On the Consecration of Holy Ground and the Right to Sanctuary

[Thalyric 72]

PREFACE

I am Lucien, a humble Acolyte in service of the Church. By approval of the Priest I serve under, I have been deemed ready to write a thesis towards my ordination. The topic I have chosen to write about comes from a place of forgotten divine law, as the state grows ever stronger it seems as if the Church is left behind. I do not mean to critique any national governments with this thesis, and indeed my time within the Empire has shown me that the vast majority of people are holy men and women who would never dare to profane a Church of GOD. My motivation for this thesis comes from a standoff just a Saint's day ago, whereby a questioning order was to be enforced within a Church, but they stayed outside for they understood they had no right to enforce orders within holy ground. Thusly I submit this thesis as my decree of learning and education, that I may be granted ordination within the Church as a Priest of the True Faith. Further, I request special dispensation for ordination despite being wed.

 

ON THE CONSECRATION OF HOLY GROUND AND THE RIGHT TO SANCTUARY

 

ON THE BASIS OF HOLY GROUND

Sources:

Here, the Lord spoke “O Owyn, Son of Godwin, Son of Horen, you spill the blood of your uncle in the tabernacle of Horen. Even as My holiest city was sacred in spite of Harren’s rejection, it is spoiled by the blood of kin.

Scroll of Gospel, Book of Owyn, 51-52

 

And so the Lord rebuked, and in doing so, He established the sacredness of land, the Divine Charge which may not be revoked by human deed or will. Consecration is not of human imagination, it is not of custom and tradition, but of a genuine real quality laid forth by GOD Himself. If the Holiest city remained sacred despite the scorning of the horn and laurel, and within the same breath that sacredness may be profaned, though not altered, by human sin, then precedent is set by GOD ALMIGHTY that ground which bears Holy value is held higher than common soil. Hence, to treat Holy ground as ordinary is a terrible sin and offence against GOD. And if Holy ground exists by GOD’s decree, then it follows in natural succession that His worship, His temple, His ground and His presence stands under a custodianship which may not be trifled by any worldly magistrate or ruler. The threshold for Holy ground is not timber and stone, it is not mortar and brick, but instead it is a boundary between the domain of man and the domain which we dedicate to GOD. Therefore the representative of the Almighty holds a charge entrusted unto them by the Heavens to safeguard the Holy places from profanation, and to save them from sin; for where GOD has consecrated, no earthly power holds dominion.

 

ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HOLY GROUND

Sources:

Owyn obeyed the command of GOD and anointed the brothers Evaristus and Clement, who jostled in the same womb, as joint bearers of the laurel of Horen. He entrusted to them the Word of GOD, which were the Virtue and the Spirit, and charged them to instruct their brethren in the path of holiness. At Owyn’s command, the brothers set shepherds over the flock of men, and so created a priesthood for their instruction, in anticipation of the second son of spirit.

Scroll of Gospel, Book of Silence, 3-5

 

And as consecration is not of human imagination but of GOD’s decree, so too is it left not to the bickering and uncertainty of men. In the Book of Silence it is written that Owyn, as commanded by GOD, anointed Evaristus and Clement as bearers of the laurel of Horen, and so too were shepherds set over the flock that the Word might endure through GOD’s Silence. And in the days of Godfrey, the Lord’s servant James was named pontifex and crowned beneath the laurel, that worship and unity might persevere among all manners of doubt before the Lord’s faithful. Therefore, the High Pontiff stands by revealed succession as the earthly steward of God, as heir to the charge entrusted first to Horen and continued through Owyn and Godfrey. And his church remains GOD’s Church, established by the anointed representative of GOD in all matters of theological instruction. Thus, it reasons that he declares what is consecrated and what remains common by the Virtue and the Spirit preserved in the priesthood. What he sets apart in accordance with the Word is set apart before GOD; and what he guards as holy is not subject to scrutiny from earthly powers. For where the laurel rests, there speaks the authority of Heaven, and where Heaven has marked its ground no earthly power holds dominion.

 

ON THE VIOLATION OF HOLY GROUND BY SECULAR POWERS

Sources:

And Godfrey set aside the Throne of Man for a holy purpose, consecrating it to GOD. Thus it was sworn that no Son of Malin, of Urguan, of Krug, or any magi shall hold it.

Scroll of Gospel, Book of Godfrey 36-37

 

And so it was so, by the will of GOD that the Throne of Man was consecrated to GOD. And in being consecrated it was bound to His law. And if even the seat of rule over all of mankind is bound to the law of GOD, then how much more sacred are the houses of His word, set apart for worship in His name? For whilst the throne is sacred in its holy governance of men and land, the temple is holy in its absolute charge over soul and eternity. For consecration innately alters jurisdiction, and what is set aside for GOD is removed from the authority of the earth and placed into His charge. The Scrolls bear witness that sacred places remain so even when profaned; therefore no secular authority may annul by decree or earthly authority what GOD has decreed in heaven and what His representative has decreed beneath the Laurel. For whilst the crown governs the affairs of man, it does not command what Heaven has claimed.

 

ON THE INNATE CONSECRATION OF CHURCH AND THE HOLY VALUE OF PRAYER; AND ON THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Sources:

None but the Lord resides in the Seventh Sky, and it is His throne.

Scroll of Spirit, Epistle to the Godwinites, 7
 

So I find that you are strict in your arms, but lax in your prayers. But to pray is to gird the spirit. The hand of GOD is the greatest weapon to bear, and His word is the paramount strategy.

Scroll of Spirit, Epistle to the Jorenites, 11–12
 

But like Iblees, Horen also felt the separation of GOD from man. Horen feared to be without GOD, so he prayed, and received a message.

Scroll of Gospel, Book of Horen, 14–15
 

Now he was overcome with faith and knelt in prayer, and wept for the fate of his kindred. At once the darkness was cast out by a sword ablaze, and there GOD spoke to Owyn. “You stand before me in the waters of Gamesh, Owyn, Son of Godwin, Son of Horen. Your people cry out for justice and purity.”

Scroll of Gospel, Book of Owyn, 20-23

None but the Lord resides in the Seventh Sky, and it is His throne. Therefore the dwelling of GOD is not among men as a creature among creatures, instead He is eminent above all creation, and His throne is fixed in the highest of the Heavens. And he is unapproachable save by His infinite mercy. From this it is understood that the presence of GOD is not common to the earth in the manner of man or rock, but instead his presence descends purely by His own will and is invoked by His ordinance. Thus all sacred presence originates in Heaven and proceeds downward; and therefore it is not seized by man, but granted by the Lord who reigns above the planes. Hence, to be close to GOD is to call upon Him, and to beseech Him to reply.

And as it is written that to pray is to gird the spirit, and that the hand of GOD is the greatest weapon to bear, it is therefore the conclusion natural to reach that prayer is no simple ornament of a faithful, but is instead discipline and armament of the soul. To neglect to pray is to stand unguarded in your soul. For prayer aligns the spirit with the Word, and the Word with the will of GOD. It is through prayer that men submit themselves beneath the throne of the Seventh Sky; humbling and prostrating themselves before the Lord who is without equal.

And when Horen feared separation from his Creator, he sought no earthly reassurance nor did he commit grand works to His name, but instead he committed the most simple act known to man: he prayed. He presented himself as a humble servant before GOD, and by doing so he received a message. And as Horen received divine revelation through prayer, so too did the Prophet Owyn in a moment of weakness and desperation call out to the Lord, and the Lord did answer. And the Lord answered. And thus it is so that prayer is the bridge between the infinite cavern which separates the World and the Skies. And this bridge is formed not by man diminishing GOD’s height, but by God lifting man towards him. Through prayer is the distance innately wrought by sin lessened, and man stands symbolically before the throne which he can never reach. Therefore, the place appointed for prayer is no hall of stone and wood, but instead is a meeting ground between Heaven and Earth where men gather to invoke the name of the Lord and the Lord, content with His authority acknowledged and His presence sought, lifts he who seeks Him up, and listens to his prayer. In this manner, the temple of prayer becomes GOD’s earthly court to listen to the woes of his subjects whenever called. That is not to say that prayer outside of church goes unheard, but instead that the holiness of prayer cannot be understated, and therefore the hall dedicated to prayer is innately holy.

 

ON THE INHERENT RIGHT OF SANCTUARY; A CONCLUSIONARY PARAGRAPH

 

It is established within His holy scrolls that where the name of GOD is invoked and the laurel has been placed upon the ground there, that heaven has claimed dominion. Therefore the house of prayer is not merely consecrated for prayer, but instead comes with an additional appointment as refuge for those with a trembling heart, or those who flee hasty wrath. For it is written within the Scroll of Gospel that when corruption and sin surrounded the camp of Horen, the wicked attacked the tabernacle but could not enter it. Thus it is from the beginning of all things that the right of sacred enclosure stands, that the ground claimed by the Lord stands as sanctuary, as barrier from wrath and inequity. For if sin itself could not breach the walls of the ground which GOD had consecrated, then by what right do earthly princes claim to do so by mere earthly warrant?

 

Therefore, sanctuary within the house of prayer comes not from Kings and Princes but by the infinite mercy of GOD. When a man flees into the arms of GOD, and lays himself before the laurel, and grips the altar of his steward, that man is rightly under the protection of the church.  This is not to say that a man is abolished from the guilt of his crimes by requesting the Lord’s mercy; nor is it to say that the good order of law and secular power is to be revolted against. Instead, a man who is within a church is a man who is within the domain of the Lord. And whilst a man may be seized by authority as soon as he leaves the Lord’s domain, the necessity for this sanctuary can not be overstated. To suspend vengeance and to remove the sword from the wrathful guardsman, to allow time for emotions to settle and for good order to return, is to be further in the Lord’s grace; for whilst the Lord is merciful, he is also just, and all men who break the laws of GOD shall be punished in death and all men who break the laws of man shall be punished in life, but any man who stands within a church is under divine judgement. What world would it be to live in, where man thinks he may profane the house of his creator?

 

So long as a man remains within the domain of the Lord he is not shielded from righteous sentence but instead shielded from unrighteous haste. And if a man requires an hour to come to his bearings, let him turn himself in to authority, but if a man seeks a week to starve himself within the bounds of GOD’s domain, then let him do so. For if a Priest cannot storm into a Court and take a man from the magistrate whilst under secular judgement, why should a magistrate storm into a Church and take a man whilst he is under divine judgement? And if any should think to themselves that the crime of the man is so severe that they might storm into GOD’s domain and grasp the man and drag him out, or they might storm into GOD’s domain and slay the man where he stands, then be reminded of the great blasphemy of blood spilled on holy ground with the slaying of Horen, as the earth itself shook with fear of GOD’s righteous wrath.

 

Signed,

Lucien,

Acolyte of the True Faith

[Nectorist 12869]

To the Acolyte Lucien,

 

I answer your thesis with a dialogue:

 

A Holy Woman, and a Man who wished to be Holy, spoke within the halls of a chapel. The Man who wished to be Holy told the Holy Woman 'I come to pray in the temple of the Lord, this place that is most solemn, most sacred, and nearest to Him, for when we are within the temple, we brought close to the spirit of God.'

 

The Holy Woman laughed and said to him 'but have your forgotten the Epistle of the Elves, wherein, the verse fourteen, it is told to us that the Lord God is in all things? To remove the presence of God from things that are far from his temples is to diminish his grace, which has no limits, and his judgement, which has no boundaries. 

 

The Man who wished to be Holy asked then 'but why, then, are we told of being near to God or far from Him? If it is not a measure of the distance of our body to that place in which He dwells, then is not the world our temple, each rock our tabernacle?

 

'The distance spoken of is that of the soul, for it travels to a place that cannot be measured as one would the length between two cities, for this plane is of the Lord, but the Lord is not of this plane, else we would climb to the heavens by a ladder high enough to reach it,' explained the Holy Woman. 'The soul resides within the body, moving with it, yet alignment of the heart and the measures of deed made by the body may allow it to grow nearer and further from the Lord. As said in the Canticle of Diligence, verse six, we draw nearer to His Throne by our labors, both as a literal act, but also as a reflection of the virtue we possess and utilize in service of Him.'

 

'What still, of the temple?' Asked the Man who wished to be Holy. 'What still is its purpose, if we may be near to Him no matter where we are?'

 

'It is within these walls that we are near Him, not as a condition of the inherent qualities of the space, but of our consecration of it as a place of worship, of prayer, of contemplation, and of the orientation of all things towards that which is Holy, as we are called to do so from time to time, so we may leave our worldly pleasures and struggles and devote ourselves entirely to Him,' spoke the Holy Woman. 'It is in the temple that Him and only Him is present, irrespective of state, society, and power. It is why we preserve its sanctity, and see in the bodies of the Faithful naught but the souls which seek to near themselves to the Lord.'

 

HIS HOLINESS, CAIUS II

 

High Priest of the Temple of the True Faith, Successor of Clement and Evaristus, High Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Servant of the Servants of Heaven, Servant of the Holy Flame, Apostle of Saint Lucien, Envoy of Aeldin, High Servant to the Prophet’s Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of GOD