Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
|
Post by Erik Lenoir on Jan 10, 2013 23:52:29 GMT -5
Whenever Lavalais played the organ and the few in the congregation sang, Erik took notice. But in between, he was getting very sleepy. He could hardly keep his eyes open now. He was nodding off ... and then Lavalais would play a chord on the organ and he would jerk a bit and open his eyes. This was terrible, disgraceful. He had been taught by his mother, and if he learned nothing else from her, that one must be respectful to the Lord and in His house. And falling asleep was surely disrespectful.
Erik tried to find his place in the book again, but he kept drifting in and out of sleep. As soon as he would find his place in the book, he would nod off. And when he came back, they would be in a different place. Luckily his reading was over. It would indeed be embarrassing if someone had ot awaken him to read.
At one point, the book slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor with a rather loud sound. Erik picked it up, his face reddening a bit in embarrassment. That kept him awake for a while, but then he started nodding off again. This was terrible! If he had been at home, he would have been pacing, unable to sleep. Perhaps no one would notice, as he was sitting in the back of the chapel.
|
|
Christine Daaé
The Swedish Nightingale and Fairy of the North
If when the time comes, I refuse to go with you, well then, Raoul, you must carry me off by force!
Posts: 1,592
|
Post by Christine Daaé on Jan 11, 2013 14:29:51 GMT -5
After her brief moment of panic at forgetting the prayer had faded (surely God would be forgiving at her silly little folly, as she was trying to honor him), she settled down into the seat again, beside her fiancé, resting her head on his shoulder and her hand on his own. Just having him there with her was more than she could have ever hoped for, the past few weeks considered. She had been afraid that they'd never be able to sit like this again...
She had planned on asking him to do the last reading, though now she was not so sure. She didn't wish to break this moment, not after all that had just happened... As the hymn was being played, she quietly forced herself to rise and then pressed a small kiss to her beloved's cheek. “I shall return soon, my love.” She smiled at him, giving his hand a little squeeze, and then started making her way up to the front of the chapel as she knew the music was coming close to ending.
She froze a moment though in shock, flinching as a loud smack echoed through the little chapel, reverberating off of all of the hard stone, tile, and marble surfaces. She looked around for a moment, confused, wondering what had fallen, but she soon dismissed it and made her way up and stood to read to the congregation.
“A reading from Isaiah:
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. See, I made him a witness the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. See, you shall call all nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
The Word of the Lord... Let us pray.”
She paused for a moment, giving a time of silence, as was the tradition, before continuing on with the post-reading prayer.
“O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, ad that things are being brought to their perfection by him though whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen..”
Once the prayer was finished, she looked to Monsieur Lavalais and nodded, giving him the okay to continue on with the next hymn, about the deer panting for streams of water as the human soul thirsted for the living God.
|
|
|
Post by Erik Lavalais on May 3, 2013 22:43:41 GMT -5
As a deer longs for flowing streams...so my soul longs for you, Oh God....Ha. Erik took his cue from Christine, playing the hymn. How right it was. But...but it wasn't God he longed for. He prayed to God, for sure, but he knew that hell was his only destination. Perhaps God would pity him and give him what he really wanted...a normal life, a wife, a home. A place where he could live without fear of being judged by others, in any way.
As he played, Erik thought. Could he really achieve such happiness? Yes, he was a devout man, but would God really see that his prayer was answered? Perhaps...only penitence could help him.
|
|
Christine Daaé
The Swedish Nightingale and Fairy of the North
If when the time comes, I refuse to go with you, well then, Raoul, you must carry me off by force!
Posts: 1,592
|
Post by Christine Daaé on May 4, 2013 0:21:56 GMT -5
Addressing the few people there who made up the congregation, Christine continued once Monsieur Lavalais had finished playing the hymn.
“Please stand… Through the Pascal mystery, dear friends, we are buried with Christ by Baptism into his death, and raised with him to newness of life. I call upon you, therefore, now that out Lenten observance is ended, to renew the solemn promises and vows of Holy Baptism, by which we once renounced Satan and all his works and promised to serve God faithfully in his holy Catholic Church.
Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil and renew your commitment to Jesus Christ?”
And she waited for them to reply.
I do.
“Do you believe in God the Father?”
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
“Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?”
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
“Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?”
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
“Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?”
I will with God's help.
“Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?”
I will with God's help.
“Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?”
I will with God's help.
“Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?”
I will with God's help.
“Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?”
I will with God's help.
“May Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and bestowed upon us the forgiveness of sins, keep us in eternal life by his grace, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.”
With this being said, Christine took the Pascal candle and lit the candles at the altar, saying three times “Alleluia. Christ is risen.” And after each time, she waited for the people to reply The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
When all of the candles at the altar were lit, she went and turned on the electric lights in the chapel and rang a little bell, hoping that a couple of people there would have brought a bell to ring as well. With the chiming of the bells, it was time to begin the next hymn.
|
|
|
Post by Erik Lavalais on Jun 17, 2013 22:36:12 GMT -5
And so Erik began his hymn. And his head was reeling with thoughts that took him elsewhere but church. Happiness...did it stem from devoutness and prayer? Or was he just a hopeless case?
Erik took a little opportunity to glance around the chapel while he played. Christine was leading the mass...that Raoul character was glaring at him from time to time...and that Lenoir fellow was in the very back. What was he doing here? Erik had never taken him for a religious type.
Well, he supposed, to each their own. If Lenoir had something to settle with God, it was on his own terms.
|
|
Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
|
Post by Erik Lenoir on Jun 20, 2013 18:53:07 GMT -5
Erik was falling asleep once more. He put the book down on the pew beside him so he would not drop it again and make a loud and disturbing noise. He rubbed his eye on the unmasked side to try to wake himself up. He took a few deep breaths. He felt like yawning and then did yawn just from thinking about it.
He picked up the book again as Lavalais began a hymn and found it in the book. He sang along with it, but then after the ending , the book almost slipped from his grasp again. There was no sense in fighting sleep. He would have to leave, he had no choice. He slid to the end of the pew and stood up, walking silently to the back of the chapel and opened the door carefully and quietly. He slipped out and hoped that no one would notice his absence. He walked back to the lift, took it down to the large wooden door and started across the hanging bridges with his lantern, hoping he was as sure-footed as usual. He made it across the bridges and the lake without incident. He was happy to get into his cosy bed tonight. He was actually sleepy. He hoped he hadn't offended the Lord too much by slipping out early, but it seemed not. The sleep that he had that night seemed like a gift from above, restful and lovely.
|
|
Raoul Edouard de Chagny
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
Posts: 365
|
Post by Raoul Edouard de Chagny on Jun 20, 2013 19:05:48 GMT -5
Edouard saw Lenoir leave the chapel. He had noticed the man falling asleep and dropping his book, so he thought,, The Phantom needs sleep. That's funny. I didn't think he ever got tired.... After all, he says he's a ghost...Then Edouard realized how tired he himself was. And he glanced at Emilie. She seemed to be following along with the songs and readings. Edouard was bored. He just wanted to leave. He didn't care if Emilie came with him or not.
"Emilie, I'm leaving. I'm tired and if the Phantom can leave, surely I can too. You may stay if you wish, but I just can't follow along any more. This service has gone on quite a while, not that I didn't expect that. I knew from previous vigils as a child that the service is very long. So you may stay if you wish. But I am leaving. I shall speak to you tomorrow. Perhaps we can have Easter dinner together."
He slipped out as surreptitiously as Lenoir had and left the chapel, He went back to his suite and after undressing and hanging up his clothing, he dressed in his long nightshirt and happily went to bed. He fell asleep almost immediately, dreaming of a hopefully lovely day tomorrow with Emilie....
|
|
Christine Daaé
The Swedish Nightingale and Fairy of the North
If when the time comes, I refuse to go with you, well then, Raoul, you must carry me off by force!
Posts: 1,592
|
Post by Christine Daaé on Jul 20, 2013 18:54:06 GMT -5
Christine began to notice people leaving the chapel, at which she could not help but to feel the slightest bit discouraged. She knew that it wasn’t a proper mass, but it was really all that she was capable of in trying to keep with something that meant a lot to her on a personal level, and that she hoped would be able to cheer up a few others just a bit as well…
A bit shaken by this, she continued on. “The Lord be with you.” And waited for the only few people left within the little chapel to respond with the appropriate and also with you, before continuing on with a short prayer.
“ Let us pray. O God, who made this most holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord's resurrection: Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism, that we, being renewed both in body and mind, may worship you in sincerity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”
Taking a deep breath, she continued on with the Epistle. At least the service was about half over now. There wasn’t much more left for her to be humiliated by with the inconsiderate nature of some of those who had come in attendance. Was it really so much to ask that they be respectful of this most holy of days should they choose to participate? Or if not, that they simply not bother to come at all? It was rather rude of them…
“ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has domain over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
With this being said, she added a final “The word of the Lord,” and waited for the appropriate Thanks be to God to follow, and then for Monsieur Lavalais to play the sequence anthem.
|
|