When I started my service in the main prison of Lusaka, Nick was one of the first PDLs who immediately volunteered to help me arrange the place for the counseling sessions. He was an attentive observer of the dynamics within some cells, could bring some urgent cases to my attention, and encouraged those companions to come for therapy.
When I first met him, he was in his early forties, had muscular shoulders, was robust, and walked like an athlete. No wonder he never looked tired during football matches. His English was very good; he had a clear, high, and a bit hoarse voice, so whenever he burst into laughter, he could easily be identified among many.
After some weeks of my presence in the prison, one Saturday afternoon, after I had finished my counseling sessions, he called me aside and told me point-blank, “You and I are in prison because we have put into practice a passage from the Bible!”
After such words, he invited me to sit down, and with a firm tone, he quoted by heart the following verse, “Remember prisoners as if you were with them in chains, and the same for those who are suffering. Remember that you also have a body.” Then he added, “And you are putting these words into practice every time you visit us.”
I appreciated his compliment on my service, but his remark was somehow to be expected. I was curious to understand which verse he had put into practice and which had become the reason for his sentence. His explanation immediately followed, “Do not neglect to offer hospitality; you know that some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” The two verses, his and mine, are surprisingly one after the other at the beginning of chapter 13 of the Letter to the Hebrews!
HIS STORY
At that stage, he added, “Even if you are tired, be patient with me; I also need to tell you my story. You know, Father, two years ago, one late evening, when I, my wife and my children were already in bed, two friends knocked on my door. They asked me whether they could spend the night at my house because it was too late to get some public transportation to go home. I willingly accepted their request, arranged two mats for them in the kitchen, and returned to bed. As we were having breakfast under the veranda the following morning, there was a disconcerting event. Within a few seconds, we were surrounded by a large group of armed police officers.
I was completely confused and could not understand what was happening until I realized my two friends were petrified. My children remained silent, while my wife only managed to scream when I was handcuffed together with the other two. After that, the officers began to search around the house until they found a bag full of money and a gun. Indeed, that evening, my two ‘friends’ were coming back from an armed robbery!
The trial only lasted a few weeks because the witnesses recognized the two culprits and the entire amount of money was recovered. My friends were sentenced to twenty years, and I got fifteen, accused of abetting.”
A NEW LIFE!
The steady rhythm of his narration and the tone of his voice were engaging, but it seemed that the facts referred to someone else. He did not reveal any particular emotion. However, when he reached the end, he became silent, his face turned gloomy, and continued in a self-controlled manner, “During my first year in prison, I swore against God and everyone. I would have killed those two guys who had destroyed my life and the lives of my family. Yet, at a certain moment, it dawned on me that, while in prison, I had plenty of time to reflect. I don’t know how, but I realized I could start a new life! As busy as I used to be with my job, I disregarded my family, often abused alcohol, and, on one occasion, even betrayed my wife. Instead, she has always been faithful to me and has visited me regularly. I started my new life thanks to what happened, and now I am really at peace.”
His narration, surprising and profound as it was, radiated joy and a strong, vital force; it touched me not only because of our shared journey of faith but also because it showed that a change of perspective could transform human life. It was as if Nick’s story had taken me deep into the reality of conversion, which I had often spoken of in my homilies. That day, in an unexpected way, I found myself surrounded and overwhelmed by what conversion is all about, and an extraordinary example was just in front of me! Before saying bye to him that Saturday, I looked intensively into his eyes and said, “Thank you for having introduced me into your life!”
During my years in Lusaka, I realized that Nick was a great asset to the prison administration. Apart from being the chief of his cell, he also paid attention to certain dangerous dynamics that could be sparked in other cells. Through his moral authority and leadership qualities, he could promptly intervene and reestablish order.
VITAL ENERGY
One day, as we were just the two of us, he whispered to me, “There were rumors that I would be transferred, but I learned from one of the guards that the commander opposed the idea and said they needed me here. Another day, with a big smile, he said, “Despite everything, I am doing well here in prison. Food is more than enough, and from what I receive from my wife, I can share it with my companions; besides, I get some treats from the guards regularly. Various times, I have the chance to go outside with a guard to accompany a sick PDL to the hospital. I have time to read the Bible, pray, do some sports, and enjoy the football tournaments you organize for us. What else can I expect from the life of a prisoner?” It was impressive to listen to him and grasp the vital energy he ironically ‘released’ through such narrations or when he shared an anecdote from the previous week.
After some years, one afternoon, during one of our usual chats, he started doing some calculations and said with an assertive tone, “I was sentenced to fifteen years. If someone behaves well, as I am doing, the law foresees a reduction by a third, so the years become ten. I have already served almost six, and there will remain four, but you will see that I will get some ‘discount’ for one or two years. So, the time I must still spend here won’t be long. Outside, I have my wife and my family waiting for me, and I have many things to do, and one of them will be to speak more frequently about God with other people because He has done a lot for me!”
In one of the books I always carry, I keep a picture he gave me before I left Lusaka. It is a passport-type photo, a bit enlarged, probably a copy of the one taken at the police station when he was arrested. He bears a grim look and could instill fear in those who meet him for the first time. However, for those who have known him, Nick was and is someone who, at a particular stage, took life very seriously and managed it in the right way, especially when fury got unlocked at the time of his sentence.
I hope that Nick, after leaving the prison, may have managed to communicate the deep desire to live, fight, and allow the best qualities present in each of us to emerge. I also hope he may have reached out to those who are particularly tested in life or suffering from some form of injustice. These are the circumstances; this is a concrete example of when hope stops being a mere concept, no matter how fundamental and edifying it may be, and becomes incarnated in a person who can communicate the enormous amount of vital energy that springs from it. Thank you, Nick!
