10 Chapter Ten

"Go on to the altar kiddo," Connor directs, patting his son's back and lightly pushing him towards the front of the church as their family steps in. Shane nods, making his way forward and climbing the steps. He slips through the side door and receives a blessing from the priest. After he puts on the robe, Shane helps out the younger kids, who are just starting to help serve in the altar. The fifth-grader helps light candles, prepare bread and wine, make sure the incense is burning at the right times, and more. Mostly, he guides the younger ones, with help from the teenager who was there too. In the middle of the service, there's a small pause so that the priest can deliver a sermon. Jack ensures that all the younger servers are standing properly in their spots before paying attention.

"My brothers and sisters, as we read in the Gospel today…"

Shane drifts off, staring blankly. How dull- another stupid analysis of some random scripture that's long, boring, and meaningless to him.

"Even in his time, Jesus faced those who sought to do evil, the Pharisees, the Romans, many of the Jews. We see it time and time again, with those who question our dogmas, and cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests who begin to spout the newest lies the devil has sewn in our society. There is always dissent in the Church, and even more attacks from the outside, but we must fight on. We must read the scriptures, the psalms, read the teachings of apostles and the great fathers of the Church. We must remain true to tradition and persist in the face of evil."

Shane blinks, rubbing his eyes and focusing again. The devil is sewing new lies in society?

"Do not let these latest attacks on the Church sway your faith, we have the teachings of the Church. These days, with the arguments over bathrooms and gender, and the disregard for God, giving sex-change hormones to children, even below the age where they can grab a drink or vote, they are allowing this. They are allowing homosexuality, they are changing the discourse to facilitate calling anyone who professes a belief against it a radical, a danger, calling them alt-right."

Shane frowns. His brows knit in confusion. He never understood that teaching. Why was being gay bad? Ellen was gay, and she wasn't bad. Papa didn't like her, but Shane disagreed; she was funny, and she helps a lot of people out with her show. Shane also likes watching Hannah Hart on YouTube. She was gay. But she was nice, and funny too. He had never understood that teaching.

"Do not cower in your faith. We have the teachings of the Lord, we have God, and we know the truth. Now, this is not to say we should be cruel to homosexuals. No, it is important to treat everyone with the love you would wish to receive, as the Lord commands. However, you can love someone without accepting their behavior. Be gentle, be kind, but do not waver in your beliefs. The devil's strength is growing in these dark times, but remember the Lord, remember to have faith, and remember to persevere and stay strong."

After the service, Shane took off his robe, helping with cleanup, while his family made their way to the small side building for coffee and chatting. After a bit, he makes his way over, sitting in the corner eating sugar cubes as he laughs and hangs out with the teenage altar server- it was fun to talk with him afterward. Shane snorts at a joke, slumping back in his chair while reaching over and snagging a sugar cube. He crunches through the tiny packed crystals while they sit in silence for a moment, staring out over the other parishioners.

"Dude, that sermon was so dumb," the elder decisively comments, chewing on one of the coffee stirring straws that he'd snagged for his "coffee". Mostly sugar and cream, with just enough coffee to turn it light brown, but that was the point.

"Why?" Shane questions, sitting up and turning to look directly at his friend.

"First off, using 'homosexuals'? What is this, the sixties?" the kid snorts. Shane has to laugh at that, nodding.

"Should've just said gay, like a normal person," Shane snickers under his breath.

"But like, seriously?" The kid says, before making a silly impression, with dramatic facial expressions and an overexaggerated voice, "The devil is sewing lies! The homosexuals will turn the frogs gay! That whole thing was full over strawmen and red herrings."

They both devolve into laughter, moving on to joke about other matters. Shane had to agree with the elder, even if he didn't know what strawmen and red herrings were. The sermon seemed so out of touch and just full of misunderstandings.

"Why do they all think being gay is bad?" Shane suddenly pries softly, gazing up at the older boy. The teenager is quiet for a moment, staring at the fifth grader. He unquestionably had a realization that the things he said mattered to this kid, and that he was an influence, and that his statements could help, and that his statements could hurt, and that whatever he says next is of great importance to Shane. Shit.

"Well, sometimes, people are scared of change, right? Like, next year, you're going into middle school. That can be scary. So, when they're used to straight people, seeing gay people can be scary. And when they believe something written thousands of years ago to be the one hundred percent truth, they start to use that book to justify their fears. Like, a backward thing- thinking oh, I don't like this, let me search for evidence to prove why, versus finding evidence first, you know?" the kid tries to explain. Shane's brows furrow. He doesn't reply. A brief nod and the conversation promptly shifts to something much less severe. Later, the two depart from church, going home with their separate families.

But those thoughts never depart from Shane's mind.