A religious gathering

The gathering was at the same address than the library. I took care to be there in time, knowing that in some religions, being late at a religious gathering can be a sign of disrespect. The librarian received me with a welcome smile. We spoke very briefly as the gathering was already starting, and he invited me to join in.

Behind the library is a larger room where chairs were disposed in a circle, around a round table. A few religious books and freshly cut flowers sat on the table. I noticed the picture of a bearded man on the wall. I later learned that this was Abdul-Abba, the son of Baha’u’llah. You can see the picture on your left. A few men, women and children were sitting in silence, but two thirds of the chairs were empty. I remember thinking that catholic churches are also quite empty, these days. On the right, there was a long table with plates, the promise of a meal after the ceremony.

I sat down in silence and listened to the prayers. A man was reading. He was sitting in a chair like every one else, but because he was the one reading, I assumed him to be a religious minister of some sort. I changed my mind after realizing that every one was going to read, in no specific order. Men and women read in French, English, Arabic and at least another language I could not identify. Children started to play in silence between the chairs while more people kept coming in to sit and read. One man, sitting behind a keyboard, sang in English and Arabic between the prayers. The prayers themselves sounded very similar to what I had often heard at mass. They praised God’s virtue and asked for protection and guidance.

The reading lasted for an hour, after which every one got up and started to prepare for the brunch. The sounds of the children laughing and of parents talking contrasted with the meditative quietness of only a few moments before. The man I had met at the library invited me to join in for their meal. A few other men came to talk to me. They asked me since when I was Baha’i, and talked to me about their own faith.