© 2012 Marvin E. Fuller
"'The Phoenix then spoke unto Jehlikael, "When the world lay young under the AllCreator's Eye, My father taught Me the wisdom his father taught him and his before him. As I am thy Mother by virtue of My empire, So thou are My son by virtue of My subject. As My father passed unto his Daughter, so I pass unto My children."'"
Father Louie looked at his congregation, the rabbit making eye contact with as many of those in attendance as he could. He noted the cougar noble listened attentively in one of the front pews, a human and two wolves flanking him. Louie didn't let their presence nor his unfamiliarity with whomever the local nobility might be bother him.
He did know several of the opossums scattered throughout the congregation. Ol' Bill was the most notable, sitting on the other front pew as his place as one of the town's most influential citizens. Beside him, his elder son Bert and Bert's fiancée Lulubelle obliviously held each other's paw as they listened to Louie's sermon. Bert and Lulubelle would be married soon, the first wedding ceremony Louie had the honor of officiating. Louie easily forgave their paw-holding, recognizing it as a sign of the love between the two, something he believed spoke well of their future together.
Truth be told, Louie didn't like the fire and brimstone sorts of priests who took offense at such a small token of affection during a sermon. He believed honey worked better than vinegar to attract those seeking solace from a harsh world. If they converted, great, but if not, Louie didn't worry too much about it. Unlike many members of the cloth, including some in his own order, he understood the Way of the Phoenix wasn't necessarily the right path to salvation for everyone, although he had the brains to not say so aloud. He often prayed those treading other paths found their way safely.
Right now, helping the folk living in and around the town of Pyrinth required him to guide them through the shock and grief still lingering from a recent raid by walking undead. Everyone in town had known a friend or relative who had been among the undead or had died to power them. Even a fortnight later, some townsfolk still walked about in a daze, not yet ready to accept the horrible reality. Something needed to be done to jolt them into facing their pain.
"'"My father spoke of many things, but first came this advice: Do unto others as thou would have them do unto thee. He who brings grief upon those undeserving of it brings grief upon himself. He who gives selflessly to others shall be blessed in return. He who passes unwise judgment upon others shall be himself cruelly judged. He who judges with compassion and wisdom shall reap many blessings. He who heaps sin upon his fellows shall know only the grave. He who brings virtues to his fellows shall know life beyond death."'"
Louie didn't need to read this part of his copy of the Libri Paxi, having memorized large chunks of it during his time among the clergy. Considering his bad habit of unconsciously pacing when caught up in a sermon, it was just as well he knew by heart much of the main religious text of the Way of the Phoenix. He left the book open on the lectern anyway for formalities' sake.
"Please allow me to be honest with you here," Louie stepped back from the lectern, signaling he now spoke for himself instead of reciting from the Libri. "The wisdom of the Great Phoenix's forefathers comes from a time when the world as we now know it had yet to come into being. As such, this wisdom is both very old and more importantly, transcends the Way. They spoke not just to the Great Phoenix and her followers, but to all people regardless of our beliefs."
In his youth, Louie would have dismissed such a claim as heretical. Insisting one of the Way's most important tenets as having also been developed by other, sometimes apparently contradictory philosophies seemed like faithlessness towards the AllCreator and His prophetess, Pax the Great Phoenix. However, religious debates with his fellow clerics lead him to research just what he argued about so he wouldn't look so silly when cornered on some bit of logic. The disgust he subsequently felt over his previously narrow-minded and incomplete understanding of the scriptures and the hypocrisy of many of his fellow clerics might have lead others to wander off on their own pilgrimages for the truth or rebel angrily against the Church, but Louie quickly moved past his crisis of faith – thanks to sage advice from a guru of another religion no less! Thanks to that wise guru, he now understood his role in life, not as one who dictated to others one "right" way to salvation, but as a guide who helped them find their own paths.
Years later, standing in front of his own flock, he knew he still had a long ways to go in his spiritual journey. He looked forward to it with relish.
"The paynim of Rhydia know it as 'Respect thy neighbor as thy neighbor should respect thee,'" continued Louie. "The gurus of the Yihanni speak of, 'The spear in the Other's heart is the spear in thy heart.' Even those who refuse to believe in anything understand this simple truth.
"Why then, you may ask, should the Great Phoenix remind us of this universal truth? If everyone knows and understands this golden rule, why should She include it among Her teachings? If you have a good idea why, you're doing better than I did," Louie gave them a lop-sided smile, one long ear flopped to the side. Unfortunately, everyone listened too raptly to return his grin.
"After much thinking and debate, this is the answer I came up with. As we have seen throughout time, there are those who ignore wisdom in their haste to bring strife and pain to their fellows. I need not remind you of the recent losses you have endured from several such individuals. Instead of wondering why the Great Phoenix felt compelled to share us Her timeless wisdom, I questioned why so many felt the need to disregard it. Do they believe they are exempt from the tenets that bind us together as a people? Do they enjoy hurting others or are they simply ignorant of the suffering they bring? If they bring harm unto others, perhaps they want to be harmed in return?
"The only answer I can offer you is that I believe those who hurt others are giving permission to be hurt in return. When you ignore others in your journey through life, you are telling them to ignore you in return. When you visit pain upon your fellows, you invite pain in return. When you bless your neighbor, offer them selfless love, a shoulder to cry on, or a kind word to brighten their day, you are opening yourself to their blessings and love in return. Please remember we are all in this world together and anything we can do to make it easier on others shall make it better for ourselves. This is what I believe Pax wanted us to understand.
"And now, since Missus Coonacutty's feet are starting to twitch back and forth," Louie grinned good-naturedly as the raccoon lady tried to still her shifting feet in mild embarrassment. "I shall take that as a sign that I have rambled on long enough. If you would be so kind as to join me in singing, 'Up to the Heaviside Layer'?"
As the members of his congregation lifted their voices in the hymn, Louie hoped his message would be taken to heart by the townsfolk. The soul of one of them depended upon it.
