GPMU+stay+in+nunnery

You refuse to be your husbands servant, and refuse his offer.

The one good thing about being in the monastery is that we get travelers and educated people from all over the world. so we get to hear the news of the world.
 * 1) There is word of a terrible disease striking all of Europe. They call it God's Wrath.
 * 2) The war between the French and English is continuing, it seems to go on forever
 * 3) There is word from the north about a group of invaders called the Vikings.
 * 4) Charlemagne is establishing his control over all of France
 * 5) The English King was forced to sign some "great charter" document giving up his power
 * 6) Our Pope is calling us to go on crusade, to war against the heretics in the holy land and to reclaim it for Jesus who commanded it

The bad news about living in the monastery is I see first hand the level of corruption within the church. I know I didn't come here willingly at first, but now I've made a choice, and I'm here to serve God, however many of the "monks" here who took all kinds vows to give up their earthly desires use their position to simply gain more things.
 * There is a priest the town over who tells his congregation that by limiting themselve to only what is necessary they are serving God, yet he eats more than three of those family's in one meal than they do all week.
 * In another town the priest uses his position to get women to hang out with him, even if they are married
 * One priest takes all the money from the collection plate and goes drinking and gambling
 * Another takes the money and buys lavish homes and furniture.

If you call them on it, they site some vague scripture reference or flat out threaten the people with excommunication. It's no wonder the people grow questionable towards us.

There are good people in the church as well though, There is a great professor at Wittenberg college in Germany we have heard about who making the church ask itself questions.

Terrible news! We thought we were far enough inland to avoid the attacks but they came right up river. VIKINGS!!. They were terrible brute barbarians. They killed all the monks they saw, took anything and everything of value, and many other terrible things, and then they simply left. I thought people exagerated they ferocity but they were not detatiled enough. These people were terrible. Their leader was a man named Bone-Crusher.

As if that weren't enough the plague has struck. Those of us still around have been called to tend to the sick.

There are so many, I don't know if I can do this, I pray for strength. I'm so afraid I'll get sick as well. This disease is so terrible. People get these huge pimple like sores (the size of oranges sometimes) in their neck, armpits and groin, they have violent sneezing attacks, seizures, and if lucky fall into a deep sleep and die, most die during the seizures. They suffer so much, I used to cry all the time but I have no more tears.

Some children were brought by the monastery today, the parents asking the remaining father to administer last rights, he shut the door in their faces and refused to let them in. He turned and told us the monastery was closed and no one was allowed in who was sick. he was one of the better priests here, and genuinely seemed to care about the faith, but fear had taken hold of him. I can't blame him, it had come close to claiming me many times. However I was now left in a quandary, did I stay with him or do I leave and tend the sick outside the monastery?

Ok it has now come to a head, I thought I could live the best of both worlds (if you an call it that), and was sneaking out to help those in need, I was caught sneaking back in however. I should have known better, it was the middle of winter, and I was helping an elderly couple whose entire family had died. They were so thankful that they gave me a lovely blue coat. I tried to refuse but they insisted so much that it would have been more hurtful to say no, so I took it with the intent to give it to someone else in need. It needed cleaned first as I had seen a flea hopping around on it. I was taking it back home and it got caught in wall, and thats how I got caught. The head priest read me the riot act, then he noticed the coat. We were seriously low on supplies and firewood was a highly valued commodity. He demanded I give him the coat and get out or I go chop up wood as penance. What do I do?




 * ~ Give up the coat and leave ||~ Stay and attempt to wait it out. ||
 * There was no good choice, no one knew how the plague traveled so flip a coin. || There was no good choice, no one knew how the plague traveled so flip a coin. ||

BACK