recolle | CLOSED ✠ A Catholic, a Jew and a Pagan walk into a bar...

[This Palm Sunday Mass is mostly quite similar to any other Catholic mass Judah may have attended before, save the palm fronds everybody is holding (or, if they're a kid, probably fiddling with and folding into shapes.) There's the usual series of readings and hymns, of standings up and sittings down, but then when Gospel reading rolls around things go off script; or rather, they go on a script.]

[In addition to the typical lay reader behind the lectern, there are also three men standing in at the front of the church facing the congregation; two laymen to either side, and Father Karl himself in the middle wearing his (also non-typical) bright red vestments. Most of the congregation are opening folded printouts which had apparently been pre-distributed to all the pews before mass began. After a few moments of silence and a dimming of the lights, the woman at the lectern solemnly begins narrating:]

Hear the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Matthew. [A short pause.]

[The narrator:]
One of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said,

[The man to Karl's left speaks:]
What will you give me if I betray him to you?

[The narrator:]
They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

[The narrator goes on to describe Jesus and his disciples making arrangements for their Passover meal, with the man to Karl's right reading for the disciples and Karl himself as Jesus.]

[The narrator:]
When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said,

[Karl:]
Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.

[The narrator:]
And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another,

[The man to Karl's right:]
Surely not I, Lord?

[The narrator:]
Jesus answered,

[Karl:]
The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.

[The narrator:]
Judas, who betrayed him, said,

[The man to Karl's left:]
Surely not I, Rabbi?

[The narrator:]
Jesus replied,

[Karl:]
You have said so.

[The scene moves on to Jesus praying on the Mount of Olives, where his disciples repeatedly fall asleep instead of keeping vigil with him.]

[Karl:]
Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.

[The narrator:]
While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying,

[The left-hand man:]
The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him.

[The narrator:]
At once he came up to Jesus and said,

[The left-hand man:]
Greetings, Rabbi!

[The narrator:]
and kissed him. Jesus said to him,

[Karl:]
Friend, do what you are here to do.

[The narrative continues, as Jesus is captured and brought before the Sanhedrin and Peter denies knowing him. Notably, the lines of all of the accusers are reserved for the congregation as a whole to read aloud together from their booklets. Then,]

[The narrator:]
When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said,

[The left-hand man:]
I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.

[The narrator :]
But they said,

[The congregation:]
What is that to us? See to it yourself.

[The narrator:]
Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself.

[The familiar narrative moves on, through the scourging and the crucifixion, and while the man on the right reads for Pilate and the congregation continues to voice the accusers and the jeering spectators, the man on the left bows his head and does not speak again.]

[A lot of these things need to be taken with a grain of salt anyway, they don't give the motives of all people involved. So maybe it's that lack of insight, maybe it's the fact that he shares a name with the traitor. Or that he's always thought Judas was a bit too much of a stereotype and sees it as a jab at Jews in general (with everything that's weighted in the name...). Either way he didn't think it would end up feeling uncomfortable, but it does, a bit. It's interesting, but he doesn't join in on the crowd's lines, and it only leaves him wanting to know specifics.

He waits a little while in the pews, allowing others to thank Karl or ask their questions first until he's fairly sure he won't be monopolising his time. Then Judah approaches, a little sheepish as he wonders if it's entirely appropriate to be asking questions on a gospel, as if he's directly questioning it and its authenticity.]

I appreciate your invitation, Father. I didn't imagine the reading would be so interactive, the congregation seemed to really enjoy it.

[Karl is just waving goodbye to a delightful old lady parishioner as Judah approaches, so he still has a smile on his face and a bit of a chuckle in his voice as he turns to him and answers.]

Not too much, I hope! That would defeat the liturgical point a bit, I should think.

[Then he really notices Judah's sheepishness, and a more circumspect look passes across his features.]

What did you think of it?

[It's early afternoon when Yukiko pulls into the parking lot of the church, her as yet unpainted Mystery Machine locked behind her. She's mindful of herself, leaving her pentacle necklace and other pagan adornments in the van. It's polite, she reasons, and she doesn't want to risk annoying the priest more than she might with some of her questions. That was also why she'd made sure to come well after services ended, not wanting to intrude.

Pushing open the doorway, she steps into the church and sighs, glad she hasn't burst into flames or anything. One thing she can always say for Catholic churches in particular is they feel sort of weighty. It's nice, comfortable, if not necessarily her kind of comfort. Looking around, she's not sure where to head, so she calls out.]

Hello?

[When Yukiko arrives Karl is in the front left of the church kneeling at the rail of a small bye-altar there, with a statue of the Virgin Mary and several rows of votive candles. Between his conversation with Judah this morning and the experience of his first... vision, hallucino-memory, whatever it was, he had felt the need for a moment of peace, and he found that nothing calmed his mind quite like praying a rosary.]

[But he'd been expecting her, and so as soon as he hears her call he finishes the prayer he's on, crosses himself and makes a mental note of where he left off before standing and walking toward her. He puts on what he hopes is a comforting smile.]

Miss Amagi. It's a pleasure to see you again.

[Yukiko bows immediately, a little awkward in her motions, but no less pleased. He seemed nice, occupation notwithstanding, and non-judgmental which she hadn't expected. That said, there's been a lot on her mind, and if she looks a little fraught, she can't help it.]

You as well, Father. [A cough.] Thank you for agreeing to speak with me. I...know it'll sound a little strange, but I thought you'd be a good person to bring this stuff up to.

It's...um. Related to those weird things that Retrospec users have been getting. The visions and stuff.

[Karl doesn't exactly bow back—he's fairly familiar with Japanese culture, but not enough to try and emulate subtle social conventions—but he does offer her a polite tilt of the head in acknowledgement.]

[He also notices the fraught look about her, which even at brief and sporadic acquaintance strikes him as a bit unusual. But after she speaks he can't quite help from letting out a soft, good-natured chuckle.]

My child, I think I've seen and heard about more strange things in the past two months than I have in my whole life. I'd say I'm willing to give just about any "weird" thing you could tell me a fair shake at this point.

Alright. Yes.

[That's absolutely fair. What with everything going on, and everything going down. It's been a weird 2 months, that's for sure, and hearing that makes her relax a little bit more.]

I...feel like there's something inside me then. Not like, physically. But something connected to my thoughts. It's almost like...I don't know, what do people say having a guardian angel feels like?

[Karl blinks, but manages to mostly conceal his surprise at her question. Whatever he thought he'd been expecting, that hadn't been it.]

Well, ah...

[He looks almost embarrassed for a moment. He's never considered himself a man with any particular charism, let alone the discernment of spirits, and besides, he's always been instinctively skeptical of those angel-at-the-bus-stop stories and other kinds of mundane spiritual encounters that one stereotypically reads about in chain emails sent by one's aunt. But Yukiko seems like a very grounded and reasonable girl, and this is obviously very important to her, so he mentally shakes himself and tries to answer her seriously.]

Well, it is indeed a point of Canon that every person has an angel sent by God to guard them from the moment they come into being, to help them in their struggles against temptation and other spiritual dangers. And because angels are purely spirit, without any material body, they generally impart their help to humans through the spiritual part of our own natures, hence, impressions and images in the mind.

[Surprising the priest. One more item checked off her bucket list.

Listening patiently, letting him explain what he's got for her, she takes it in and rolls it over in her thoughts for a moment before nodding. It sounds the same. Similar to that, at least.]

So you think it's possible, then? Maybe that my...um...angel is trying to tell me something? Or at least making itself known? I'm absolutely positive that there's something there, and that it's benevolent. Like it's waiting just outside of sight, barely outside the corner of my thoughts, but it can't speak directly.

Isn't it right that angels can't communicate or interfere directly, outside of special circumstances?

CLOSED ✠ A Catholic, a Jew and a Pagan walk into a bar...

Closed to Judah

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Closed to Yukiko

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