*A singular spot to collect all of Ramona's sermons. These were all given publicly, and a few hand-written copies were distributed. Please feel free to have heard/read the sermon, should you wish! Contact me if there's any questions.*
The Eight
Late in the evening, the bells of the Church toll. As the Faithful arrive, Sister Ramona, Abbess of the Order of Decus, greets the congregation and beings a sermon.
Eight guide you.
You all may have heard these words. You may have heard them spoken by the Seraph or a priest or even myself. But how many know what these words mean?
When I came to the First Province, I never thought these words would need to be explained. I assumed that everyone, everywhere said them. Yet, here, I find that these words do not hold the same meaning as they do elsewhere.
Here, in the First Province, we fight every single day... to eat, to grow, to build. Here, so close to the shores upon which the first Decusians landed, we need to spend more time working and less time reflecting upon the Virtues.
I want to make clear: Not knowing the Eight, their names, their meanings… This is forgivable. But we should all learn them. We should all know them. Life without Virtue is no life at all!
So, now... for some, I will be introducing these terms. For others, those Faithful who are already familiar, I offer this as a time to reflect upon the Eight.
The Eight Sacred Virtues of Decus are: Compassion, honesty, honor, humility, justice, sacrifice, spirituality, and Valor.
Compassion comes not just from something inside of us that wants to help others. Compassion is about the shared experience of us. The shared suffering of us all. Each of us has suffered. We all know how it feels. We are compelled to end this suffering.. And not just for ourselves! But for everyone around us. That is Compassion.
Now, Honesty is a simple one. Do not speak falsehoods, do not deceive, do not swindle. Our society is built upon our shared experience, and if we are not honest with one another then we shake the very foundation upon which this is all built.
Honor. Honor is about a person's character. It is just about being honest with others, it is about being honest with oneself! The honorable person speaks truth and holds themselves to it.
Humility comes from all of the above. Accepting who you are, accepting who others are, and moving forward without false pretension.
Justice... Justice is honesty and compassion in action and deed. Justice is ensuring that everyone gets what they need. Justice is, sometimes, donating food. Other times, it is ensuring a thief is punished for their actions.
Spirituality is, perhaps, the most difficult of the Eight to fully grasp. Is being here, in Church, listening to me "spirituality"? Well, yes, certainly. But more than simply acknowledging the powers outside of your own, spirituality is accepting the nature of humanity as a whole.
You see, we are all here, together, sharing this experience. We are all connected. We are all touched by something divine. We - Humanity - are those chosen to keep the Flame alive, and keep the darkness from retaking our world.
Finally, we arrive at Valor. Valor is often thought of as "courage" or "heroism". It is, of course, those things. But more than that... we must accept that Valor is *more* than simply charging into battle. Valor is saying "no" to a sinner. Valor is retreating, when the emotional turmoil of loss feels stronger than the pain of actually losing a battle. Valor is in both physical courage *and* moral courage.
Now, I know I went through those quickly... but I want to highlight the theme here.
We are all here TOGETHER. We live here, together. We flourish here, together. But just the same, we suffer here, together. We die here, together. The Sacred Eight are meant to highlight this reality: We are all sharing this world.
Those men and women sitting around you, they are part of this world. Part of this town. Part of this church. Part of this community... And part of YOU. So, children of Decus, I urge you all to start seeing the Eight in all you do.
See your neighbor, your ally, your friend... and even your enemy... as part of you.
As part of humanity. As part of those that Decus came to, to save.
Ramona's Sermons
Re: Ramona's Sermons
Honesty
Long ago, far to the west, in Collatia...
there was a householder that came home from the market and found his house on fire.
The man knew his children were inside and fretted if they did not get out immediately,
they'd perish. The man further fretted that should he charge in and demand they flee,
or scream their names telling them to run, he'd likely cause more chaos!
Scared children, after all, are not exactly the most rational.
So the man, wise as he was, called out to his children:
"Children! I've just returned from market and I've bought you toys!"
Never mind the dangers, the children filed out immediately and eagerly.
Their lives were saved.
Their lives were saved... by a falsehood.
This morning, I stand before you all to discuss what sounds like a simple topic,
yet is surely one of the most frustrating ones I've dealt with: Honesty.
Obviously, we all ought to seek to speak truths, not lies.
We should conduct ourselves honestly, not hiding our intentions or allegiances
or anything else. Even in our own minds, we should seek to be true and honest.
But, there are times where "honesty" is a murkier concept.
In my story, the father lied... to save his children.
Now, I will never say it's right to lie. But we must always balance the Eight Virtues
in all things we do.
For the wise man of Collatia, a tiny deception saved lives.
Because, you see, this man was *honest* in his action and his speech.
His intentions pure. His Virtues unshaken.
Honesty dictated that the man do what was best, what was right.
And you know what? Once the children were outside, they saw the flames.
They recognized what they could not moments ago.
Their excitement and joy saved them from their fears.
And the *truth*? Well... Not burning to death is a pretty great toy!
So, I wish to ask you all to be honest... but to not lose sight of the other Virtues.
There are times we cannot be fully open with a friend.
That doesn't mean we're being dishonest.
There are times a commander may not let her troops know how dreadful the odds of victory.
That doesn't mean she's being deceitful.
There's even the baker who tells the prelate her pastries will be "just another moment".
A small deception, given with *compassion*.
If we are pure of heart, if we meditated upon the virtues, we can always be honest.
And if anyone ever struggles to decide what honesty means?
Well, they can come speak to one of the clergy.
Long ago, far to the west, in Collatia...
there was a householder that came home from the market and found his house on fire.
The man knew his children were inside and fretted if they did not get out immediately,
they'd perish. The man further fretted that should he charge in and demand they flee,
or scream their names telling them to run, he'd likely cause more chaos!
Scared children, after all, are not exactly the most rational.
So the man, wise as he was, called out to his children:
"Children! I've just returned from market and I've bought you toys!"
Never mind the dangers, the children filed out immediately and eagerly.
Their lives were saved.
Their lives were saved... by a falsehood.
This morning, I stand before you all to discuss what sounds like a simple topic,
yet is surely one of the most frustrating ones I've dealt with: Honesty.
Obviously, we all ought to seek to speak truths, not lies.
We should conduct ourselves honestly, not hiding our intentions or allegiances
or anything else. Even in our own minds, we should seek to be true and honest.
But, there are times where "honesty" is a murkier concept.
In my story, the father lied... to save his children.
Now, I will never say it's right to lie. But we must always balance the Eight Virtues
in all things we do.
For the wise man of Collatia, a tiny deception saved lives.
Because, you see, this man was *honest* in his action and his speech.
His intentions pure. His Virtues unshaken.
Honesty dictated that the man do what was best, what was right.
And you know what? Once the children were outside, they saw the flames.
They recognized what they could not moments ago.
Their excitement and joy saved them from their fears.
And the *truth*? Well... Not burning to death is a pretty great toy!
So, I wish to ask you all to be honest... but to not lose sight of the other Virtues.
There are times we cannot be fully open with a friend.
That doesn't mean we're being dishonest.
There are times a commander may not let her troops know how dreadful the odds of victory.
That doesn't mean she's being deceitful.
There's even the baker who tells the prelate her pastries will be "just another moment".
A small deception, given with *compassion*.
If we are pure of heart, if we meditated upon the virtues, we can always be honest.
And if anyone ever struggles to decide what honesty means?
Well, they can come speak to one of the clergy.
Re: Ramona's Sermons
Humility
A teacher is someone that knows more about a topic than others. A teacher is, to some degree, a master of a subject. Afterall, how can one teach what they do not know?
It is that logic that leads so many to question humility. To question anyone that professes to be a teacher of it.
I am here to stand before you and profess to be a teacher of humility. To tell you, against any such logic, that I am humble and humility is not hard. In fact, humility might well be the *easiest* virtue to master! All you need… is to be honest to yourself.
That is, after all, what humility truly is. To look at oneself and see what is really there. A great warrior need not pretend she is weak. Doing so is a lie. A beautiful man need not insist he is not beautiful. Again, this is a lie. Be yourself! Because being anything else - pretending to be anything else - is a deception.
And now, the flip side of all this. The great warrior may be such… but is she the best warrior? Maybe the best in the room, but it’s foolish to think she’s the greatest warrior in the valley, in the province, in the First Coast. Likewise, the beautiful man would be lying - to others and to himself - to claim to be the *most* beautiful man.
This is humility. Honesty with oneself. Recognition of who they are. And when we see ourselves as we are, when we know that what we are, it’s easy to see others as they are. Easier to see the humanity and grace and light that is in each and every person.
If we all practice humility - if we all are true to ourselves - we will bring the world closer together. We will bring Light back into Eden.
A teacher is someone that knows more about a topic than others. A teacher is, to some degree, a master of a subject. Afterall, how can one teach what they do not know?
It is that logic that leads so many to question humility. To question anyone that professes to be a teacher of it.
I am here to stand before you and profess to be a teacher of humility. To tell you, against any such logic, that I am humble and humility is not hard. In fact, humility might well be the *easiest* virtue to master! All you need… is to be honest to yourself.
That is, after all, what humility truly is. To look at oneself and see what is really there. A great warrior need not pretend she is weak. Doing so is a lie. A beautiful man need not insist he is not beautiful. Again, this is a lie. Be yourself! Because being anything else - pretending to be anything else - is a deception.
And now, the flip side of all this. The great warrior may be such… but is she the best warrior? Maybe the best in the room, but it’s foolish to think she’s the greatest warrior in the valley, in the province, in the First Coast. Likewise, the beautiful man would be lying - to others and to himself - to claim to be the *most* beautiful man.
This is humility. Honesty with oneself. Recognition of who they are. And when we see ourselves as we are, when we know that what we are, it’s easy to see others as they are. Easier to see the humanity and grace and light that is in each and every person.
If we all practice humility - if we all are true to ourselves - we will bring the world closer together. We will bring Light back into Eden.
Re: Ramona's Sermons
Justice
For all those that do not know, I practice alchemy. With the correct combination of materials, I am able to turn plants into pesticides and rocks into medicine. It’s been very fun to learn.
You see this? It’s a scale. I use it in my work, to accurately measure out ingredients. It’s rather important as the wrong measure can have disastrous results. And, for anyone that’s dabbled, or anyone that’s tried to bake a cake, you know that measuring cannot be done simply by sight or even with a simple cup.
Alchemy is a practice of precision and certainty. The scale helps. That’s also why, I do believe, the scale is used so readily as a symbol of both Decus and Justice. A fitting one, too. Justice - like alchemy - requires precise measurement. It requires deep knowledge. Anyone that claims to know it, fully, is surely a liar or a fool.
And that is what I wish to speak of this morning. You see, “justice” is so very often seen as “following the laws”. As dealing out punishment for wrongdoers. But… that’s not justice. Laws are made by Vicars and Reeves. These are men and women. Faithful, surely, but human all the same.
Justice goes beyond that. Justice seeks to measure the whole situation, just as I would with these scales. Justice demands we see certain things as heavier and lighter. That we account for changes in composition. That we use our wits and our will to *truly* balance things.
Enough metaphor. Allow me to speak it more clearly. The crime of theft is, without doubt, a bad one. Theft deprives people of things they need. But what of the person in even greater need? What of the classic example of a child stealing bread? The laws alone may tell us to send the child to jail or to have its hands cut off… but there’s no justice there.
No, we must employ the other Virtues, always. We must understand that a starving child is no evil doer. They may need to be caught and scolded, but just the same, they need to be fed!
And that is why justice is such a tricky matter. Because each situation - each person involved - is a different ingredient. Each must be measured and balanced. And each must, in the end, be dealt with in the most Virtuous way we can manage.
For all those that do not know, I practice alchemy. With the correct combination of materials, I am able to turn plants into pesticides and rocks into medicine. It’s been very fun to learn.
You see this? It’s a scale. I use it in my work, to accurately measure out ingredients. It’s rather important as the wrong measure can have disastrous results. And, for anyone that’s dabbled, or anyone that’s tried to bake a cake, you know that measuring cannot be done simply by sight or even with a simple cup.
Alchemy is a practice of precision and certainty. The scale helps. That’s also why, I do believe, the scale is used so readily as a symbol of both Decus and Justice. A fitting one, too. Justice - like alchemy - requires precise measurement. It requires deep knowledge. Anyone that claims to know it, fully, is surely a liar or a fool.
And that is what I wish to speak of this morning. You see, “justice” is so very often seen as “following the laws”. As dealing out punishment for wrongdoers. But… that’s not justice. Laws are made by Vicars and Reeves. These are men and women. Faithful, surely, but human all the same.
Justice goes beyond that. Justice seeks to measure the whole situation, just as I would with these scales. Justice demands we see certain things as heavier and lighter. That we account for changes in composition. That we use our wits and our will to *truly* balance things.
Enough metaphor. Allow me to speak it more clearly. The crime of theft is, without doubt, a bad one. Theft deprives people of things they need. But what of the person in even greater need? What of the classic example of a child stealing bread? The laws alone may tell us to send the child to jail or to have its hands cut off… but there’s no justice there.
No, we must employ the other Virtues, always. We must understand that a starving child is no evil doer. They may need to be caught and scolded, but just the same, they need to be fed!
And that is why justice is such a tricky matter. Because each situation - each person involved - is a different ingredient. Each must be measured and balanced. And each must, in the end, be dealt with in the most Virtuous way we can manage.
Re: Ramona's Sermons
Sacrifice
We gather here as dawn breaks to talk of Sacrifice. Here, within sight of the cemetery, where some of Fort Praesidium’s most beloved and most honored used to rest peacefully. Of course, no one is buried anymore. Such traditions have been lost, as we require a more direct conduit to the Flame. But, this place stands all the same as a monument to death… and to sacrifice.
Sacrifice. We hear this word all the time. We must sacrifice. We must endure. Without such, we can never-... what? It hardly matters, there’s a million blanks to fill in. But I am not hear to tell you why you need to sacrifice. Those whose blood still runs warm know this lesson.
I wish, instead, to talk of another side of Sacrifice. The side that gets that forgotten. The side that is too often written off as *cowardice*.
Sometimes, sacrifice is not charging into battle. It’s not holding the line until dead. It’s not starving yourselves so others may eat. Sometimes, the sacrifice that the Flame asks of us comes in the form of Pride and Ego.
Imagine the father whose village is called upon to aid a king’s war. The man has a wife, the man has children, animals, a whole household. Without him, lives will be ruined. Yet, still, too often we commend that man for leaving his family to fight in the king’s war. This isn’t Sacrifice. This isn’t Valor. This is Pride.
Here in the First Province, we all sacrifice. Every day we fight to tame these lands we forsake the comfort and safety of the rest of Vitaveus. We’ve a mounting pile of bodies - many of which I’ve spoken over - that show that sacrifice.
As such, I ask you all… before you put your life on the line, before you take upon a mantle of suffering, take inventory of who you are. Of what you have to offer. Of what you can *actually* sacrifice. Think of your duty, your responsibility, and those that rely upon you. Think of all this… and consider: Are you saving lives? Or are you just saving face?
We gather here as dawn breaks to talk of Sacrifice. Here, within sight of the cemetery, where some of Fort Praesidium’s most beloved and most honored used to rest peacefully. Of course, no one is buried anymore. Such traditions have been lost, as we require a more direct conduit to the Flame. But, this place stands all the same as a monument to death… and to sacrifice.
Sacrifice. We hear this word all the time. We must sacrifice. We must endure. Without such, we can never-... what? It hardly matters, there’s a million blanks to fill in. But I am not hear to tell you why you need to sacrifice. Those whose blood still runs warm know this lesson.
I wish, instead, to talk of another side of Sacrifice. The side that gets that forgotten. The side that is too often written off as *cowardice*.
Sometimes, sacrifice is not charging into battle. It’s not holding the line until dead. It’s not starving yourselves so others may eat. Sometimes, the sacrifice that the Flame asks of us comes in the form of Pride and Ego.
Imagine the father whose village is called upon to aid a king’s war. The man has a wife, the man has children, animals, a whole household. Without him, lives will be ruined. Yet, still, too often we commend that man for leaving his family to fight in the king’s war. This isn’t Sacrifice. This isn’t Valor. This is Pride.
Here in the First Province, we all sacrifice. Every day we fight to tame these lands we forsake the comfort and safety of the rest of Vitaveus. We’ve a mounting pile of bodies - many of which I’ve spoken over - that show that sacrifice.
As such, I ask you all… before you put your life on the line, before you take upon a mantle of suffering, take inventory of who you are. Of what you have to offer. Of what you can *actually* sacrifice. Think of your duty, your responsibility, and those that rely upon you. Think of all this… and consider: Are you saving lives? Or are you just saving face?
Re: Ramona's Sermons
Author's note: This is the sermon that was written for Valor and for the Highfield Flowerbloom Festival. The actual sermon given was much briefer, but the mood remains!
Valor
Today’s sermon is a bit of a special one. Firstly, we are here in Highfield, on a wonderful day of celebration. Second, we’re in our brand new chapel, christening it with the first ever sermon held here. And finally, this is the last of the virtue sermons.
Yes, indeed, we’ve covered seven - Compassion, honesty, honor, humility, justice, sacrifice, and spirituality. That leaves just Valor.
Valor is, simply put, fortitude and courage. It’s both physical courage - such as those Valorous men and women that have stood up and fought foreign forces as they attacked Riverside - and also moral courage - shown in those that would rather live honest, pious lives than sit quietly and trade freedom for safety.
Here in Highfield, we try our best to keep that understanding of Valor in our minds, even if the people here would never claim to be such. And just like in Highfield, almost all of us who have come to the First Province are here, risking life and limb, to rebuild and reclaim. By some accounts, this is the most dangerous place in all the Republic… but we are not deterred. We know what we must do and where we must go! And so long as we keep our Virtues and forever stride toward them, we will be victorious.
We are the Pious and Valorous. We are the Servants of Decus. We are the future of this great Republic.
Now… Let us put aside our struggles and suffering, that we might simply enjoy all we have spent these months working toward. Let’s go have fun!
Valor
Today’s sermon is a bit of a special one. Firstly, we are here in Highfield, on a wonderful day of celebration. Second, we’re in our brand new chapel, christening it with the first ever sermon held here. And finally, this is the last of the virtue sermons.
Yes, indeed, we’ve covered seven - Compassion, honesty, honor, humility, justice, sacrifice, and spirituality. That leaves just Valor.
Valor is, simply put, fortitude and courage. It’s both physical courage - such as those Valorous men and women that have stood up and fought foreign forces as they attacked Riverside - and also moral courage - shown in those that would rather live honest, pious lives than sit quietly and trade freedom for safety.
Here in Highfield, we try our best to keep that understanding of Valor in our minds, even if the people here would never claim to be such. And just like in Highfield, almost all of us who have come to the First Province are here, risking life and limb, to rebuild and reclaim. By some accounts, this is the most dangerous place in all the Republic… but we are not deterred. We know what we must do and where we must go! And so long as we keep our Virtues and forever stride toward them, we will be victorious.
We are the Pious and Valorous. We are the Servants of Decus. We are the future of this great Republic.
Now… Let us put aside our struggles and suffering, that we might simply enjoy all we have spent these months working toward. Let’s go have fun!