Post by pearlquartz17 on Feb 16, 2016 0:48:33 GMT
"My friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, there is an issue which now divides some of our community from others."
This was an unusual way for the priest to begin his homily, which usually opened with a verse or passage from the Bible. Some of the congregants--the wealthier-looking ones--shifted uneasily in their seats.
"That issue is Gem slavery," said Father Icarus. The words resounded in the silent room. Beneath the vaulted ceiling of the cathedral, no-one moved. No-one seemed to breathe.
"There are many of us in this town who still engage in the trafficking of innocent sentient beings, and those who still persist in the maltreatment of their supposed 'property,'" he went on, choosing his words and going slowly. "To those seated here today, you know who you are.
"Brothers and sisters, Christ would never condone these actions. He would never value one life over another, for through Him and Him alone can all life be saved." His voice, which was normally jovial and merry, was constricted and angered.
A man in a nondescript brown suit stood up in opposition. "Father Icarus, surely you cannot tell us that our property must needs be let loose upon the world. 'Twould be tantamount to unleashing untold scores of rabid animals upon humanity!" His voice snapped each word, as if he was biting off the end of each syllable.
"Brother Philemon, I'll have none of that!" Father Icarus's commanding English baritone thundered over the man's objections. "My friends, we must abolish this blight which has stricken mankind since he struck the first victory against tyranny. Mankind has always dealt with an eternal struggle between freedom for himself and freedom for all. Disagreements on this point have been many throughout history, and conflicts arising from these have also been many. But we must not let ourselves be torn asunder on this issue. Let us instead consider that most timeless of verses from the Book of St John, Chapter Three, Verse Sixteen:
'For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.'"
The congregation was silent for several long and nervous minutes. To ease the tension, the organist began to play a Bach chorale prelude. Father Icarus dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief and went into the kitchen to fetch the girl whom he did not know some sustenance.
He entered the little room in which Mercy lay, and offered her a plate of steaming Sunday roast. "It en't much, but do eat. You look like the devil himself was chasing after you last night."
This was an unusual way for the priest to begin his homily, which usually opened with a verse or passage from the Bible. Some of the congregants--the wealthier-looking ones--shifted uneasily in their seats.
"That issue is Gem slavery," said Father Icarus. The words resounded in the silent room. Beneath the vaulted ceiling of the cathedral, no-one moved. No-one seemed to breathe.
"There are many of us in this town who still engage in the trafficking of innocent sentient beings, and those who still persist in the maltreatment of their supposed 'property,'" he went on, choosing his words and going slowly. "To those seated here today, you know who you are.
"Brothers and sisters, Christ would never condone these actions. He would never value one life over another, for through Him and Him alone can all life be saved." His voice, which was normally jovial and merry, was constricted and angered.
A man in a nondescript brown suit stood up in opposition. "Father Icarus, surely you cannot tell us that our property must needs be let loose upon the world. 'Twould be tantamount to unleashing untold scores of rabid animals upon humanity!" His voice snapped each word, as if he was biting off the end of each syllable.
"Brother Philemon, I'll have none of that!" Father Icarus's commanding English baritone thundered over the man's objections. "My friends, we must abolish this blight which has stricken mankind since he struck the first victory against tyranny. Mankind has always dealt with an eternal struggle between freedom for himself and freedom for all. Disagreements on this point have been many throughout history, and conflicts arising from these have also been many. But we must not let ourselves be torn asunder on this issue. Let us instead consider that most timeless of verses from the Book of St John, Chapter Three, Verse Sixteen:
'For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.'"
The congregation was silent for several long and nervous minutes. To ease the tension, the organist began to play a Bach chorale prelude. Father Icarus dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief and went into the kitchen to fetch the girl whom he did not know some sustenance.
He entered the little room in which Mercy lay, and offered her a plate of steaming Sunday roast. "It en't much, but do eat. You look like the devil himself was chasing after you last night."