September 20th Service - Restoration
Good evening, one and all. Happy Restoration!
I see many tired faces in our little nest tonight. Some of you must have been hard at work in the neighboring land of Ishgard! I, myself, went to aid the efforts-- albeit I made sure that nobody knew who I was! I was luckily lost in the sea of faces, but I feel like my knights have aged twenty years!
In our reading tonight, we spoke about how the First Saint lived. She was but a mere peasant, poorer than poor. She barely had anything to eat and had to drink dirty water. I see her life reflected back into the lives of Ishgard’s poorest. The Dragonsong war has taken much from them, and prior to Restoration, I fear that they had little in the way of succor.
But what goodness you have in your hearts! What goodness to go and spend your days toiling in the hot sun in the Diadem to bring back precious material for the Firmament. What goodness you have to build Ishgard’s poorest from the ground up, to give them new lives and hope!
Aye, some of you may say it is merely for the prestige, for the good name, and this may be true for some. There are people out there who swindle and cheat to earn their riches and reputation. But for those of you who have worked your hands bloody, know this-- Dodo sees you, and he is proud. Dodo knows the goodness and evil in the hearts of men, and his heart soars at the sight of your good deeds!
What drives men to such lengths, when there is no coin to be found in Restoration? Ishgard offers scant much in the ways of reward, their coffers long poured into the Firmament. When I went to the Firmament to aid in the work, I did not expect to see many foreign faces. I was surprised to see that the plazas and roads were packed with volunteers, all doing hard, dangerous work with no promise of reward.
I toiled alongside many of you in Featherfall this week. Where my short legs could not take me, someone was willing to pick me up and take me along. Where my strength failed, someone stronger than I helped me. And I asked one fellow why-- I said, “Why is it that you are helping me? Your work would be done faster if you did not have to help mine.”
This fellow smiled at me and said, “If my work is done, and yours is not, then what good are we?”
I was struck. It is so easy to see the bad in people these days. We hear of it all the time; war, famine, hatred, disregard for our most vulnerable. We can even turn a critical eye to Ishgard and say that because they chose to abandon us in our time of need, we should not need to help their people when they need us.
But that is foolish thinking. What good is it to perpetuate the cycle of hatred? One is not required to forgive, nay, that is not what I am saying-- but if our hearts are open to the suffering of others, then perhaps we all might be able to share in that feeling, to empathize with our neighbor.
That man saw me suffering in Featherfall. He did not have to help me, but he chose to, out of nothing more than empathy. And that, my children-- that is a gift. Empathy for your fellow man is one of the greatest things Dodo has given us. It was Dodo’s empathy that saved me from starving out in the desert as a child. It was empathy that led the First Martyr to give me this house, this church.
Empathy, love, hope… these are all things that we must hold dear to us, my children. Our First Saint became a Saint because Dodo empathized with her, and chose to walk by her side. She was the first to hear his Words, and she was the poorest of the poor. She had no glittering jewels, no fine silks, and certainly no warm house.
And yet, it was the poorest of the poor that founded this Church. Her empathy was what made me the Rock of the Church and the First of Her Name. And in Ishgard, we see the poor band together to help each other when no one else will-- and now their cries for release have finally been answered.
There is still a long way to go. There are still struggles we must endure. But if we are steadfast and hold together, trusting in one another and in Dodo, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.
Remember this, my children. As long as someone says it is wrong to hope, you must tell them they are wrong every time. For it is hope that bears empathy, and empathy bears love. And hope will always see us through.
Happy Restoration! We are so, so proud of you.
