Post by Rick Majors on Aug 13, 2017 9:23:06 GMT -5
We’re back in Gabriel’s dark, dirty apartment. The crudely-formed “altar” that he crafted a while ago remains at one end of the room. On it now is the Pure Class Wrestling Underground Championship. Behind the altar, hanging from the wall, is a cross, which has seemingly been constructed from various pieces of mangled metal stapled together.
Slowly Gabriel walks into the scene and stands behind the altar.
“The grace and peace of the Lord be with you.”
He gestures to the “congregation,” which is an entirely empty room. Despite this, he seems to nod approvingly of their “response” which would presumably be “and also with you,” unless they’re up to date on current Catholic blessings, in which case they would say “and with your spirit.” Of course, no one is actually saying anything. Remember, the room is completely empty except for Gabriel. There is no way to know how in tune the “people” he is "seeing" are with current religious protocol.
“Dear Friends, let us ask The Lord for his blessings."
Gabriel looks out to the "crowd."
"Lord almighty, hear the prayers of your people: we celebrate our creation and redemption. Hear our prayers, forgive our sins and save us from all illness and the power of evil. May the Lord almighty deem us worthy to sit at his table in his heavenly kingdom.”
Gabriel pauses for a moment to look around at those who are gathered here today. Again, no one has gathered here today.
“Let us acknowledge our failures and ask the Lord for pardon and strength. Let us call to mind our sins.”
Gabriel bows his head in silent reflection.
“May the almighty Lord have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.”
Gabriel walks out now from behind the altar. He looks out at the room and speaks in a loud, clear voice.
“A reading from Isiah 40:
‘Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.’
The Word of the Lord. Praise to you, oh Lord.”
Gabriel steps forward now and he stands in front of the altar. He looks out at the room and he smiles widely.
“Dear friends, today is a joyous day. Just a few days ago, our Lord, the almighty Seromine, defeated the wicked magician who has tormented him - who has tormented US - for far too long. And, after that momentous victory, The Lord Seromine returned to us, just as he said he would, to show us the way to true salvation. And now, my friends, at the appropriately named ‘Return to Glory’ event, I have been given a great honour.”
Gabriel stops for a moment to catch his breath and to compose himself.
“My apologies. This opportunity makes me quite emotional.”
Gabriel reaches up to his eye and seemingly wipes away a tear before continuing.
“The Lord, in his infinite kindness, has granted me, a humble servant, the honour of eliminating the sinful magician from this earth once and for all. This is truly love displayed for all of us to see, my friends. The Lord is so kind, so just, and so compassionate, that he is granting me the chance to prove myself to him and to do my part to rid the world of evil.
And I will be successful. You see, in the reading today, we were reminded that not only does the Lord not grow tired or weary, but that he gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. I am living proof of the Lord’s power.
Not so long ago, I was weak. I was weary. I was suffering. My physical health was failing. My emotional stability was crumbling. I had no purpose on this earth. A few years back, I tried to take my own life. That is how little I cared for myself. That is how ignorant I was to the Word of the Lord. I was cast aside by everyone I knew: my wife, my friends, my family. They all wanted nothing to do with me. And they were right. I was not worthy of friendship. I was not worthy of love. I was certainly not worthy of success.
I was in a very dark place. I felt nothing but despair. Everything hurt too much. I was not living. I was only existing. And I was only existing because I did not know what else to do. I was an aimless soul painfully floating through life. I cried every night. I woke up every morning wishing that I remained asleep. I was so hurt, so damaged, that even breathing was painful.
But the Lord Seromine looked beyond my flaws. He, and he alone, as the innate ability to see into a person’s soul. And, when he looked into mine, he saw a man who was suffering. He saw a man who was deteriorating. He saw a man who could barely bring himself to struggle through each day.
And he saved me.
He didn’t have to do this. He was already powerful, he was already respected, he was already a champion when I came into his life. And yet, in his infinite kindness, he opened his heart. He let me see that I was worthy of acceptance, and respect, and love. Unlike others, he did not turn his back on me. He welcomed me to his flock.
The Lord taught me to soar on own wings. His selfless dedication should be seen as an example to us all. Through his actions, he has taught us the true meaning of compassion. I am tremendously proud to be standing here today spreading his message. I am but a simple servant to the Lord, but I will work tirelessly to make sure that His Word is heard by all.
The mad magician tried to kill the Lord. He knew that the Word of the Lord was far more powerful than any of the black magic that he peddles. So he tried to destroy it. He could not deal with the enormous power of the Lord. The insane illusionist was so petty and so small that he attacked our Lord and Savior. He tried to destroy him. And he attempted to publicly embarrass our great Lord. Yet he could not.
As it is written in Matthew 27: ‘When they had crucified him… those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying… “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!”’”
Gabriel stops and bows his head for a moment.
“Our Lord was mocked while he suffered. It is horrible to even think of that, but it is true. We must never forget it. It is important to remember how he was treated. The cruel and ignorant nonbelievers taunted him. The Lord was tested, but the Lord was not broken. He went away, he took time to heal – as anyone would – but then he returned, more powerful than he had ever been before. He had not forsaken us, no, he was with us all along, watching from afar. He is truly a kind and beautiful Lord. He wanted us to grow on our own. He wanted us to see the strength inside of ourselves. And now He himself is more powerful as well.
Romans 6:9 writes that since the Lord “was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him” and that is true. Death does not have power over our Lord. No one holds power over our Lord. And that means, my friends, that as long as we are truly devout in our dedication to the Lord, no one holds power over us either.
When the twisted magician is faced with the prospect of his own demise, there is no chance that he will deal with the situation with the same dignity and poise that our Lord did. No, he will grovel. He will whimper. He will cry and sob and wail, just like his girlfriend Kelli did when she was faced with her own destruction. He is weak just as she was. But we have no choice. Every human must meet their maker. The Lord cannot save the magician. He is beyond saving. He is beyond compassion. He does not deserve our pity or our love. He deserves nothing but our contempt. And he will be forced to realize this at Return to Glory. He will see his life flash before his eyes and he will realize the error of his ways. But it will be too late. His flame will be extinguished. He will leave the world forever, and the world will be a better place once he is gone."
Gabriel pauses for a moment and nods to the room.
"But vanquishing the evil magician isn’t the only blessed task that we will get to complete this week, my friends. No, we have also been granted the duty of stopping the evil Alexa Black. Oh, the Lord is great. We have been twice blessed.
Alexa has not done the same direct damage to our Lord as the twisted illusionist has, but she is nearly as dangerous. This is because what she represents. She has no redeeming qualities. She loves evil. She loves sin. She lusts after violence and fetishes gore. She is the living embodiment of everything that the Lord speaks against. The Lord speaks of peace and love and acceptance. She talks of blood and murder. It's disgusting, to be honest with you, my friends.
Brothers and sisters, you know as well as I do that sometimes violence is necessary. Sometimes even those who have hearts filled with love and souls filled with acceptance, as we do, need to prove their points physically. But you also know that we do this as a last resort. We do this as a way to right wrongs and prove the power of the Lord to the nonbelievers, skeptics, and heretics. Those who question the Lord deserve pain and suffering. Those who live in a manner that goes against the Word of the Lord must be stopped. And, in those situations, violence is unfortunately necessary. But we do not enjoy causing pain. We do not take pleasure from viciousness. And that is where Alexa Black differs from us.
She is a dark and desperate figure. She is filled with hatred and wickedness. She is a depraved and damaged soul who cannot be reasoned with. She cannot be understood. She cannot be saved.
Alexa Black must be condemned for her evil. She must be struck down before her insanity is allowed to infect those who are vulnerable. We cannot allow her darkness to grow. We can still save those who deserve saving if we eliminate Alexa Black. If we show the world that she is weak, that she can be hurt, we take away her influence.
When I defeat Alexa Black I will be saving the world.
When I defeat the twisted magician, the one who practices the dark arts and who spits in the face of everything we hold dear, I will be doing the Lord’s work.
It is going to be a good day, my friends. I am so thankful for this opportunity. Praise Seromine. Praise the Lord.”
With that, Gabriel nods to the “congregation” and taps the altar as he walks away slowly.
Slowly Gabriel walks into the scene and stands behind the altar.
“The grace and peace of the Lord be with you.”
He gestures to the “congregation,” which is an entirely empty room. Despite this, he seems to nod approvingly of their “response” which would presumably be “and also with you,” unless they’re up to date on current Catholic blessings, in which case they would say “and with your spirit.” Of course, no one is actually saying anything. Remember, the room is completely empty except for Gabriel. There is no way to know how in tune the “people” he is "seeing" are with current religious protocol.
“Dear Friends, let us ask The Lord for his blessings."
Gabriel looks out to the "crowd."
"Lord almighty, hear the prayers of your people: we celebrate our creation and redemption. Hear our prayers, forgive our sins and save us from all illness and the power of evil. May the Lord almighty deem us worthy to sit at his table in his heavenly kingdom.”
Gabriel pauses for a moment to look around at those who are gathered here today. Again, no one has gathered here today.
“Let us acknowledge our failures and ask the Lord for pardon and strength. Let us call to mind our sins.”
Gabriel bows his head in silent reflection.
“May the almighty Lord have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.”
Gabriel walks out now from behind the altar. He looks out at the room and speaks in a loud, clear voice.
“A reading from Isiah 40:
‘Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.’
The Word of the Lord. Praise to you, oh Lord.”
Gabriel steps forward now and he stands in front of the altar. He looks out at the room and he smiles widely.
“Dear friends, today is a joyous day. Just a few days ago, our Lord, the almighty Seromine, defeated the wicked magician who has tormented him - who has tormented US - for far too long. And, after that momentous victory, The Lord Seromine returned to us, just as he said he would, to show us the way to true salvation. And now, my friends, at the appropriately named ‘Return to Glory’ event, I have been given a great honour.”
Gabriel stops for a moment to catch his breath and to compose himself.
“My apologies. This opportunity makes me quite emotional.”
Gabriel reaches up to his eye and seemingly wipes away a tear before continuing.
“The Lord, in his infinite kindness, has granted me, a humble servant, the honour of eliminating the sinful magician from this earth once and for all. This is truly love displayed for all of us to see, my friends. The Lord is so kind, so just, and so compassionate, that he is granting me the chance to prove myself to him and to do my part to rid the world of evil.
And I will be successful. You see, in the reading today, we were reminded that not only does the Lord not grow tired or weary, but that he gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. I am living proof of the Lord’s power.
Not so long ago, I was weak. I was weary. I was suffering. My physical health was failing. My emotional stability was crumbling. I had no purpose on this earth. A few years back, I tried to take my own life. That is how little I cared for myself. That is how ignorant I was to the Word of the Lord. I was cast aside by everyone I knew: my wife, my friends, my family. They all wanted nothing to do with me. And they were right. I was not worthy of friendship. I was not worthy of love. I was certainly not worthy of success.
I was in a very dark place. I felt nothing but despair. Everything hurt too much. I was not living. I was only existing. And I was only existing because I did not know what else to do. I was an aimless soul painfully floating through life. I cried every night. I woke up every morning wishing that I remained asleep. I was so hurt, so damaged, that even breathing was painful.
But the Lord Seromine looked beyond my flaws. He, and he alone, as the innate ability to see into a person’s soul. And, when he looked into mine, he saw a man who was suffering. He saw a man who was deteriorating. He saw a man who could barely bring himself to struggle through each day.
And he saved me.
He didn’t have to do this. He was already powerful, he was already respected, he was already a champion when I came into his life. And yet, in his infinite kindness, he opened his heart. He let me see that I was worthy of acceptance, and respect, and love. Unlike others, he did not turn his back on me. He welcomed me to his flock.
The Lord taught me to soar on own wings. His selfless dedication should be seen as an example to us all. Through his actions, he has taught us the true meaning of compassion. I am tremendously proud to be standing here today spreading his message. I am but a simple servant to the Lord, but I will work tirelessly to make sure that His Word is heard by all.
The mad magician tried to kill the Lord. He knew that the Word of the Lord was far more powerful than any of the black magic that he peddles. So he tried to destroy it. He could not deal with the enormous power of the Lord. The insane illusionist was so petty and so small that he attacked our Lord and Savior. He tried to destroy him. And he attempted to publicly embarrass our great Lord. Yet he could not.
As it is written in Matthew 27: ‘When they had crucified him… those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying… “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!”’”
Gabriel stops and bows his head for a moment.
“Our Lord was mocked while he suffered. It is horrible to even think of that, but it is true. We must never forget it. It is important to remember how he was treated. The cruel and ignorant nonbelievers taunted him. The Lord was tested, but the Lord was not broken. He went away, he took time to heal – as anyone would – but then he returned, more powerful than he had ever been before. He had not forsaken us, no, he was with us all along, watching from afar. He is truly a kind and beautiful Lord. He wanted us to grow on our own. He wanted us to see the strength inside of ourselves. And now He himself is more powerful as well.
Romans 6:9 writes that since the Lord “was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him” and that is true. Death does not have power over our Lord. No one holds power over our Lord. And that means, my friends, that as long as we are truly devout in our dedication to the Lord, no one holds power over us either.
When the twisted magician is faced with the prospect of his own demise, there is no chance that he will deal with the situation with the same dignity and poise that our Lord did. No, he will grovel. He will whimper. He will cry and sob and wail, just like his girlfriend Kelli did when she was faced with her own destruction. He is weak just as she was. But we have no choice. Every human must meet their maker. The Lord cannot save the magician. He is beyond saving. He is beyond compassion. He does not deserve our pity or our love. He deserves nothing but our contempt. And he will be forced to realize this at Return to Glory. He will see his life flash before his eyes and he will realize the error of his ways. But it will be too late. His flame will be extinguished. He will leave the world forever, and the world will be a better place once he is gone."
Gabriel pauses for a moment and nods to the room.
"But vanquishing the evil magician isn’t the only blessed task that we will get to complete this week, my friends. No, we have also been granted the duty of stopping the evil Alexa Black. Oh, the Lord is great. We have been twice blessed.
Alexa has not done the same direct damage to our Lord as the twisted illusionist has, but she is nearly as dangerous. This is because what she represents. She has no redeeming qualities. She loves evil. She loves sin. She lusts after violence and fetishes gore. She is the living embodiment of everything that the Lord speaks against. The Lord speaks of peace and love and acceptance. She talks of blood and murder. It's disgusting, to be honest with you, my friends.
Brothers and sisters, you know as well as I do that sometimes violence is necessary. Sometimes even those who have hearts filled with love and souls filled with acceptance, as we do, need to prove their points physically. But you also know that we do this as a last resort. We do this as a way to right wrongs and prove the power of the Lord to the nonbelievers, skeptics, and heretics. Those who question the Lord deserve pain and suffering. Those who live in a manner that goes against the Word of the Lord must be stopped. And, in those situations, violence is unfortunately necessary. But we do not enjoy causing pain. We do not take pleasure from viciousness. And that is where Alexa Black differs from us.
She is a dark and desperate figure. She is filled with hatred and wickedness. She is a depraved and damaged soul who cannot be reasoned with. She cannot be understood. She cannot be saved.
Alexa Black must be condemned for her evil. She must be struck down before her insanity is allowed to infect those who are vulnerable. We cannot allow her darkness to grow. We can still save those who deserve saving if we eliminate Alexa Black. If we show the world that she is weak, that she can be hurt, we take away her influence.
When I defeat Alexa Black I will be saving the world.
When I defeat the twisted magician, the one who practices the dark arts and who spits in the face of everything we hold dear, I will be doing the Lord’s work.
It is going to be a good day, my friends. I am so thankful for this opportunity. Praise Seromine. Praise the Lord.”
With that, Gabriel nods to the “congregation” and taps the altar as he walks away slowly.
