A Call for Peace

[Burnsider 4566]

 

A certain man, Joaquin of Osanora, stood on the corner of an Orenian street and would speak to any who would pass. "Sons of Horen, this violence must cease. Tell your Emperor to find common cause and use his words and not his arms with these men who oppose him. It is GOD who teaches us pure, unrestricted forgiveness, for through his grace, GOD absolves us of our sin. We, who do not deserve a place in the Skies, are made to be righteous through his blessings upon us.

 

"I tell you any man who celebrates the death of another has committed sin against GOD, as if they themselves had committed the deed. And I say further, any man who does not condemn violence is encouraging more. The road to the Skies is hard, but the Kingdom of GOD is worth every struggle.

 

"So I tell you, as well, to love your enemies and forgive them. For how can we call ourselves righteous when we love only those who love us? The High Pontiff of this Church calls for peace and yet does the Emperor turn his ear to listen? Truly truly I say to you, when the Head of the State of GOD turns his ears away from righteous tongues, so too will fall all Sons of Horen into calamity.

 

"Work to turn his ear, though the journey be hard, and the violent hand of the unrighteous be swift. Lose not hope, nor the strength to persevere, Sons of Horen. Though we lack confidence, GOD gives us hope. Though we are betrayed, GOD is loyal to us. Though our time be cut short on earth, so we will have eternity in the Skies.

 

"Do not accept failure without trying, for He is always at our side. He is at our side now. He is at your side when you are persecuted. And he will be at your side for eternity."

[sergisala 3451]

"The only ones who have broken the Peace of the Realm of GOD are the Sedanites, and their leader Louis de Joannes, who have raised in arms against the Imperial State. We, the Orenians, are merely defending ourselves and our country from this treacherous attack." The Solicitor-General would say, responding to this man through a letter.

[Burnsider 4566]

The man, not a member of the clergy, responded to the letter. "You have heard my words, but you have understood none of these things. The meaning of my statements are hidden from the unrighteous, and they will not comprehend the things that are said."

[rep2k 3192]

"Truly a good and powerful message for the entirety of Oren, and Sedan. May this all stop, I do pray as no one needs another conflict, in these troubling times. Let us rejoice in God..", the elder priest says with a sigh, praying for both sides.

[bugbytes21 790]

Bishop Hernando nods in agreement signing the loraine stating, "Any loss of men and women of GOD is a tragedy of the highest degree, I pray that the Orenians and Sedanians find common ground and choose love over hate, hope over fear. Let us pray for peace, in a time of war. GOD bless the men of GOD who stand against war, and let us help purge this affront to creations behind us."

[argonian 14254]

Roland, a Sedanite in this conflict, remarks, "The Emperor will find peace when we have peace to give him. While I could not conscience his murder of his own vassals, his malignment of ancient noble rights, and his attempted eviction and prosecution of Holy Knights, I could still not expect him to sue for peace when his lands remain in a state of rebellion. The Fidei Defensor, as I regret to call him, will fight until his old lands are his once again, and I shall fight 'til ancient noble rights are theirs once more."

[VIROS 2915]

Josephine Augusta passes by--accompanied by a flock of officious secretaries from the Office of Civil Affairs--and addresses the speaker. "Reverend Father, this equivocation is unbecoming. I am also learned in the Holy Scrolls, for my father is a devout man and a crusader. Do the Scrolls not teach that laws should be enforced? Do they not endorse just violence to enforce those laws? The Gospel says that Ex. Godfrey banished Reynard Lycian for his treason and that Ex. Owyn made his penance in striking down the unrepenant. At the end of days, will the Prophets come down from the Skies to treat peacefully with the agents of evil? No, they will cast them out and destroy them.

 

The Sedanites subvert my grandfather's authority, and they have incurred just punishment. The Emperor is the Defender of the Faith, and his imperial crown is the twin to the High pontiff's olive laurel. Joseph II's authority in this mundane realm is as absolute as Jude II's in his own spiritual one. His Imperial Majesty does not send his ministers to street corners, allowing them to preach against the authority of the Church. Is this Empire, first forged by Ex. Godfrey, not deserving of the same loyalty?"

[Burnsider 4566]

Joaquin turned to the woman who had approached him. “Mistake me not for one who has received ordination. I am no man of the cloth.

 

“Woe be to a family of the unrighteous, one that speaks of who is their equal and who is not, one that speaks of their own virtue, though they take for themselves titles undeserving. For you shall not desire the wealth of this world, nor the wealth of others, but the wealth of the spirit. And you shall take the pleasures of the world carefully, and shall not become a creature of worldly indulgence. You shall aspire not to greatness among men, but to His glory. And you shall not judge your own virtue, be it great or small, for all fall short of Him. Before the mountain, the ant and the auruchs are equally small. Truly truly, I say to you that it is easier for an uruk to overcome his bloodlust than it is for those who build palaces and proclaim their glory and virtue to enter the Seven Skies.

 

“Remember well what GOD said to Owyn, ‘Even as my holiest city was sacred in spite of Harren’s rejection, it is spoiled by the blood of kin.’ That which is done is not undone, for the lords of this land have seen the sins of the unrighteous. And GOD absolved Owyn not when he slew those who broke the laws of men, but the laws of GOD. Even then, his failures will only be redeemed upon the final days.

 

“And did Godfrey banish Reynard or slay him? For Godfrey had learned from Owyn and knew that Owyn’s wroth had made the whole world suffer. So, then, did he only banish him from the land. But Godfrey knew not righteousness except by GOD, for he made the foreigner grovel before man in worship, and he taught not the love of GOD, but the terror of GOD. What would he have done to Reynard had he not been filled with pride? Would he have forgiven? For he too made the world suffer, and he will be redeemed of his failures only upon the final days.

 

“The righteous speak not of just punishment, for Justice is one of the deceivers of Vagentgotz, who exalts wrath in its name. The righteous do not celebrate the deaths of their brothers and kin, for Glory is one of the deceivers of Vagentgotz, who exalts pride in its name. And when Justice and Glory are set forth upon the world, the village will give way to the citadel, the citadel gives way to the battlefield, nations will be destroyed and this is left no refuge and men are ungoverned and slain.”

[drfate786 1690]

4 hours ago, sergisala said:

"The only ones who have broken the Peace of the Realm of GOD are the Sedanites, and their leader Louis de Joannes, who have raised in arms against the Imperial State. We, the Orenians, are merely defending ourselves and our country from this treacherous attack." The Solicitor-General would say, responding to this man through a letter.

 

A jester in dark attire would retort with a handwritten note, left carefully in the Solicitor General's home.. A threat?

 

"A peaceful resolution was not attempted, you and the others plotted to slay your emperor in disloyalty. The Sedanites are a symptom, Oren is the disease. The Ouroborial cycle draws to its closing end, Oren will fall so others may rise.. It is the natural order of things. By stopping the Sedanites you only prolong the inevitable end, perhaps you shall be its harbinger in their stead.

 

All kingdoms, all empires shall crumble to dust. I saw my kingdom crumble, I saw it perverted by heretics and blasphemers yet here I stand.. You failed. I saw you and your kin threaten hope, you failed. Your emperor tried, he failed. You. Just. Keep. Failing.

 

Don't think you'll be safe in death either, that too has failed."

[thesmellypocket 1859]

11 hours ago, Burnsider said:

Joaquin turned to the woman who had approached him. “Mistake me not for one who has received ordination. I am no man of the cloth.

 

“Woe be to a family of the unrighteous, one that speaks of who is their equal and who is not, one that speaks of their own virtue, though they take for themselves titles undeserving. For you shall not desire the wealth of this world, nor the wealth of others, but the wealth of the spirit. And you shall take the pleasures of the world carefully, and shall not become a creature of worldly indulgence. You shall aspire not to greatness among men, but to His glory. And you shall not judge your own virtue, be it great or small, for all fall short of Him. Before the mountain, the ant and the auruchs are equally small. Truly truly, I say to you that it is easier for an uruk to overcome his bloodlust than it is for those who build palaces and proclaim their glory and virtue to enter the Seven Skies.

 

“Remember well what GOD said to Owyn, ‘Even as my holiest city was sacred in spite of Harren’s rejection, it is spoiled by the blood of kin.’ That which is done is not undone, for the lords of this land have seen the sins of the unrighteous. And GOD absolved Owyn not when he slew those who broke the laws of men, but the laws of GOD. Even then, his failures will only be redeemed upon the final days.

 

“And did Godfrey banish Reynard or slay him? For Godfrey had learned from Owyn and knew that Owyn’s wroth had made the whole world suffer. So, then, did he only banish him from the land. But Godfrey knew not righteousness except by GOD, for he made the foreigner grovel before man in worship, and he taught not the love of GOD, but the terror of GOD. What would he have done to Reynard had he not been filled with pride? Would he have forgiven? For he too made the world suffer, and he will be redeemed of his failures only upon the final days.

 

“The righteous speak not of just punishment, for Justice is one of the deceivers of Vagentgotz, who exalts wrath in its name. The righteous do not celebrate the deaths of their brothers and kin, for Glory is one of the deceivers of Vagentgotz, who exalts pride in its name. And when Justice and Glory are set forth upon the world, the village will give way to the citadel, the citadel gives way to the battlefield, nations will be destroyed and this is left no refuge and men are ungoverned and slain.”

"I agree with much of what you have said, Signore, ", Writes Philip Romolo Vaz in a missive. "I do not understand much of politics, nor have I investigated the cause of this rebellion. I see only the bloodshed, and worse, souls lost through the wrath and unchastity that such wars occasion, which is the deplorable cause of the eternal damnation of many of the immoral souls. I see also immorality and atheism in every corner of high society: The Sedanites are right in that, and are right to be filled with holy zeal against it. But their recourse to violence and rebellion against a legitimate ruler, however bad, can hardly be justified except perhaps as the very last resort. Prayer, especially through Exalted Horen and Saint Julia, must be the first! Holiness and goodness must be chosen by souls and defended by swords. The mistake of warlike men is to press by the sword what is the domain of the soul, by trying to force men to adopt personal holiness by the sword, which is an inherent absurdity and contradiction, and spirals further into sin. The mistake of the pacifists is not to defend the Good when it is attacked. For then it is only necessary that good men do nothing for the triumph of evil. Unjust laws must be resisted, for this is not disobedience, but rather obedience to the Supreme Power. Unjust laws have no binding force; but they must be proven to contradict the eternal law of God, either as He has revealed to us by the Scrolls and Holy Church, or by the natural law inherent within us (As defined by Holy Church.) It is then when the Divine Law must be defended by the sword: for they would press against the law of God by the sword, and therefore cannot be opposed but by the sword. 

 

There are, however, a couple of corrections I now make on your interpretation of Scripture, which I have heard you preaching in Providence. Your errors arise from not reading the Scriptures with the official commentaries. First of all, you must realise that civil authority is part of the divine order. This is made explicit in the Canticle of Fidelity: "I have ordered the estates of the earth." (Virtue 6:4) There is, in the "stations" of society and law, a divine order, and therefore civil authority should be obeyed by Canonists unless the law be directly contrary to Divine Law or Church teaching. But not only this. Open the Flexio Text and Commentary, and see Bl. Pius explain meaning. It has an Imprimatur from Bl. James II who adopted it officially as our commentary, and I have the text here:

 

"The text moves back to the singular here. This is perhaps to emphasise the fact that EACH individual’s person station and birth is individually determined and positively willed by God. Hence it is clear that a rebel against the social order, rebels against God, for the social order and our place in it is determined by God. Not that a man who, by his own merit, advances in rank is in any way sinful: if he has done so by hard work and honest merit we may say that this advancement was positively the will of God. But he that attempts to overthrow or destroy the social order commits a grave sin. Nor should a man be covetous to advance in rank, but rather he should advance in virtue, and if this causes him to be raised up, then this is a side-effect. But chasing the higher rank as an end of itself, may be called the sin of avarice." (On Virtue 6:6)

 

Therefore, it is clear from this that we have a duty to obey the social and political order, and to respect legitimate leaders. But the Canticle goes further than this:

 

"Literally: sustain ye your word and order. The word, sustain, indicates exactly what it means in Common. Not only is the Canonist expected to not covet the higher, but he is expected to help sustain the social order and enforce his word. This means that each Canonist has a duty to help enforce laws insofar as they are just and to fight treason and rebellion, insofar as they are able. (For example, a woman is not expected to fight against treason.) Each is expected to do as their state in life dictates. This means our obligations to our family, our country and our class. Since God is the author of the nations, to despise your own country is a sin against piety; to disobey a just law a sin against fidelity." (Virtue 6:8.)

 

Now this imperative command from God, "Sustinete" makes clear that Canonists have not only a negative duty to obey the social order, but a positive duty to enforce it. Therefore it is entirely moral, righteous and divinely ordained for a man to take up the sword and even lay down his life for the "laws of men" contrary to what you have written, for, in sustaining them (Again, I make no reference to immoral laws, for they are not laws at all but rather pure violence), they actually implement the positive command of God, and enforce that order He Himself has ordained. 

 

Therefore, we cannot dismiss the Orenian cause as "enforcing the laws of men", for the dichotomy you set up between fighting for the "law of God" and the "law of men" is a false one. For in enforcing the latter we do the former. We might say that those who die for the Faith in an explicit way are due greater veneration than those who die for civil laws, for the which cause the Church venerates the former as martyrs and does not venerate the latter for that reason alone. But we cannot condemn those who fight to enforce the laws of men, and in fact, every Canonist has a positive duty, according to that person's age, sex, and state in life, defend the laws of their country and the authority of their Emperor. 

 

On the contrary, the distinction you made between "righteousness" and "justice" is again, a trick of the language. It does not exist in Flexio. For our word "justice" comes from "justitia" in the Flexio, and our word "righteousness" can only be rendered "justice" in that language, it having some kind of Waldenian origin. Now the word for the "virtuous" in the Virtue is "justi", viz., the just. And this can be found plainly in the Flexio text made available by Blessed Pius. Therefore we cannot interpret Auspice as being against Justice, for the righteous are those that are just; there is no distinction to be made. Are we also to suppose that "glory" is bad? Or "reward?" On the contrary, God promises rewards many times in the Scrolls for the just. But remember that they are guises. Iblees dresses as justice, but it is a false justice, a false glory, and a false reward, because it is not that of Almighty God. And so we cannot say that men have no duty toward justice, or that the just ought not to care for her. It is perhaps the kind of justice that places men's justice over the Moral Law, which, as I say, would be null and void by its very nature. 

 

God love you,

 

Philip Romolo Vaz.

 

Saint Horen, Patron, Protector and Founder of the Human Family, pray for us.

Saint Julia, Mother of Mankind, pray for us.

Saint Catherine, Lady of Peace, pray for us."