Media vita in morte sumus. In the midst of life, we are in death. So chant the clergy in their buttressed chancels. In the chaos and violence of these Dark Ages in which we live, the Church is the one beacon of stability and peace. The Kingdom of England is a realm divided, despite the best efforts of its Archbishop, Stephen Langton, and the great Pope Innocent, third of his name, in Rome. Yet even as her barons draw swords against their king, her clergy remain the steadfast neutral arbiters in the conflict.
In peace or in war, the mission of the Church is the pastoral care of souls. No war may change that. Because the serpent beguiled Eve, who led Adam astray in the Garden, man carries within him the Original Sin. By rights condemned to eternal perdition, man has been given the great chance of redemption and everlasting life through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross. But how can man receive such divine cleansing of sin, save through the Sacraments of the holy Church? Through Baptism, the Church purges man of Original Sin. Through Penance, man atones for his wrongdoings which might bar him from the heavenly kingdom. Through Extreme Unction, man’s soul is prepared for its eternal judgment. Before all else, the clergy must provide these holy duties to their flock, be they peasant or be they crowned king. Even the Pope is naught but servus servorum Dei. The Servant of the servants of God.
Yet the role of the Universal Church goes beyond the spiritual. To man were given Two Swords, the Temporal and the Spiritual. As His Holiness the Pope is wont to say, the Spiritual Sword of Popes is mightier than the Temporal Sword of kings. Between kings and men, betwixt man and woman, and across land and sea, the Church maintains the Peace of God with the Spiritual Sword. Though unseen by men, such a blade has brought even emperors to their bare knees in the snow before the awesome might of the Apostolic Church. Forget not the Great Theodosius, humbled prostrate before Saint Ambrose of Milan. Forget not Henry the King, son of Henry the Emperor, barefoot before blessed Gregory at Canossa. And forget not Henry Plantagenet, a scourged penitent for the murder of our own Thomas Becket.
Knights meet at the lists, but not one of their deeds, not one ounce of their fame survive save by the diligent pen of the cowled monk. Men-at-arms fight and die on the muddy field of battle, but they die with conviction of their salvation thanks to the unction of the humble priest. And though kings clash over thrones, it is the Princes of the Church who draft the terms of peace. In nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti. Amen.
