Once the crowd got big enough, Mayor Havelock took a microphone and walked up on Xavier’s wooden stage. He tapped it a few times and said “is this thing on?… Ah, yes. Welcome everyone to the first annual ‘Blues and Barbeque Festival’ of the great Nazareth, Indiana. As most of you already know, this afternoon’s event is a fundraiser for one of our very own parishioners Lucille Monasses. Unfortunately, Lucille could not make it as she is sick, but I ask for everyone’s generosity, so that we may support Xaiver and Lucille in their time of sorrow. The tickets which everyone purchased will get you a plate of barbeque and a seat at Mr. Monasses’ blues concert. But we also have a donation jar set up next to the stage, and for those who are able, we humbly ask that you consider making a contribution. The concert will begin shortly, and will run until about five, after which dinner will be served. Mr. Monasses truly has a great show prepared for you all, and his sons have prepared a fine meal. So, without further ado, I give you Mr. Xavier Monasses.
Mayor Havelock walked off the stage, but not before placing the microphone before Xavier. He was sitting in an old wooden chair, looking out over the audience. “Lucille, my sons, and myself are all grateful for this wonderful turn out. It says a lot about the spirit of folks from Nazareth. This evening I will be playing some blues tunes by late great Skip James, Blind Willie McTell, and Barbeque Bob. I will also be playing a few of my own instrumental tunes. I hope you folks enjoy it.”
With that, Xaiver picked up his guitar and opened his set with Skip James’ “Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues”. Although almost no one in the crowd had ever heard the music of Skip James before, all were entranced from the opening notes of the first tune, down to the last. The haunting d-minor tuning coupled with the high falsetto vocals came together to create a sound that was eerily beautiful, if not magical. By the time he reached “Washington D.C. Hospital Center Blues” the crowd begin to realize how the songs reflected he and his wife’s situation, and a good number of those in the audience could be seen shedding tears for Lucille. His own songs were a hit as well, and, of course, the closing tune “Mary Don’t You Weep” was a real crowd pleaser that raised everyone’s spirits a bit without letting them forget they had come together to raise money for a sorrowful cause.
Once the last tune had been finished, the crowd broke out in a ravenous applause that went on for a full two minutes. Xavier had, with one concert, become something of a local star. However, his mind was not on the spotlight. It was on his wife, Lucille, who was home sick in bed. But his heart had been warmed by the extraordinary response of his fellow parishioners. Furthermore, after having seen Wendy Wellington make a donation in the tip jar, he felt confident that he would now be able to pay off his overdue hospital bills.
After a lot of back slapping, congratulations, as well as heartfelt condolences, Xavier mingled right back in with the crowd. His moment of stardom was over, and he was now just another parishioner in line waiting for his barbeque. And the meal which Xavier’s sons had prepared was so delicious, it became a point of contention among many which was best: Xavier’s guitar playing of Luke’s cooking. It was quite a sight to see all the good people of Nazareth, hunched over picnic tables, eating North Carolina style barbeque sandwiches, drinking Cheerwine floats, and carrying on about the music of some long-dead bluesman who died in obscurity. But after a while the conversation moved towards more spiritual things, and the evening ended with a couple spontaneous hymns sans guitar. “Holy God We Praise Thy Name” and “Salve Regina” were the songs that that Nazareth congregation lifted up to the heavens at the end of the night’s festivities. It was safe to say that the fundraiser had been a success. Not only had it raised the money that Xavier needed, but it had also brought the parishioners of the great Our Lady of the Plains together in solidarity, charity, and friendship.
After the crowds had cleared, Xaiver, his sons, and Mayor Havelock were doing some clean-up. “I wasn’t aware that this was going to be an annual event, Dick,” said Xaiver to Mayor Havelock. Looking puzzled for a moment, the mayor replied, “you know I did call it the annual Blues and Barbeque, didn’t I? Well, the turnout was so good, I don’t think the idea is half bad.” What the mayor didn’t realize at the time was that his utterances about an annual event were prophetic. In fact, the good people of Nazareth demanded a repeat of the event they had enjoyed it so much. And so, an annual fundraiser was established in Nazareth for decades to come: The Our Lady of the Plains Blues and Barbeque Festival. Every year Xavier’s sons would fly in and prepare the meal, while their father provided music. After the first year, the fundraiser was dedicated to helping the poor families of the parish, or anyone who found themselves in financial straits, as Xavier Monasses had. A modern poorbox had been established, and for years to come, Father Williams would grace the event with his presence, ever proud of his flock’s charitable ingenuity. Of course, Xaiver wouldn’t always be around to provide the tunes; he was an old man with less than ten years of living left. But by the time he passed, the torch had already been passed on to a new generation of musicians, the up-and-coming Nazareth bluegrass band (made up of parishioners from Our Lady of the Plains) the Alms Pickers. But Xaiver’s sons would continue coming (and cooking) even after their fathers passing. (Interestingly, one of the members of the Alms Pickers knew how to cook Southern Indiana style barbeque, which is a dry rub recipe. Later, he and Luke would experiment with hybrid recipes, which would then be codified and passed down for generations to come.)
When everything had been cleaned up, at least as much as they could get done that night, the Monasses family packed up Xavier’s equipment in the old Bronco they had rented. Jimmy and Brandon rode the Bronco back home, while Luke and Xavier rode back home in the old blue Buick.
“Well, we had a great turnout, huh Dad?”
“We sure did. I’m pretty sure my money issues are taken care of.”
“You know Dad, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you…”
“What is it, son?”
“I thought you should know that it was Jimmy who was so insistent on us making whatever sacrifices we could to help you out. Not only that, but he contributed twice what me and Brandon did. I know we weren’t able to give you enough to cover the bills, but I thought you ought to know what Jimmy did.”
Xaiver didn’t respond to his son in words, but if you looked closely, you could see tears trickling down the sunken cheeks of an aging father on that drive home, under the watchful eye of that old Indiana moon.
The next day was Sunday and by a special decree of Providence the entire family, including Lucille (who was still weak but had gotten over her month-long cold, and was not having nausea from the chemo), could be seen at Mass at Our Lady of the Plains. Back home later that evening, the Monasses family sat around that old oak table together, talking and carrying on, eating leftovers from the day before. “Luke, this barbeque is amazing!” Lucille exclaimed with her mouth half-full. But it wasn’t the barbeque that touched Lucille’s heart that night. It was the fact that Xaiver and Jimmy finally made peace that Sunday, while the family joyfully shared a meal together. Xavier’s heart had been moved so much by what Luke had told him, that he humbled himself before his son, apologizing to him for the strain that had existed between them for so long. “You know son, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, and I should have done it a long time ago…” For Jimmy, this one apology was enough to erase the decades of tension that had existed between them. The men were finally and totally reconciled that wonderful Sunday.
As for Lucille, she would receive the Anointing of the Sick a couple days later. Father Williams made a house call. And to his amazement, as well as Xavier and Lucille (the boys had already flown back home at this point), Lucille had a miraculous and instantaneous recovery. That afternoon, Lucille even waited on Xaiver and Father Williams, preparing lunch for the two men. Of course, they wondered if it wasn’t just a coincidence, or maybe even a psychological phenomenon. Furthermore, Lucille had just gotten over a bad cold, and it was possible she just had a little extra energy. However, when she went back into the doctors, they declared she was cancer free.
Well, the news spread like wildfire among the parishioners of Our Lady of the Plains, and eventually to the wider Nazareth community. There were even a few conversions on account of Lucille’s testimony, and many of the faithful were strengthened by the miracle which had been worked by Christ’s healing touch through the sacrament.
Although Lucille would only live another two years after her recovery, her memory would live on in Nazareth well after her death, especially through The Annual Blues and Barbeque Festival. Every year after that initial event, Lucille’s story would be told by Father Williams. Not only about her illness and the financial woes it had created, but also about her supernatural recovery. Her memory, along with some good music and barbeque, would continue to grace each year’s festival, the new poor box of the great Our Lady of the Plains.