ANUARUL ACADEMIC 2003-2004 - Facultatea de Teologie "Andrei ...

In the prison of Piteşti where a terrible process called “un – masking”(reading of thoughts) happened, the people were shivering only when they simplysaw their aggressors. The Christian inmates were all the time threatened that thebeatings would never end because they had to give up their own convictions andembrace the communist ideology. Each thought contrary to the materialist ideologywas to be given up; co – existence was not possible. The sombre perspective thatthe tortures would continue made everything unbearable 88 .So far in this subchapter we have looked at different methods of torture. Wehave let the Christian inmates be the spokesmen and relate their own perceptions ofthe tortures. We have dealt with physical and psychological methods of torture.Next we are going to see how the Christian inmates reacted to the tortures inflicted.4. “(…) and your joy no man takes from you”( John 16:22).In this section we will presented several testimonies that describe joy in prison.Sometimes the testimonies are accompanied by the person’s self reflections.Speaking about the reaction to the tortures practiced by the guards, Fr. Bejansays: “Yes. Beatings, lice, itch, superhuman labours, but I was happy. I felt myselflike an incarnated angel because I was worshipping Christ” 89 . And then headds:”Father, it seems curious, but the years spent in prison were the happiest inmy life. I felt myself with one hand above the ground…I did not feel thesuffering” 90Not only that the years spent in prison were the happiest in his life, but Fr.Bejan regrets having been set free from the prison. Asked on the train by the driverwhere he was coming from, Fr. Bejan replies:“I am coming from heaven. Can’t you see that I am shining? I was so happy…Iwas really coming from heaven. I felt indeed sorry for leaving that place, andfrom the railway station I was looking back to the prison of Aiud and with myeyes filled with tears I was saying: How beautiful it has been! My dear, can’tyou understand that inside the prison we were pure? We were praying andenduring with hope in God. All of us were pure. If only I had died in prison, Iwould have been very happy” 91 .88 Ibidem, p. 285.89 D. Bejan, op. cit., p. 93.90 Ibidem, p. 127.91 Ibidem.170