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THIS ROUND IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW PROMPTS.
ROUND FIVE WILL OPEN ON THURSDAY THE 24TH.
ROUND FOUR
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"You look quite handsome in that garb, Steve," Thor told him, and indeed, it was very flattering (but little could not flatter Steve's looks). "But why break out your finery so early in the day?"
Steve opened the door wider. "Well, Thor, I've decided to go back to church."
Thor stroked his chin and pondered over the words. "Church? I have heard the term before, but no one has ever properly explained it to me."
"It's..." Steve sat down on his bed and stared up at Thor thoughtfully. "It's a spiritual place where services are held---they're called Mass. They happen everyday, but most people go on Sundays. Some people say a church is 'God's house.'"
Thor folded his arms across his chest. "And what do you do in your God's house?"
"Think. And talk to God. And listen to the priest and participate in the ceremony."
"What do you say to your God?"
Steve glanced downward. "That's pretty personal. It's usually a mental conversation."
"Interesting. Might I accompany you to church?"
Steve stood up slowly. "I suppose so. But you have to be quiet during Mass."
"Steve, I do understand the concept of reverence."
Steve nodded. "Alright."
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They took the subway to a large, pointy building called St. Patrick's Cathedral, in the heart of the good city of New York. It was as grand as a Midgardian building could be, in a somewhat muted way, Thor thought. Had it been on Asgard, it would be shining and golden, perhaps with silver inlay somewhere. Even so, it was a fine structure, though its surfaces were fading: the stone had cracked off in places and the fascinating stain-glass windows had dulled. As they walked through the heavy doors, Steve told him that they were just beginning to renovate the church and it would take some five years to complete it. Nonetheless, it appeared to Thor to be a hardy place that could withstand ever the most brutal of battles.
"Are all of your God's houses this size?" he asked Steve as they looked for a pew.
"Not really. They come in all shapes and sizes," Steve said quietly. "This is a cathedral basilica. It's a special type of church. I think you could say it's one of God's castles."
"Ah."
Steve finally stopped at a bench he called a pew in the middle of the basilica and bent down on his right knee, and touched his right hand to his forehead, his chest, his left shoulder, and his right one. He stepped into the pew and Thor supposed he should do the same, so he bent down and moved his right hand and fixed his gaze straight ahead as Steve had.
As Thor shuffled into the pew, he could not look away from the sculpture fixed above what he recognized as an altar. The man on the sculpture wore nothing but a loin cloth and some sort of thorny crown as he hanged, nailed a wooden cross. His face was depicted in an expression of extreme pain.
Thor looked down at Steve, who had knelt forward with his eyes closed and his hands folded beneath his chin. "Does your God glorify torture for its own sake?"
Steve's eyes snapped open and he looked up at Thor. "No! What are you talking about?"
"That." Thor pointed at the sculpture.
"Oh. That's...that's Jesus. God's only Son, sent to save us all from sin."
"Why?"
Steve took a deep breath. "The first two humans on Earth exposed humanity to sin by eating a forbidden apple, and Jesus's sacrifice on the cross redeemed everyone because he was born without it. Sin, I mean."
"Intriguing. You know, the legends of Ragnarok say I shall be swallowed by a giant serpent and that shall signal the end."
"That's great, Thor. Could you give me a moment?"
"Of course."
Steve returned to his previous position, so Thor sat down and began to gaze around the cathedral. The stained-glass windows were quite lovely in their faded glory, as were the statues (especially one of a slightly melancholy woman with her hair covered---she was oddly serene), but the people entering the church interested him much more. First, a dozen or so petite women in slate blue sweaters and skirts and matching head covers scuttled down the aisle. The youngest woman spotted Thor and giggled. He smiled at her in return, but one of her elders led her away, towards the front a pews away from the altar's steps. Some more women in similar black garb and head covers followed, as did a few pairs of women in normal clothing who wore small golden corsses around their necks. Something about the way they all carried themselves reminded him of the statue of the melancholy woman---they had the same detached serenity about them. Many elders came as well, both female and male, scattered throughout the pews from front to back. There were also many, many families of all shapes and sizes. A mother, her daughter, and her ginger-haired twin sons sat down beside them. The twins sat right next to Thor---they were perhaps six years old and they stared up at Thor in awe.
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"Gabriel, sssshhh," the twins' mother warned.
"But it is!" Gabriel shook his arms in excitement. "Aren't you?"
Thor grinned but shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not."
"Oh, sorry." The boy's head drooped and he turned away.
The twins' older sister (who was perhaps about thirteen or so) leaned forward and looked from Thor to Steve and back again. "They let gay couples in church now?"
"Mary Claire!" their mother hissed. "You will not talk that way in church. It is perfectly legal, no matter what any sermon says."
"He is not my lover," Thor corrected. Steve kept his eyes determinedly shut. "He is my good and dear friend, and I asked him to show me this sacred place."
Mary Claire rolled her eyes. Her mother elbowed her sharply.
Some formal-sounding music emitted from a gigantic instrument that Steve had called a pipe organ. Steve looked to the back of the church and his eyes grew wide.
"Looks like we got the Cardinal celebrating Mass today," Steve said. He sounded rather surprised.
"Cardinal? Like the baseball team?" Thor had discovered their adventures through the wonders of the YouTube, and he enjoyed them. But to his knowledge, they worshipped a squirrel and a noble man named Stan, not any gods.
"No, not them. Cardinals are the highest level of priest---only the Pope is above them---they elect him leader of the church from their own ranks." Steve sat back and handed Thor one of the books sitting in the pew's pockets. "This is a hymnal. You'll need it to follow along."
Just as Steve finished speaking, the congregation stood up and the procession began. Thor watched with great interest, as did the twins, who stood on the pew-bench to see. Everyone else opened their hymnals and sang, including Steve.
The Cardinal strode down the aisle flanked by priests of lesser rank and a few altar-boys, as Steve called them, who carried a stick bearing candles as well as another figure of this dying Jesus fellow. Thor found this obsession with one man's death to be rather morbid, even by Asgardian standards.
Finally, the processing party reached the altar and stood in front of their ornate designated seats. Steve opened Thor's hymnal to the correct page while the Cardinal recited a greeting. Then everyone made that sign again, touching hand to forehead, chest, and shoulders. Thor would have to ask Steve exactly what that meant after Mass. After a few more prayers (including some where everyone mumbled along with the Cardinal) and a rousing song called a "Gloria" (Thor could not help but sing along to that one), everyone sat down and one of the priests went up to a wooden podium and began to read.
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I just sort of had to give you all of the love ever for name-checking the rally squirrel & Stan The Man. *g*
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I'm glad you enjoyed it.
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After the second reading, everyone stood back up and sang the word "Alleluia" repeated. It was a fantastic word. Then another priest (higher in rank, Thor supposed) approached the gospel. He said, "A reading from the Gospel according to John," and all of the churchgoers put their right thumbs in front of their foreheads and moved them down, up to the left, and over to the right. They repeated the gesture over their lips and chests, and then the second priest began reading. He spoke of Jesus and his relationship with the apostles and his parables, his method of explaining his teachings through stories. Thor thought the All-Father would approve of this method. Though Thor did not believe that anyone was saved from any particular sin because of one man's sacrifice, he understood why Jesus did it. After all, Thor had done the same back in Puente Antiguo. This man had been noble and brave, if not divine. Thor could most definitely appreciate what Jesus had tried to do (and had been most successful at doing, judging by the size of the crowd).
When the priest finished the gospel selection, the Cardinal stood up.
"This is the homily or sermon," Steve said quietly. "It's where the priest (or the Cardinal, in this case) gives us his interpretation of today's readings. It's...kind of hit or miss, depending on the priest. But Cardinal Dolan's supposed to be pretty good."
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The congregation chuckled. Thor smirked at Steve.
"But, brothers and sisters, we are not just rebuilding St. Patrick's. We are rebuiling our city once again, piece by piece. I was not here for that first rebuiling period nearly eleven years ago---I was bishop of Milwaukee at the time, but I am glad I'm here for this one. You know, over the past few weeks, I've had a couple of people come up to me after Mass every Sunday and ask me, 'Cardinal Dolan, why would God want to put us through this again?' As you've heard time and time again since you were children, God tests us. But so does the Devil, as he did with Job and as he did with Jesus during those forty days in the desert. When I watched the news footage of the recent attack---some would say 'battle'---one particular clip stuck with me so much that I ventured onto the Internet to find it. I'll tell you which one it was: it wasn't one of aliens or of Tony Stark showing off; it was a clip of two men in armor arguing on top of Stark Tower. When I first saw it, I saw a black-haired villain in goat helmet and a blond hero in a red cape. When I watched it a second time, I saw Lucifer and Michael."
Gabriel's twin punched the air.
"Lucifer's arrogance had gotten the better of him once again, and Michael again tried to get him to back off. But Lucifer put up a heck of a fight. And because the Catholic Church loves threes, I watched it a third time, and this time, I saw brothers. I can only guess that the man in red wanted to rebuild their relationship, and I pray that they will reach that point. But I believe his brother was testing him, as we were all tested that day. And we came through it because we had faith that we would. We also came through it because six people had enough faith in us to risk their lives to help protect us. Two of them are with us today."
Hundreds of necks craned to get a peek at Thor and Captain America. Gabriel and his brother looked awed again, as did Mary Claire and their mother. Thor knew he should be swelling with pride, but instead his whole being settled into a new, very odd numbness.
"Thank you for that, boys. We know one of them, we've worn him on our T-shirts and our ties and put his posters on our walls. You know, if anyone would've told me back when I was first ordained that Captain America would be sitting in my congregation one day, they'd have had to grab the smelling salts. It's great to have you back, Captain. This city needs you."
Everyone clapped. Steve dipped his head down out of modesty (and perhaps embarassment, too) and Thor noticed his cheeks were tinged with pink.
"But we do not know this second man. You've heard on the news and read in the magazines and newspapers that this man is not in any database anywhere. He may not even have a birth certificate. And that's got some very important people frightened. I'm not afraid, though. You know why? Because I believe he was sent here. I can't say by whom and I can't say why---the Lord likes to reveal things gradually. All I know is that if there's a large warrior running around with a hammer, I'm glad he's on our side. It's great to have you here, sir."
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The Cardinal continued his remarks. "When I was ten years old, I imagined I'd grow up to look just like him (needless to say, I was right)." The crowd laughed again, and then the Cardinal went on speaking for a few more minutes, trying to tie his previous remarks back into the readings and the Gospel. Thor liked this man---he was most amusing and good-hearted, and Thor particularly liked the red beanie he wore on his head to match his red robes.
Finally, the Cardinal finished his speech and everyone pulled themselves back on their feet to recite a 'profession of faith' stating their beliefs. Thor remained seated until halfway through the profession, dwelling upon what had been said. He felt honored to be accepted in Midgard this way. And yet the Cardinal's words about Loki still stung, though Thor did not understand the references. Still, Thor stood back up and looked ahead as one of the priests read a list of petitions of the church's and the world's wants and needs.
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I love you forever for including Cardinal Dolan.
Haha! Cool! I looked up a couple of his homilies to get his speech patterns down and he just seemed so darn awesome, as far as Cardinals go.
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While Thor listened to the music, a small group of middle-aged and elderly men and one elderly woman walked up the aisle from the front holding out baskets attached to poles into the pews. People dropped dollar bills and envelopes into the baskets.
Such an act in this place confused Thor. "They allow begging in here?"
"It's not begging," Steve whispered. "It's the collection basket. Churches collect money and send it to charities and people who need it."
"Oh."
Steve pulled a five-dollar bill out of his pocket. "Want to give a try?"
"Of course." Thor took the five-dollar bill and waited until the basket reached their own. He waved the bill and the old woman stuck the basket into the pew. He tossed it in, and the twins each threw in a dollar bill.
"Best part!" Gabriel whispered.
When the collection baskets had reached the back of the church, another man carried the biggest basket with all of the money down the aisle while his two daughters held a cask of wine and a large plate of wheat wafers.
"This is the 'presentation of the gifts,'" Steve told Thor quickly.
"Wine is a fine gift, but Jesus and his Father deserve much better than wheat wafers," Thor said.
"Sssshhh!!!" the tone-deaf old woman hissed behind him.
Steve glanced back nervously. "We're not giving Jesus gifts. The bread and wine are his gifts to us. And the wafers are called hosts."
When they reached the altar's steps, the man set the basket at the Cardinal's feet while the two girls gave the wine and wafers to the priests, who took everything up to the altar. Then everyone had to stand up once again while the Cardinal recited another prayer, this time over the bread and wine, and then the congregation sang about holiness. When that song ceased, they all knelt down on the pews' kneelers in front of their seats. Thor opened his hymnal again and found that this prayer was much longer than any of the previous ones, but this was "Eucharist Prayer Form II" which was the shortest of the four possible forms (he secretly thanked Odin for that). Thor could not fathom why this ceremony had so many particulars about sitting and kneeling and standing, but he decided it would be best to go along with it, so he knelt forward reverently, unlike the twins, who kept leaning back on the edge of the bench. As Thor read through the prayer, he noticed that it talked about turning bread into 'the body' and wine into 'the blood.' Did the prayer mean this Jesus's body and blood?
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"No!" Steve whispered. "It's called transubstantiation. We believe that the bread and wine turn into Jesus' body and blood. We eat it at Communion because he sacrificed it for our sakes. We believe it really changes, but no one magicks it into actual flesh and blood---it tastes the same as before. It's blessed now."
"Oh. That's much less barbaric."
When they reached the end of this prayer, they stood up and Thor noticed that a lot of people around them began to hold hands. Gabriel smiled up at Thor and offered him his hand. Thor grasped his little hand and grabbed Steve's large one. Steve raised his eyebrows, but Thor just shrugged. As they all held hands, they recited the words, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name..."
Thor might have said, "All-Father." Force of habit.
As they all let go and the Cardinal said a few additional words, Steve said, "We're about to shake hands with everyone around us. You say, 'Peace be with you.' That's all."
Thor turned to Gabriel. "Peace be with you, Gabriel."
"Peace!" Gabriel shook Thor hand excitedly.
The other twin pushed Gabriel's hand out of the way and grabbed Thor's hand. "I'm Michael! Peace!"
Thor chuckled. "Peace be with you, Michael."
Then the twins shook hands with each other and Thor greeted everyone else around him, saving Steve for last.
"Peace be with you, Steve," he said, giving the Captain a great big hug.
"And peace be with you, Thor." Steve patted him on the back.
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"Thor, you can't take Communion." Steve sounded impossibly worried as he filed in behind Thor.
"Whyever not?" Thor glanced back and saw Steve's blue eyes darting nervously around the church, from the ceiling to the windows to the other churchgoers.
"Because you're not Catholic."
"Nonsense, my friend. I only want to know its taste." Thor grinned and continued shuffling toward the front as the line in front of him got shorter. He noticed that when someone received a host, they murmured "Amen," that special word everyone had repeated at least a dozen times already. He also observed that the twins received no hosts, but only pats on the heads from the Cardinal. After they ran along at their mother's heels, Thor stepped up and held out his hands, right over left.
"The Body of Christ," the Cardinal said.
"Amen, Cardinal." Thor smiled up at him and the Cardinal nodded. Thor put the host in his mouth and found that it tasted...flat. No flesh. No meatiness. Just wheat with all the flavor removed. Not unpleasant, though. Next, Thor moved towards the priest holding the wine chalice when a hand yanked on the his jacket collar.
"No, you don't! They need some for the rest of the congregation!" Steve moved his hand to Thor's wrist and pulled him back to the pew.
Once they reached the pew, Steve returned to kneeling, so Thor did the same. He folded his hands as Steve did, but he was not sure what to do next. So he asked Steve.
"Try to pray, if you can. You can pray about anything," Steve told him, refusing to open his eyes.
So Thor tried. Nameless God, it is my greatest pleasure to make your acquaintance, he thought as hard as he could. You must be quite a persuasive being to draw such a massive following. You should acquaint yourself with Odin, All-Father. Such a partnership would be most fruitful for both of you. After introductory remarks, Thor was not sure what he should say to this God. But the words of the Cardinal's homily echoed in his mind. Nameless God, if the All-Father cannot make Loki see the grievous error of his ways, perhaps you can. Some would deem it impossible, but I cannot believe it to be so. And if it is impossible, then I must place this request with a being who trafficks in such extremes. Thank you for your time.
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As the congregation flooded towards the main aisle, people crowded around Thor and Steve.
"Captain America! I LOVE YOU!" "Captain! Over here, Captain!" "What happened to you, Captain America? Is that iceberg story true?"
Thor looked over and saw Steve begin to blush and hunch his shoulders as the hands and faces closed in on them and bodies blocked the pew's two exits. Then people began shouting at Thor, too.
"Superman! Blond Superman! Are you single?" "Where's your hammer?" "You should get a haircut! You'd be much more handsome with short hair!"
"HEY!" Gabriel and Michael shouted, stand up on the pew-bench and spreading their arms out in front of Thor. "Leave Super-Jesus ALONE!!!"
"Seriously! You people are in a church, you know!" Mary Claire added, pushing some of the hands away.
"Come on, we'll help you get out," their mother said. She place Mary Claire's hand on her shoulder, the twins followed suit, and so did Thor and Steve. The woman pushed through the sea of bodies and Thor supposed they looked like line-dancers in the middle of a mosh pit at a nightclub Tony once took him to. He ignored the cries and spontaneous touches and focused on Gabriel's little shoulder in front of him and Steve's hand clutching his own shoulder tightly. They had only moved about seven feet when the Cardinal's voice filled the basilica again.
"Brothers and sisters, if our Savior entered into our midst today, would you mob him like he was a Beatle? Treat these two men with the repect you'd show him." The Cardinal gazed steadily at the congregation for a few moments, and then turned around to greet people who were actually trying to leave. The crowd receded slowly and they made their way to back, still clutching each other's shoulders.
Once they reached the back (Thor supposed it was a lobby), Gabriel's mother turned around, looking apologetic. "I'm so sorry about that. I've never seen anyone do that in the house of God before. I'm Elizabeth, by the way. I think you've already met my kids."
"It is very good to meet you, Elizabeth. I am Thor Odinson. This is Steve Rogers." Thor gestured to the Captain.
"Oh, I know who he is." She smiled coyly. Steve blushed again.
"We should invite Super-Jesus and the Captain over for dinner!" Gabriel suggested. Michael nodded rapidly.
"Now, boys, I'm sure they have much better things to do." Elizabeth ruffled Gabriel's red hair. "We'll see you around." She shuffled them away through the crowd, and Gabriel, Michael, and Mary Claire waved.
"See ya, Super-Jesus!" Gabriel called out before the vanished from view.
"Goodbye, Gabriel!"
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"Cardinal! You wished to speak to me, I believe?" Thor asked once the previous people had gone.
"Yes! I'm a big fan of yours, big guy!" the Cardinal said, gripping Thor's hand with both of his own. "Timothy Cardinal Dolan. I'm honored to meet your."
"The pleasure it all mine, Cardinal Dolan. I am Thor Odinson, Crown Prince of Asgard."
"Thor, like the Norse god of thunder?"
Thor beamed. "The very same."
"Well then." The Cardinal paused. "I think my superiors in Rome would prefer if I say I respectfully admire your work."
"And I yours. Your teachings are most admirable and your God is an interesting being."
"Glad to hear it, Thor. You know, we have a great R.C.I.A. program if you're considering joining the church."
Thor thought for a moment. "It is a tempting offer, but I would not want to incur Odin All-Father's wrath again."
"I understand completely. You're welcome back any time. And consider that Communion wafer on the house." The Cardinal shook his hand again.
"Cardinal, you made mention of my brother in your 'homily.' Could he ever achieve forgiveness?"
"He would have to be willing to accept others' forgiveness."
Thor glanced down. "I want to forgive him, though his actions were heinous."
"Then forgive him. You know, the Lord teaches us that that is one of the best ways to free ourselves from pain caused by those who hurt us."
"I believe your God is right." Thor smiled less brightly this time. Then Steve strode up beside him.
"Cardinal, this was a wonderful service," Steve said. "And thank you for your help back there with the mob."
"No problem at all. And it's a pleasure to meet you, Captain." The Cardinal clasped Steve's hand as he had Thor's. "You know, when I considered joining the priesthood, I had my doubts. But then I told myself that if Captain America could give himself wholly to the service of our country, I could do the same for our Lord."
"Wow." Steve's eyes grew as wide as they had right before Mass began. "That's...that's wonderful. Unfortunately, they need us back at S.H.I.E.L.D. But this has been great."
"We hope to come back!" Thor added.
"Please do, boys! Any time!" The Cardinal waved as Steve and Thor made their way down the Cathedral's graded steps.
*
"That was a fantastic experience, Steve," Thor said on the subway ride back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. "I can see why you would seek out such a place."
"It's a pretty peaceful place to think," Steve agreed. "When they're not mobbing you, obviously."
Thor slung his arm around Steve. "Just think of it as their way of welcoming you back into the fold."
"Maybe."
"And I apologize for my blunders during Mass."
Steve shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I didn't realize how much I'd have to explain when we got there."
"Oh, I believe I understand," Thor assured him. "Your God is not so unlike the All-Father. But I must admit, his son is much better behaved."
Steve chuckled. "Yeah, he is."
*
Notes:
St. Patrick's Cathedral Wiki Page and Official Website
One of Cardinal Dolan's homilies (sermons).
"Timothy Cardinal Dolan" is not a typo. A Cardinal's official title goes in between his first and last names (for reasons I have not yet discovered).
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