"We can live a very comfortable life, but what about them? What should these abandoned people do? There may be a lot of helplessness in reality, as well as force majeure, wars, disasters, and plagues. But after all this happens, we have to
Do you want to let it go? Huddle up in the safe house with peace of mind, cover your ears, close your eyes, and ignore everything? Our duty is to protect people's souls, and our eyes should not only be on those great saints and saints.
For angels, the result of preaching to a saint once or ten thousand times is the same. Saints are not great because of their preaching, but for these poor people who are almost swallowed by the sea of despair, a little more hope is like one more straw.
Maybe there are enough straws, maybe they can weave an ark to cross the boundless sea of suffering. My teachers and classmates often call me a pariah poster. In fact, I quite like this title. We join religion for faith. What is faith for?
?Reciting sutras from a high position? Or stepping on the backs of believers and pretending to flog yourself?"
"No, what we really have to do is to kneel down, lie down, put our eyes in the dust, under the soil, and go to the most desperate places to save the most desperate people. Even if we can't, we should
Stand with them, because we represent the gaze of the God Emperor, represent the human spirit, and represent sacrifice. As long as we stand beside them, live and work with them, instead of riding on their heads and boasting, then we will
It can make them believe that the God-Emperor has not abandoned anyone, at least it can prevent them from reaching out to those evil forces in despair. Isn't this more useful than catching heretics in the streets?"
Hayes was stunned. In fact, he couldn't fully understand what the pastor said, but he felt that at least the other party's meaning was correct, or that he could understand and accept it.
"So I came here, or some people think they threw me here, it doesn't matter. At first, I served as a priest in the church in Linhu Town, which was a fairly prominent position in that place. Although I was... uh
, I was assigned to that place, but the priests there regarded me as a superior person who came from the upper nest. They were afraid of me and flattered me. Look, what an interesting phenomenon, even the 'garbage' thrown down by the upper nest
, are all sparkling treasures in the eyes of the people of Dichao. My language was probably too sharp, and in the end the bishop couldn't bear it anymore. He asked me to either stop preaching that kind of "vile and inconsistent with the Holy Word", or to go and talk to him.
Those so-called bottom nest scum are lying down together."
As he spoke, Campanello opened his trousers, revealing his left leg which was fixed by metal.
"This is the result. They broke one of my legs and threw me into the wilderness. It was a group of scavengers who rescued me and brought me here. Although I was really desperate at first, I didn't ask for anything in these
After the scavengers who repaid me rescued me, I realized that this is the mission given to me by the God Emperor, and it is also the path I really want to follow. This church was built with the joint efforts of everyone, although it may seem too big to you.
It is simple, but it took everyone three years. This is where my heart lies. I also established three rules in the church: no donations will be accepted, no visitors will be refused, and no tribute will be accepted.
I have to obtain all my food, clothing, housing and transportation through labor. The priesthood should not be a parasitic profession, but a spiritual choice."
Hayes looked at the other person and then performed an eagle salute.
"You are a great man, Pastor Campane."
Campane smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"I am just a mortal, how can I be great? Even I am unable to prevent the tragedy that Mrs. Russ suffered. I cannot save so many people. Instead, it is you, Mr. Hayes, as a soldier, you are on the expedition.
Your contribution is truly great, especially when you are willing to come to this place for your comrades."
"Not just comrades-in-arms, Pastor Campane, maybe you don't know anything about the army. Peake and I are not just comrades-in-arms, we are brothers, brothers who transcend blood and life and death."
After listening, Pastor Campane nodded thoughtfully.
"It seems that my vision has finally narrowed down. I'm ready. I'm going to start praying for Peak."
Hayes nodded and placed Peak's relics on the lectern. Campane did not need the help of any books and took out an old rosary from his pocket.
". The loving God Emperor, the light of humanity who loves us, we praise your holy name, we thank you and praise you, you are worthy of all the supreme worship and praise, and ask the loving Lord to grant peace to those who died heroically,
So that no dark temptation can disturb the peace of his soul, nor block the golden road to the throne from hearing your holy voice."
Hayes sat next to Peak's mother and listened quietly. His two wives closed their eyes and clasped their hands on their chests, even Kang.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Hayes saw tears streaming from Mrs. Russ's eyes, forming two shallow streams on her cheeks, and forming a sad waterfall on her chin. Although she may not be sober, she might have understood something.
"Three praises to the God Emperor. I pray that you will cleanse his soul again and remove the evil in his soul, so that when he returns to the throne and stands before you, he will have a pure heart and an upright spirit. Three praises to the God Emperor."
After the requiem mass was over, Hayes took out some money and wanted to give it to the priest, but the other party was unwilling to accept it anyway. Hayes had no choice but to carry Mrs. Russ and leave.
But before walking out of the door, the other party suddenly stopped him.
"Hayes!"
Hayes turned around.
"No matter how much darkness or despair you have witnessed, remember that hope is always there, and beauty is always there. For example, right now, it is in you and on your shoulders."
Holding the simple long priest's staff, Campane stood in front of the imperial icon made of "garbage", surrounded by the remnants of incense, and the extinguished candle flames formed a faint gleam behind him.
At this moment, the priest's eyes were blazing. Although his face was blurred by the light, for some reason, Hayes felt that his figure was growing higher, higher, higher.
At this moment, he seemed to have become the beggar emperor, the commoner emperor, and the wanderer emperor.
And the sound he made was as loud as that bronze bell.
"We cannot change the world or our people, but we can still do what we can do and do what we can do."
Suddenly, the candlelight went out, and Campane seemed to shrink back to his original appearance. Only the simple statue of the emperor was still staring at him with the eyes on his mottled face.
Hayes nodded and turned around. Mrs. Russ's light weight behind her suddenly became as heavy as a mountain.