TRILOGY: Bk I, Ch 38 (Jackass for the Hour)

No such thing as freedom of conscience

“Christ Jesus, rising from the dead secundum carnem, according to the flesh, is God of the living and the dead. He is King of kings, Lord of lords. He draws all to Himself as the First-Born of all creation, which was created through Him and for Him, Who is before all things, and in Whom all things hold together. He is the Head of the Body, the Church, the First-Born from the dead…”

•••—•••—•••

Although the Holy Father was on fire with these words he was paraphrasing from Saint Paul, Cardinal Fidèle was fighting off sleep, the first time this had happened to him since he had lost his Faith after his ordination to the priesthood so many decades previous to this night. The weight of the reality of the past days was pressing upon him, and the burns were draining him of energy. The bandages over his eyes encouraged him to sleep.

•••—•••—•••

Pope Tsur-Ēzer, meanwhile, was enthusiastically instructing the Lord’s flock about how Christ as King reigns directly, creating all, holding all in existence, being the Lord of History, especially through Sacred Tradition, the Rule of Faith, as he liked to describe it. “The Holy Spirit transforms the person by Faith, sanctifying grace, forming us into the very Body of Christ. The Head of that Body is not just a Sovereign, but is intimately united with His subjects, as intimately as the head of a body is united with other parts of the body, ruling over them, providing for them, caring for them, at one with them. The members of Christ’s Body reign with Him. This personal unity with the Head of the Body, with the Lord of History, is possible, in God’s grace, for anyone, of any time and of any place. Christ is All and in all. We are a chosen race,” he emphasised, citing his predecessor, Saint Peter, “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people…”

•••—•••—•••

Cardinal Fidèle was now sound asleep, dreaming of the words of padre Emet, to whom he had gone to Confession that afternoon with imperfect contrition, not knowing, when he began the Confession, how to do anything beyond being afraid of the loss of heaven and afraid of the pains of hell. His dream skipped over the absolution and brought him to his special library in his apartment at San Calisto. He saw the folios of the ancient manuscript of Book XI of the Confessions of Saint Augustine turning over, one after the other. He began to notice the importance of the incarnation of the Son of God in His sovereignty over time, over those who live in time, Abraham and Moses included, so that…

He was nudged awake by Father Alexámenos, who didn’t want the Cardinal to make a fool of himself, for he had started to snore. The Prelate opened his eyes just a fraction, but could see only bright white light filtering through the gauze covering his scorched eyelids and face. The next words he heard were those of the Holy Father, who continued his sermon.

•••—•••—•••

“Christ was not only anointed by the Holy Spirit to be King, for He is also a Prophet, the One speaking the Word of Truth. He is the Word of the Father. The Spirit-breathed words of Sacred Scripture speak of the one Word of the Father. When we read those words, hear those words, have those words written into our hearts, spoken into our souls as Christ the Word draws us to Himself to be the very members of His Body, presenting us to the Father Who speaks that Word Who is Jesus, we are then drawn to assent to them, to be formed by them, to be united willingly, in all Hope, with the Living Word. There is no freedom of conscience, as if our consciences could speak prophetically by judging as good what, instead, is contrary to the Spirit of Truth. Since we cannot always perceive clearly after Adam’s sin and our own sin what is good and right, believers choose to have their consciences guided by the Church, the Body of the Living Word of Truth, the Head of the Church. Believers are obliged, in conscience, by God, to assent to the Truth. All, as they come to know the Truth, are obliged to give their consent, so that…”

•••—•••—•••

It was at this point that Shaykh al-Hasan and Shaykh al-Husayn were both distracted by their own thoughts. Shaykh al-Hasan was soon to be baptised, and Shaykh al-Husayn was formally to reenter the Catholic Church. They both thought of what it meant to be within the fold of a religion, the one and only true religion, which was not a religion of a book, like Islam, but was a religion of a Living Word, that of the very Son of God. The words of the Holy Father were like a symphony playing in the background of their thoughts. They only heard some of his words with attention. “The Word of God is not a dead letter…” explained the Holy Father.

“As if we are to give life to that letter with our own dead souls,” thought Shaykh al-Hasan and Shaykh al-Husayn, finishing the sentences of the Pontiff with the experience of their own lives.

“For we would only be reading about ourselves…” said the Holy Father.

“Which could only bring violence and division,” thought Shaykh al-Hasan and Shaykh al-Husayn. All the words of the trial came back to them. They now recognised Islam as a Judaeo-Christian heresy post-dating Pelagius and coming before the Protestant Reformation. They were both pleased to hear Islam critiqued. They had converted. They did not want to avoid the Truth.

“It is Christ Jesus Who is speaking,” said the Pontiff, now standing up, “but we must listen! – Ascoltatelo – Ipsum audite – This is My beloved Son, said our Heavenly Father. Listen to Him!”

•••—•••—•••

Finally, concluding his sermon, the Holy Father spoke about Christ being anointed not only as King and Prophet, but also as Priest Who offered the Sacrifice of Praise, of Thanksgiving, of Himself as the Son of the Father. “He is the Sacrifice in which all our sacrifices, the sacrifices of the members of His Body, are taken up and offered to the Father, Who has reconciled us by the Blood of Jesus’ Cross, having us give Witness before all of heaven and earth to the reality of the Most Holy Trinity, a kind of Magisterium of Charity. “This Priesthood of Christ,” continued Pope Tsur-Ēzer, “shines out from within us, bearing witness with unspeakable joy to the indwelling of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, the shared Good of all those in heaven. Heaven begins now in a very real way with sanctifying grace. The least extent to which we have Charity for those on this earth is the greatest extent to which we will have Charity for anyone else, and is, therefore, the greatest extent to which we will have any union of Charity with the Most High. Hating the sinner and his sin to the extent that one doesn’t want him to convert means that one also hates God. Hating the sinner and his sin to the extent that one does want him to convert means that one loves him and God. It is fitting that as one grows in Charity as time proceeds, one gains a greater appreciation of timeless eternity, even though the blessed vision of that Living Charity is not yet seen directly.”

Pope Tsur-Ēzer went on at length about Matthew 16,19 and 18,18 – along with what it meant for him, as a Jewish High Priest, to sit on the cathedra of Moses – demonstrating that God’s true children all have the same capacity for the Faith, which is given by God univocally to all, and that infallibility has a limited function appropriate to the Father of the whole Family of Faith. As he did so, Shelomoh realised more radically how his Jewish and Catholic Faith were the same. The only difference was that he was now able to assent more properly to Him Who had always been there for him. He knew he was not abandoning one Faith for another.

“The sheep are not afraid of Papal Infallibility,” added the Holy Father. “It is the Lord’s voice the sheep hear. It is Peter, the successor of Peter, who must have a reverential, filial fear before the throne of the Most High. When Peter binds or loosens, deciding matters not only with a primacy of jurisdiction, but also of infallibility, interpreting Revelation, Scripture together with Tradition, he does so at his own peril, for our Lord did not promise to confirm Peter’s words, so that whatever Peter would bind or loose on earth would only then be bound or loosened in heaven, as a kind of divine afterthought. No. Our Lord said that whatever Peter would bind or loosen on earth would already stand bound or loosened in heaven. Peter could not, cannot, and will never be able to bind or loosen on earth what has not already been bound or loosened in heaven since before the universe was created. The Orthodox have nothing to envy in the Pope.”

•••—•••—•••

A large number of people were to be Baptised that night, the last of whom were Shelomoh, Eliyahu and al-Hasan. As they lined up, Shelomoh couldn’t help making some quiet comments. “When Pharaoh’s charioteers were drowned when the sea crashed down upon them after Moses and our Fathers went through the parted waters of the sea on dry ground, a song of victory rose to the heavens against those who sinfully enslaved us. They escaped just as Noah did from his perverse generation. But when our Fathers were baptised by John in the Jordan river, they were confessing that they were sinners who should be drowned in the waters for having enslaved the Chosen People in sin in their own day. When Jesus was baptised, He was asking our Heavenly Father that He might receive the punishment of the worst of sinners, even though He was innocent of all sin. He said that He could hardly wait until His Baptism was fulfilled during His crucifixion, death and resurrection. When He was baptised, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove. When we receive Baptism and Confirmation in the Holy Spirit, Who is the very Fire cast upon us by Christ Jesus, He will constitute us as members of the Body of Christ, taking us through, with and in Christ to the Father. We will be strengthened to bear witness to the life of the Holy Trinity dwelling within us. The ‘veil’ will be lifted; in heaven, we will see…”

“Præstet fides supplementum, sensuum defectui,” interrupted Eliyahu, citing the Eucharistic hymn of Thomas Aquinas. “God grants us Faith for what we lack in our senses. We see our Heavenly Father’s face with Faith through our Eucharistic Lord, the Lamb Abraham desired to offer, our Passover Lamb, who takes away the sins of the world.”

The line of those about to be Baptised wound its way around the baldachin, but halted before going up the steps to the Papal Altar, which had been built directly over where Saint Peter was buried. Final preparations were being made for the Baptisms. As they waited, Eliyahu was distracted by what the others to be Baptised were wearing. The Pope had requested they wear – if presentable – the ceremonial clothes of their former religions or of their nations of origin. The Japanese and Korean women wore colourful and delicate designs. Splashes of orange were present from India and Asia. Much red and gold could be seen on those from Africa. Shelomoh wore the most traditional outfit he could muster for a Rabbi. Eliyahu, however, simply wore his Military dress uniform, which hardly had enough room for all the medals he had earned in the few years he had been a soldier. Shaykh al-Hasan dressed in traditional Muslim attire. All of these outfits had a pedagogical effect. All of them, after their Baptisms, would be covered with a white garment reaching to their feet. One woman, however, grabbed the attention of all in the Basilica. They began to point at her and murmur loudly. Some loved to see it. Some were clearly disappointed at the baptism of such a person – besides Shaykh al-Hasan – but did not interrupt the ceremony. She was wearing a full Afghan silk chadri, an exquisite, almost neon blue material which completely covered her face, having only the tiniest slit for her eyes. Even that opening was composed of a screen through which, it seemed, one could not see anything anyway. She certainly could not be seen. That, however, would soon change during the Baptism.

“Who is she?” whispered Eliyahu to Shelomoh.

“How can I know!” replied Shelomoh. “Maybe she’s from Afghanistan. At any rate, what I do know,” he continued, changing the subject again, “is that we Jews have always had the same Faith as Catholics. It is only now that I understand that Baptism is, for us, grace upon grace, as Saint John the Evangelist says, especially for the benefit of us, his fellow Jews. We had grace given to us. Many became saints. Now we know the grace of the Incarnate Son of God in our midst… It is the New and Eternal Covenant fulfilling the Old Covenant: grace upon grace.”

“But who’s that woman?” insisted Eliyahu.

Shelomoh ignored him, turning his attention to Pope Tsur-Ēzer, who, just before the Baptisms began, recited Isaiah 53 from memory, ending with 54,5, overtaken by emotion…

It was soon the turn of the woman wearing the blue silk chadri to be Baptised. Instead of removing the veil herself, she bowed in the direction of the Holy Father. It is he who removed this from her, revealing a vibrant, young face, flowing hair, happy, dancing eyes, and a smile the whole world had to see, and did see, as the media were ready for that instant when her veil was to be removed.

“She’s the one I saw last Monday evening after the trial!” exclaimed Eliyahu, not realising that he said this loudly enough for half of those in the Basilica to hear. This almost made her turn to look in his direction, but she controlled herself. Eliyahu was immediately elbowed by Shelomoh, but Eliyahu whispered to him: “It’s meant to be! Us, herself and myself. She’s so brave, so beautiful, so…”

Shelomoh pushed Eliyahu up the stairs, shushing him. It was almost time for them to be baptised, but then, when they were standing on top of the small staircase, Shelomoh whispered to him: “She risked her life in getting Baptised, dressed like that. That’s impressive. She didn’t want to miss this chance to witness to her new found Faith to the whole world.” Immediately after her Baptism the Holy Father held out to her another veil, this time, transparent white lace, so different from the inhumanely oppressive veil she had been wearing.

While Pope Tsur-Ēzer recited the Trinitarian formula for the Baptisms, he used each person’s new, Christian name. Eliyahu heard the woman’s name: Havah. Shelomoh – named after Solomon, the immediate Son of King David – changed his name to Ben David, in honour of Jesus, called the Son of David in the Gospels. Eliyahu became Yehezqēl, in view of Ezekiel 3 and 34. Shaykh al-Hasan became Paul. Al-Husayn, already Baptised, started to use his Christian name of Timothy, and was publicly absolved of his apostasy, which caused another wave of approval to break over the crowd, though this same wave was mixed with a growing negative reaction. Both al-Hasan and al-Husayn knew they were both at risk of becoming martyrs that very night.

•••—•••—•••

After the deacon sang the dismissal to the Easter Vigil with the redoubled alleluia, and after Pope Tsur-Ēzer had given the final blessing, the Pontiff announced: “God willing, you may expect to see published soon an Apostolic Constitution.”

“There couldn’t be a better time to announce this,” he continued, trying to interrupt the applause, “than at the end of this Easter Vigil, especially considering that it is also the twenty fifth of March, when the Word of God the Father took on a human nature, becoming the Word made Flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary…” However, dead silence ensued when, not having spoken of the document’s content and, after a moment’s hesitation, he concluded, stressing each word: “A code of conduct will be appended, demanding that Catholics invite non-believers, including Muslims, to believe in Christ Jesus, abandoning their error that leads only to violence and death. Catholics are to witness unto death, manifesting Faith in the resurrection.”

The suffocating tension of yet unspoken rebellion was felt immediately by all those present, for there were not a few who were now severely agitated. The words of the Pontiff in the circumstances of those days were, all knew, a call to martyrdom coming from someone who was, with this pronouncement, already as good as dead.

Among those who knew the consequences of his words were the nuns of Mater Ecclesiae convent. There was always a priest available to offer Mass for them in the convent, though after the pandemic, this night was an exception. They attended Mass in the Basilica, taking their place just in front and below the baldachin, in the crypt, before the tomb of Saint Peter, but with a partial view of the Papal Altar above. Father Lia-Fail attended Mass with them and informed Mother Bernadette, as he had been instructed, that the Holy Father and some guests would come to the convent for a short ‘recreation’. He could hardly get the words out, torn, as he was, with enthusiasm and worry about what the Holy Father had said. He accompanied the nuns out of the Basilica, to their delight, through the scavi, the archaeological excavations traversing diverse millennia of history underneath the great edifice. This brought them out on the southern side of the Basilica, just where Peter had been crucified. The nuns arrived at the convent before the others, giving them time to prepare some biscuits and tea. But when they were just coming up to the convent, they instantaneously fell as one person to their knees…

•••—•••—•••

The skies above Rome, from Circo Massimo to the Campo dei Fiori to the Vatican, were in disarray with aircraft belonging to the media and the police; some of those who had died from the virus the past week were responsible for radio communications. The powerful search lights of the helicopters flying over Vatican City – ignoring the crowds in front of the Basilica – were directed at any movement on Vatican Hill behind the Basilica. Any story was a good story to broadcast. They had harassed the nuns returning to their convent as well as Pope Tsur-Ēzer and the others when they followed some minutes later, having started, as they did, from the Sistine Chapel side of the Basilica. Those with internet-enabled phones, usable from various places inside the Basilica, followed events happening outside. No one was in a rush to leave, or to have them leave, knowing it would take much time for the crowds to disperse in the piazza and the streets in that area of the city. Some people were happy to think that things were back to ‘normal’ once again.

•••—•••—•••

The Holy Father stopped walking. Before going to the Convent they went up to the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes high up on Vatican Hill. He spent some long moments in prayer, begging for the intercession of the Immaculate Conception, the Virgin Mother of God. All were silent. Except for the helicopters, Rome was silent, perhaps more than it had been since the plagues of the Middle Ages. But silence was not an apt description. There was, strangely – what with all the death, and the ashes – a sense of magnificence. Something was extraordinarily special about this night.

“He’s right,” interjected padre Emet on behalf of Father Lia-Fail’s insistent request, breaking the momentary silence after the conversation they had been having up to this point. “You don’t know what might happen. You have the knowledge and, God willing, the grace… Your Holiness, you do have the authority. Do it now! We are your witnesses. Write the Apostolic Constitution this very night and seal it with your ring, a decretum bullæ. Date it this night.”

The Holy Father did not answer. He could not. Christ Jesus, still bearing the wounds of the crucifixion upon Him, on His hands and feet, and Heart, was suddenly right in front of them. Though they could not see Him, they knew He was there. The Holy Father sank to his knees, as did the others, spontaneously so, except for Cardinal Fidèle, who would have remained in his wheelchair even if he could have arisen. He alone did not notice the presence of the Living God, the enthusiasm of the ever youthful Saviour. No one paid attention to just how cold the air was at that hour, now 3:00 A.M., except for Cardinal Fidèle. The gauze wrapped on his burnt face only made the cold air more biting. The Pope could sense his restlessness, for he was kneeling to the side of the wheelchair he had been pushing for the Cardinal, and was leaning on one of its handles. The Pontiff broke the silence and said, “I know what you think, Alexámenos, but what about you, Fidèle?” Soliciting advice from the Prelate was meant as an encouragement, a vote of confidence. The rest looked at each other, amazed at these events, though Father Alexámenos seemed to be looking directly at Christ.

“I agree with Emet,” Cardinal Fidèle replied, with uncharacteristic simplicity.

“Ben David?” pressed the Holy Father.

Yes, Tsur-Ēzer, the Most High is with us, Christ Jesus. I only add that if you do this now, at this hour, you vindicate the prophets of old and the martyrs of our own day, whom you will join. It cannot be avoided. It is too much for the world to bear. The fulness of witness will be required. If I can speak for all, then I say that we are all with you, even if we shall die with you.” He said this as a prophecy, though neither he nor the others knew the timing of its fulfilment.

The Pontiff wanted to test them, knowing that the apostles had given such an assurance to Christ, only to run away from the Cross. “The ‘code of conduct’ to be attached to the Apostolic Constitution,” he stated, “seems so intolerant that it will push the world into submitting us to a ‘Final Solution’.”

“Truth is so intolerant of the narrowness of non-truth that it is willing to demonstrate the Life of this Truth unto death, for Truth is living, and lives on after death,” said Ben David. “It is remaining on the cross that will encourage people to believe. Proselytising that uses coercion is to be rejected, but this does not mean that there can be no vigorous invitation!”

The Pontiff looked at Father Lia-Fail with a mischievous enthusiasm typical of Father Alexámenos, and again repeated the words uttered in another Garden, “Arise! Let us be going!”

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Chapter 39 coming soon…

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