Book Series: IRISH BLUE
Author: Sheila Willar
Copyright: 2022 Sheila Willar
ISBN #: 978-0-9867101-4-8
Book Title: THE CHAPEL
Chapter #: 15 - KINKERRY REVISITED
BOOK 1 - CHAPTER 15 - KINKERRY REVISITED
Erin stepped off the bus in Kinkerry and onto the gravel driveway of the only gas station in town.
She breathed in a hint of gasoline on the salty air and realized how much she missed the views and smells of her childhood home.
After greeting her mother and siblings, she went straight to the cathedral, opened one of the tall, heavy doors, and walked down the central aisle as she had done hundreds of times before.
However, this time it was different.
“Erin,” called Michael enthusiastically.
“Father,” she replied.
They both knew she was being sarcastic.
“I’ll always be Michael to you.”
“You’ve been a father to me for as long as I can remember.”
“It’s the duty of a priest.”
“Well Mr. Priest. I need one more favour.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve had a vision. Several visions.”
“What did you see?”
“A cathedral. It was magnificent! Galaxies swept across its floors, and God was at its centre.”
“You saw God?”
“And Katey,” Erin replied wistfully.
“You saw Katey?”
“She was with Jesus and other children.”
“You saw Jesus?”
“And someone else … I saw me.”
“You saw you in heaven?”
“It worries me.”
“Why?”
“Does it mean I’m going to die?”
“We’re all going to die eventually.”
“Does the vision mean I’m going to die soon?”
“Not necessarily. You’ve seen your own soul.”
“My soul?”
“What were you doing in the visions?”
“It was like a mirror. Every time I saw myself, I was copying what I was doing on the earth.”
“Ah …”
“Ah what?”
“That’s not what a soul is designed to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your soul is designed to worship God.”
“Well mine wasn’t.”
"Your soul is like a magnifying glass. It resides in heaven, in a living wall, between your Spirit and God. When you express Love, then your soul becomes transparent and increasingly clear.”
“A lens,” echoed Erin.
“Your soul is like a “joint” that holds two bones together.
It is a sophisticated connection between Heaven and Earth.
When a soul functions properly, Heaven and Earth act as one.
The soul allows your Spirit to see into Heaven, and for the Light from Heaven to flow back through you, to the rest of the world.”
“A conduit,” surmised Erin.
“Your soul is where you and God meet together like friends. A place where you can laugh and make plans.”
“A meeting room,” said Erin.
"A chariot!” said Michael.
“It is where God comes to visit you, and together, you can go anywhere, and accomplish anything,” Michael explained wistfully.
“Not many people act like they've spent time with God," noted Erin. “And if they say they do, it's mostly tall tales and lies.”
“Yes,” admitted Michael.
“The human Spirit is like the “marrow” in a bone.
If it does not accept or give Love … or if it embraces fear … then the bone becomes dry, and the limb dangles with no life in it.
At that point, the “joint” between Heaven and Earth becomes clouded, and it loses the ability to see clearly into Heaven. All that it can do then is mimic the life it sees on the Earth … and the soul becomes a mirror.
And if things get too bad, the soul becomes opaque, and shuts down.
In a worse case scenario, the "marrow" looks for a counterfeit to replace the connection it once had with God ... and the "soul-joint" becomes like iron."
Erin swallowed.
“The good news is that your soul is smart!" encouraged Michael.
"It knows where it is! It knows it is in Heaven, and it aches for the things of God ... not the things of darkness.
Your soul ... is the "heart" of your being.
Your soul is why you feel such a deep connection to laughter and compassion, children and animals, mountains and seas.
Your soul is why you stop to stare at the colours of a sunset, and why you look up and wonder at the expanse of the stars.
Your soul is why you can't help but notice the sparkle of a diamond ... because it reminds you of the brilliance of Heaven.
Your soul is why you enjoy music ... because you are a song that was written in Heaven.
Your soul ... loves life instead of death … and as along as there is a hint of a connection to God ... your "soul" will call out to the “marrow” ... with enough passion to "join" Heaven and Earth as one.
Erin sighed.
“If you could see a humble soul,” continued Michael.
“One that has its “gates” open to Heaven and to the Earth … then you would see a river of Light flow through it … and that kind of soul looks like it’s flying.”
“Like Fenton!”
“Who?”
“A monk.”
“We can only do on the earth, what we see our souls doing in heaven.
That's what the prayer "on earth as it is in heaven” means. It is not a wishful sentiment. It is a legal construct.
Humans can accomplish a lot on their own, but if we want God's Light and Power on the Earth .... then we must first establish our seat in Heaven.
Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven"
“Architecture," replied Erin.
“Accountability,” added Michael.
"Isn't God accountable?" complained Erin. "I don't want anything to do with a God who takes children.”
“What if God didn’t take Katy? What if we are the ones who are responsible?
“How?”
“What if we could have done something different?”
“Even if we could have. I want a God who hates suffering more than I do. I want a God who steps in and does something about it!”
“Maybe God wants you to help your generation figure it out,” suggested Michael.
Erin shook her head and got up to leave.
“I have to go.”
“We can talk later," suggested Michael.
“No!” insisted Erin.
“Hey! I meant to tell you.”
Erin hesitated to turn around.
“The Mancinni’s were here this summer and bought the quarry. It was mined out a century ago but they bought it anyway."
“ I know.”
Erin sighed and turned towards the stairs that led to the bell tower, where she ascended the narrow spiral passage.
At the top, she reached inside her pocket, and took out a small piece of Thee Irish Blue stone. It had been given to her as a going away present from Mrs. Mancinni.
“It’s from Kinkerry,” said Astor with a mischievous grin.
Erin held the glittering stone in her palm, as she looked out over the view of the town with the quarry in the background.
Beyond it, curtains of rain spread across the meadows, and rolling waves crashed against the white cliffs that rimmed the shore.
Erin took a deep breath and winced, as she forced herself to look down beneath her feet, at the tiny grave at the base of the tower.
“I miss you Katey. We all do."
Then, a gust of wind blew Erin’s hair straight up, and she thought she heard a voice. It was deep and resonated against the bells, but the words were clear:
“The healthy fail the sick,
The living fail the dead,
But none more so than those,
Who eat of Heaven’s bread.”
……………..
THE END OF IRISH BLUE - BOOK ONE
