10. Gestation

As the little gods were leaving the cathedral I wanted to follow them. I wanted to see where they were going and to see what they would do with the body and blood of Jesus Christ running through their little blue veins and pumping through their hearts. I wanted to see if they could make miracles too.

But I had to stay inside so I flew around the place like a pinball with wings. After a while, I stopped to perch on the railing in the dome to think. The dome was my favorite place because I could look out its windows at the sky. While sitting there all alone I thought about how the Bride of Christ could be both very material, like this building and like the embodied person, and also very spiritual, like us angels and like God, all thinking and emotions, all wisdom and love.

Suddenly, the strangest sensation came over me. I, uh me! I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but I wanted a material body! I wondered what I would look like. I wanted to wear those beautiful and colorful brocade gowns that the priests wore. I wondered if God felt this way before He entered the body that was Jesus.

Flitting out of my absurd fantasyland I looked down from those heights to notice that many people were entering the church again. In floated different spirits than before. Both embodied gods and spirits were greeting their own kind as if they hadn't seen each other in years. They were all so happy. The spirits in particular were glowing. A baby was crying. I flew down to get a closer look.

There in front of the glistening golden gates that separated the inner sanctum from the nave stood a large golden font filled with water. I know it wasn't there before because that was the spot where I had seen the priest feed the little gods with the Body and Blood of Christ from his golden chalice.

"Hi there! Remember me?" I was startled out of my mind by the presence of a familiar angel.

"Oh, hello Poppy!" I said, suddenly recognizing her. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard that you were here and came to check on you. Are you feeling any better about time and matter, and the Bride?"

"I admit," I said sheepishly, "that this place is beautiful and that some very powerful things happen here. Look over there, what is going on now?" I pointed to the font, and then up to the priest and a man holding a baby.

"Oh! This is wonderful!" Poppy shook with delight and became brighter.

"That baby is being baptized to become a little god! The Bride will place the baby into that golden font filled with warm water which they pretend is the Bride's womb. Inside Her womb, she will purify the child from the stains that Lucifer's rebellious egotism caused to disfigure and bring death to humankind. Then the baby will be born all over again.

The baby has two mothers now, its little god-mom and the Bride. Just as the baby was conceived and grew in the mom physically, the baby is conceived and will continue to grow in the Bride, (the Church you know) spiritually. Isn't that magnificent!?"

Poppy got so enthusiastic when she spoke, a little too much so, for me.

"Poppy," I said, in an effort to tone her down. "Have you ever wished you had a body?"

I succeeded. Poppy grew quiet and pensive, a side of her I had never seen.

Soon, the cathedral was dark and empty again. A few spirits of men and angels were hovering in the altar, but all was very quiet and peaceful.

After a long dreamy silence she responded, "I have been assigned to earth for a long time." she said with a whisper. "I have witnessed embodied souls perform many magnificent acts with them and with the matter all around them. I have seen them dance with joy and make magnificent melodious sounds with their voices and with instruments. Those are the moments I want to be able to clap! Don't tell God, but how I wish I could hug or be hugged. When I see the little gods hug I want to cry. It must feel so good."

After a long paused, she continued. "But we can fly and we can see God. Their bodies give the spirits that live inside of them a sense of isolation and can be the root of conflict, pain and death. I could not bear that. There is nothing that I would give up or nothing that I want enough to be worth that; especially not being able to see God.

Now let us be quiet too and enjoy the darkness while we can." And with that Poppy enveloped me with her aura. I felt a soothing warm glow all over and wondered if Poppy was trying to make a spirit-hug and if that was what a hug felt like.