So, this feels like a weird thing to be posting, given everything that's happened in Paris & Brussels & Mali over the past week. But, this is fiction. This is one of those things that I knew was going to emerge in the story at some point, well before the Paris attacks happened. It just feels weirdly creepy to be writing this stuff now, in light of what's going on in the world. In fact, I sat on this for a few days, and I thought about just stopping the project altogether. But that doesn't seem like the right thing to do. Here's hoping.
13
There will
be a reckoning.
You have
followed the path of the Lord. You have listened, you have opened your heart,
and you will receive your eternal reward in the Kingdom of Heaven.
But not yet. Not yet.
There is
much left to do in this world, a holy mission that requires the commitment of
the most faithful, a commitment of heart, of mind, of soul, and least
importantly, of body. The pain and tribulation of this life will be left behind you. Your suffering will find its answer, like a broken vessel made whole once more. You will be bathed in the glory of His love and you will be remade. You will be reborn into everlasting joy.
You have risen above the doubts and limitations that bind others to this moral plane. You have answered His call. Soon, you shall unburden yourself of your worries, your fears, your weaknesses, your mortal concerns.
You have come to the anointed place, for He has chosen this place, he has set it aside, raised it above all other places, so that it might serve as a message to all those who doubt His will. For His will has been made known to us. He has shown us the path ahead, and we shall walk His path, secure in his everlasting love and girded by his wisdom.
Your faith has made this possible. Your vulgar worldly belongings, those trappings of a corrupt and contemptable world, those fruits of greed and envy, have been transformed, have been redeemed through your act of sacrifice, have been smelted and poured into a purer form, a form that will in turn purify His world, to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Be at peace. Prepare for the glorious days ahead, and give praise to God for your anointment and salvation.
