The Church of Dodo

Good evening, everybody. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’m very sorry for the lack of services. I’m afraid that ever since my confirmation into consecrated life, I was struck with an illness most foul! I was trapped in bed for most of the past two weeks, and only recently have I felt well enough to preach.

And worse still, I was struck with melancholy. As you can imagine, it’s not easy to write when you feel like the whole world’s pressing down on you. It’s not easy to do, well, much of anything when you feel like that. It’s a crippling, stifling feeling, and as much as I wanted to get out of bed and try to be active again, I kept talking myself out of it. “No, why bother? No, let’s not…”

Have you felt that way before too? Like you just want to curl up into a tight little ball and not talk to anybody? Sometimes I want to make a ball and sleep for eons, like how Dodo did when the world was young.

But even Dodo had to wake up sometimes. He still had great things to do, and mercy to spread! As much as he slept and kept to himself, Dodo couldn’t be alone forever. And if he hadn’t left his nest, he wouldn’t have been able to spread his mercy, and give a listening ear to those who need it-- like the bird and the moogle in our reading-- or been given mercy himself.

The bird and the moogle had every reason to fight, or so they believed. They had been wronged by the other, and they were going to fight the other until they admitted they were wrong. But what the two of them needed, honestly, was a kind, listening ear. Dodo did not need to say anything; all he had to do was show them that he was there, and he was listening.

I feel like sometimes, that’s what we truly need. Sometimes we don’t need someone to come in and magically fix all our problems, or tell us how to fix the things that bother us. Sometimes we just want someone to be there for us. Sometimes we need someone to lean upon, someone that we know is listening. “I’m here for you. I love you. I am listening.” And that’s what Dodo does for all of us! When we are at our lowest, we must never forget that we aren’t ever alone. Dodo walks alongside us, even when we can’t see him, and he is always there, waiting for us to lean into his feathery bosom and take refuge in his love. When you feel like coiling up into that tight little ball, you must remember that Dodo is waiting there for you, to listen to you when you feel ready.

And even Dodo needed mercy at some points. In the advancing advent of man, Dodo was worshipped less and less as the Father of the Gods, and all his powers weakened. He wasn’t seen as divine anymore. People were very cruel to him, thinking he was naught more than a dumb beast.

But the First Saint saw this poor, pitiful creature, and fed him when no one else would. She took mercy on him and ended up saving him from a painful, withering end. Isn’t it astonishing what mercy can do? What it can do to a man that seeks refuge?

I forgot that lesson while in my sickness, and in my melancholy. I shrank away and said that I didn’t need help. I didn’t need my friends to talk to me-- I just had to endure. And sometimes, that’s all you can do, but… Know this. You need not suffer alone anymore. Pour out your heart’s sadnesses and regrets to Dodo, and know that no matter how pained your heart, no matter how bad you may feel… Dodo loves you. He loves you so, so much.

Friends, please remember; you are never alone in your journeys. Even if you walk the dusty paths by yourself, even if you walk under the shade of night, you are never, ever alone. You have not been forsaken. Dodo will always guide you and light your path. 

And he will remind you that you have friends and family to lean upon. Please don’t lock your sadness away for no one to see or hear. You are loved. You are loved by someone. Sometimes you just need a reminder-- and there’s no shame in that. Dodo coaxed me out of bed to confide in the bosom of my knights. Dodo may do the same for you, for the gift of mercy is one he gave to every person.

You may feel that you have a long way to go. That the road ahead is one you must take alone, or the struggles you face you must endure by yourself. That isn’t true. If you reach your hand out… I’m sure someone will be there to take it.

We will now prepare ourselves to partake in Holy Communion. Sometimes our souls cry out for mercy, for nourishment and succor, and Holy Communion does just that for us. It links us back to Dodo, and makes our friendship with him stronger than ever. It is meant to soothe our spiritual hunger-- and our spiritual pain. When we partake in the food that sustained him when he was at his lowest, we can better accept and spread the gift of mercy, and bring ourselves closer to our savior.

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.