Sgrios Mass: There is Lack

Let us look at the octave through the eyes of a young Aisling - one who’s spark just opened their mind to the wonders of the world around them. With this spiritual awakening, it is common to seek a faith to devote themselves to; a faith which will, in some way, hang a flag on their victory and apply a salve to the failures. So, what do they see when they examine the eight Gods of Temuair?

Each of the Gods beckons for the devotion of the prospective worshipper, each making promises that speak to the blessings they can offer: full spirits, full minds, full strength, full hearts, full control, full bodies, full pockets... But one God remains, and He offers only loss. Sgrios is a God like a void, in that he is defined by what he takes, not what he has to give. So why, then, does He command such a rich and vibrant congregation? If we have eight choices and seven of them bear wondrous promises of a blessed life, what draws so many to worship at the altar of decay?

Sgrios does not give us anything, but what He takes from us gives meaning to everything we already have. By providing a finite end to our lives, we must place a tremendous value on each passing moment. Knowing that tomorrow’s sun is not guaranteed to shine on our face makes today important, regardless of how mundane or inconsequential it may be. In this way, devotion to Sgrios is its own reward. Our faith gives us purpose and our purpose gives us strength in just the same way that our looming death gives our life meaning.

Even mass, for instance: should I stop performing the ritual of faith to punctuate my sermons, I suspect I would see very little drop in attendance because, by and large, it is this moment we share together - it is this gathering and the ensuing discussion that bears the reward. In fact, as I survey the faces here, I’m bolstered in this: knowing that many here worship outside of our trinity, just as I have seen many of our worshipers attending mass in temples outside our trinity.
 

I know that we are here out of devotion, not because some man or deity has dangled a carrot before your nose. In the same way, I hope you walk from this temple carrying that defiant spirit, allowing yourself not to be led by the promise of reward, but by the conviction of your spark. I pray that Sgrios blesses you with the compass of passion by which to navigate your life - not in search of treasure, but for the love of the task, itself.

As with our devotion to the God of the Void, let us find, in life, purpose in what we don’t have - not in defining it by what we stand to gain. For, it is in the spaces where we have little to gain that we find the most honest rewards. You may just find that this lack is more of a boon than any tangible token or expensive bauble. With that, I will release you to find the emptiness in this world -of which there is an abundance- and embrace it.