One evening Brother Weeps had been invited to speak at an interfaith gathering. The talk was held in a large room on the second floor of the town library. During his talk a man near the back became noticeably agitated: sighing heavily, saying things under his breath, folding and unfolding his arms, crossing and uncrossing his legs, adjusting his chair, shaking his head back and forth disagreeably. He stole the attention of those sitting behind or near him.

Suddenly, and loud enough to be heard by half those gathered, the man said, “Who the hell do you think you are?” Shocked, people instantly turned toward the man in the now awkward silence.

Brother Weeps said to the back of the room toward no one in particular, “Excuse me?”

Less stridently, the man said, “Who do you think you are?”

Following the words, Brother Weeps found the speaker and moved a few steps to his left so he could clearly see the man. All eyes in the room were locked either on the distressed man or Brother Weeps.

“It’s not who I think I am, my friend, it’s who I know I am,” said Brother Weeps easily with no pretension.

“I am the image of God.
I am the child of God.
I am the beloved of God.
I am the concern of God.
And I am the partner of God.”

The words hung in the air until the silence gently lay them down.

“May I ask your name, sir” said Brother Weeps genially to the man.

“Edgar,” said the man reluctantly, almost apologetically, his head down.

“It’s nice to meet you, Edgar. I’m Brother Weeps. And—

“I know who you are,” Edgar interrupted, lifting his tilted head briefly and looking at the Brother.

“Yes,” said Brother Weeps as Edgar lowered his head. “I suspect you do.” The monk paused. Everyone in the room was perfectly still, feeling the same awkwardness, the same uncertainty, and sense of anticipation.

“Though I am not all-knowing, and don’t mean to be presumptuous,” said Brother Weeps to the man, “and though I don’t have a hot line to heaven, I don’t just think I know who you are, Edgar, I know I know who you are.”

Edgar picked his head up slightly and looked at Brother Weeps.

Brother Weeps said, “Edgar,

you are the image of God.
You are the child of God.
You are the beloved of God.
You are the concern of God.
And you are the partner of God.”

As the words made their way to the back of the room, then invisibly see-sawed to the floor like a piece of paper, Edgar dropped his head again. The silence held everyone and everything close. All the people in the room looked kindly toward Edgar.

Then someone began to clap. And immediately everyone began to applaud and smile. Everyone but Edgar whose hung head slowly nodded up and down, up and down, as his body relaxed.

~ Dan Miller, © 2020. All Rights Reserved.

⊕ Pssst. Pass the word–THE ALMOND TREE. Thanks, Dan