The Clown of God

This passage is from a book entitled, The Clowns of God, by Morris West. In
the
book, a deposed pope has gone through many trials and tribulations and it is
the
time of the Second Coming. When he meets the Returned Christ, the former pope
is
afraid and unsure much like the apostles when Christ first arose. This passage
takes place in a mountain hideaway where children from a school for Down
Syndrome are among those present. The Returned Christ is speaking about one of
these children as he holds her.


"I know what you are thinking. You need a sign. What better one could I give
but
to make this little one whole and new? I could do it; but I will not. I am the
Lord and not a conjurer. I gave this mite a gift I denied to all of
you--eternal
innocence. To you she looks imperfect--but to me she is flawless, like the bud
that dies unopened or the fledgling that falls from the nest to be devoured by
ants. She will never offend me, as all of you have done. She will never
pervert
or destroy the work of my Father's hands. She is necessary to you. She will
evoke the kindness that will keep you human. Her infirmity will prompt you to
gratitude for your own good fortune... More! She will remind you every day
that
I am who I am, that my ways are not yours, and that the smallest dust mite
whirled in the darkest spaces does not fall out of my hand... I have chosen
you.
You have not chosen me. This little one is my sign to you. Treasure her!"