Chapter 97 The light pierces the dark night!
"Then, Laurent and Simon, you were injured while covering your comrades. This is right. We are each other's backs and rely on each other."
After talking about the other lightly injured people present one by one, Garris looked at the other young man, his expression changing from a slight smile to a serious one.
"As for you - Pierre, don't think about blocking the knife for me. I don't need it yet. You were in the way of me killing the enemy."
Such slightly harsh words made the young man Pierre feel a little embarrassed.
The name of each lightly injured person was called by Garris, and a warmth surged in everyone's heart.
[Prophet] remembered them. Their injuries were not meaningless. He had devoted himself to an unprecedented great cause. Such a strong sense of honor was something they had never experienced before.
After Garris finished speaking about Pierre, he also came to the end of the room.
There were several separate beds at the end of the room, and Abdullah was busy treating a patient on one of the beds.
Unlike others who still had the strength to try to stand up, these people at the end of the room could only smile after noticing the arrival of Garris.
"Shh..."
Gairis made a gesture to signal the people on the side not to disturb Abdullah's treatment. He just sat next to a seriously injured person.
The man looked at Garris, his face flushed a little, and he wanted to say something, but Garris held his mouth shut.
"Don't worry, Jacques, lower your voice and think about what you want to say first."
Jacques is a typical Frank. He has brown hair and blue eyes. He is about the same age as Garris.
On the battlefield, he stood beside Gareth and was trampled by the falling horse as they faced the cavalry charge.
"Sir, I have nothing to confess. I don't think I have any sins in my life, but a priest once taught me something that I want to tell you."
"Say." Garris smiled.
"Though I must walk through dark valleys, I will fear no danger, for You are with me."
Garris felt that the corners of his eyes were a little moist, and he didn't know what to say for a while. After a while, he realized what he was doing and asked Simon beside him to pass over the bottle of oil in his hand.
Garris poured a little olive oil into his hands and rubbed it on Jacques's forehead and hands.
Then he took Jacques's right hand, made the sign of the cross on his palm, and prayed in a low voice: "With this sacred anointing, may the infinitely merciful Lord help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. He has forgiven you. your sins, may He save you and bring you back to life.”
Jacques's face became more and more rosy, and he was very happy. This was the brightest moment in his past gloomy life.
In the past, he never thought that one day he would receive such grace.
He could feel the divine power rushing into his heart through the cross that Garris made on his palm with holy oil.
Everything is so sacred, everything is so beautiful, and the new world unfolds before his eyes like a scroll.
Looking at the raised corners of his mouth, Garris felt a bit bitter in his mouth. He handed the oil back to Simon, and asked Simon to hand over the cake wrapped in cloth.
Garris broke off a small piece and stuffed it into Jacques' mouth.
"This is bread for the pilgrims. [Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day]."
This passage comes from John 6:54. In Christian culture, the body and blood of Christ are the source of eternal life and the power of resurrection.
What Garris is doing is to provide Christians with the most formal end-of-life care based on Christian culture.
First, the dying anointing gives the sick and injured the courage to overcome their pain, so that they can resist the evil temptations, the temptations of disappointment and the fear of death, and make the final struggle.
Then there is the Eucharist, which is the last sacrament for Catholics. It is the sacrament of Christ’s death and resurrection, and it is the sacrament that leads from death to life and from this world to the Father.
How much is the life of an ordinary person worth?
This question has a different answer for everyone.
Nowadays, Jacques, such a young man, 18 years old, so young, is coming to an end. No matter how much money or blessings, he can't save it.
The mottled gray shadows on the stone walls seemed to shroud the entire room in endless haze.
There was a dying body on the hospital bed, with blurred eyes and weak breathing, leaving only the last trace of breath.
The world in his eyes has almost faded away from all colors, leaving only darkness, silence, and hopelessness.
But when he was about to sink, a man came to Jacques. The white holy robe fluttered gently, as if a ray of morning light broke through the oppressive night.
The man held Jacques's hand, made the sign of the cross with holy oil, and murmured a holy prayer.
The wings of angels slowly brush away the shadow of death.
It was like the person in front of me, emitting bright golden light, dispelling the mottled gray shadows, and illuminating everything in the world again.
The world revived at this moment, life was alive again, colors returned to the world, and a corner of the new world opened up for him.
It was an era when no one was selfish, everyone was equal, and no distinction was made based on power or wealth.
"By the way, Prophet, help me tell Charlie to marry Emma and take good care of my father..."
Jacques's voice became more and more subtle, until he finally failed to finish his last words. Garris felt a little disappointed.
"Dear brother, you are about to leave this world. May your soul ascend to the eternal kingdom of heaven."
“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, who created you with his hands, the eternal Son of Man, Jesus Christ, sacrificed his life for you on the cross and gave you the Holy Spirit to be your source of strength and peace.”
"May you live today in the Kingdom of Heaven in Holy Jerusalem, sharing the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven with the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, Saint Joseph, and all the angels and saints."
"When you are freed from the burdens of this world, may you return to the arms of our Father, who formed you from the dust of the earth. May the Virgin Mary and the angels and saints come to greet you, and may the radiance of Christ's face shine upon you and be pleased with you, Granting you eternal rest and joy for all eternity.”
Garris turned his head and looked at the other people around him. He asked in a low voice: "Who is Charlie, who is Emma, and where are they?"
After all, these two names were very common, and Garris had no way of looking for them.
After a while, another seriously injured person on the side tilted his head, looked at Garris, and said softly: "Charlie is the young boy you drove home earlier. As for Emma, she is Jacques's sister. Then The two guys have had an affair for a long time.”
"However, Jacques has always been reluctant and disagreed. We are both from Labrete Manor, so the distance is not too far, at most two days' journey."
Looking at the wounded man who was still quite angry, Garris nodded: "Thank you Andre, I understand."
"Not just Jacques, but also Paul, Henry, Antoine...I remember their names. I will find their parents. I will tell them about their children's future and bring them comfort."
Gareth remembered everyone's name and the scene of each death.
……
Palestine is an ancient name. Unlike what many people think, this place name does not come from Islamic culture.
Originally, the name comes from the Hebrew word: , which appears many times in the Jewish Scriptures and means "rolling (in dust)" and was later extended to "intrusion". Referred to by ancient Jews as the Philistines, a sea people from the Aegean Sea region.
The Philistines settled in the narrow strip of land on the east coast of the Mediterranean around the 12th century BC and had a long-term historical conflict with the ancient Jews.
Greek historians in the 5th century BC called this land Palaistinê, and we have already heard its name for the first time.
After the Roman Empire suppressed the Jewish Bar Kochba uprising in 135 AD, the Jewish province was renamed "Syria Palaestina", which is Syria-Palestine, in order to weaken the influence of the Jews.
In essence, this is closer to a kind of humiliation, naming this land after the history of the enemies of the Jews in order to reduce the Jewish identification with the land of "Israel".
Since then, the name Palestine has been passed down, and even the Crusaders would occasionally use Palestine to refer to the land under their feet.
In short, using more of Palestine and less of Israel is not pro-Islam but anti-Semitic.
The rainy season in Palestine is mainly from winter to spring. In fact, it is not as dry as many people think.
Even in the 21st century, the annual rainfall in Palestine can reach 400 to 700 millimeters, which is roughly close to the rainfall in Hebei Province, China.
In the 12th century, Palestine was far more livable than in the 21st century. It was not like the movie "Kingdom of Heaven" where there was only yellow sand everywhere.
Night has fallen, and the light rain, which is not common in autumn, is falling lightly, driving away the last trace of summer heat.
A carriage drove slowly southward through the road left by the Romans, leaving a rut mark.
When it came to a fork in the road, the carriage stopped. After a brief exchange of words with the people in the carriage, the driver left the Roman road and continued on the path.
The air was filled with cold moisture, and the fine raindrops seemed to soak the world silently, suppressing all sounds into silence.
Darkness and gray seem to be the only colors in this land. The fence loomed in the night, like some kind of poisonous snake entrenched in the darkness, coldly watching the arrival of the carriage.
When they passed an intersection again, a man with a spear came out from a pavilion and stopped the carriage, shouting loudly.
"Who is it, stop!"
The loud voice broke the dull atmosphere, and the coachman who was driving the car couldn't help but smile when he heard the familiar voice. He slightly stuck his head out and said hello to the man.
"Charlie! What a coincidence, it's me here!"
"S-Sir Simon!"
The person blocking the road quickly came over and saw the familiar figure sitting in the seat of the simple coachman.
"What are you doing? Squatting at this intersection in the middle of the night?"
Simon asked casually.
"Hey, isn't it my turn to be on guard duty? It's not peaceful these days, and there are more and more signs of those Bedouin people. The housekeeper arranged for people to come over and guard the place at night. Look, there's a brother over there, and I’m with you.”
Charlie said, pointing to another person in the pavilion. By the firelight in the pavilion, Simon judged from his figure that he was also a young man. He was leaning on a spear beside him,
Because of Charlie's friendly actions, the man also lowered his guard and waved to the carriage, and Simon responded in a friendly manner.
"What are you doing here? What's wrong?" Charlie asked curiously.
"There is something to be delivered from Skar Village. I am driving a carriage here. Do you want to come and check it?"
It’s Friday, the company has a meeting, and I can’t write anything, but I have to open a new map, deduce a new story, and create a new character.
It's been a long delay. I'll see if I can make it up next weekend.
(End of chapter)