The Wanderer

Chapter XIII

His walk back to the inn that afternoon was not only long, but he was beginning to comprehend some of the reasons for the uneasiness he felt when he first met with the citizens in the marketplace. The problems were many; and much of the malaise seemed to be caused by the moral integrity, or lack thereof, in the kingdom. If moral decay appeared to be at the center of the multitude of problems facing the kingdom, where better to further his investigation than at its religious core? To this point his investigation had revealed many troublesome problems. Some of the citizens had given him indications as to the nature of these problems, and even possible solutions to some of them. However, they were only partial and superficial solutions to a problem that was more endemic and threatening to the survival of the kingdom. If the kingdom was to survive, its morality had to be dominant. Should this morality not be intact, then was the kingdom worth saving?

During his many visits to the university grounds he could not help but notice at the center of the university complex the cathedral, an awe-inspiring edifice that had been grandly designed and constructed many years before. The logic to his search inevitably led him to this moral center of the kingdom...

As he neared the cathedral, citizens were entering in small groups. The wanderer, once inside, located a pew toward the rear of the chamber so he might better observe some of the citizens and their reactions to the sermon that morning. His first impression of this house of worship was the artistic detail that predominated. There were intimately detailed statues that almost humanized, yet idealized, those figures representing church history from early times, and a series of artistically detailed and colorful murals on the walls, which further developed the history of the religion. The multi-colored stained glass panels, which permitted the outside light to filter into the cathedral, colorfully accented the interior. The atmosphere reflected a well-organized and strategic plan, orchestrated many years before, to visually and spiritually elevate this sanctuary above and beyond the common existence of its believers...


The minister, a gray-haired elderly citizen, from his pulpit high above the faithful appeared to be a fatherly and accepting church leader. This was unexpected to the wanderer, who had envisioned a more powerful and domineering representative of the church. The fatherly minister began his sermon with a scripted presentation, which was apparently part of the religious rhetoric used over many years to establish a reverent tone for his presentation that was to follow. This device, which was more mechanical than inspiring, had apparently functioned over the years, so it became an integral part of the weekly presentation. Once past this mechanical portion of his address, he began his sermon by identifying some of the major problems that the church believed were of concern to the citizens. His identification of those problems was certainly in consonance with many of those problems presented to the wanderer during his travels. The difficulty the wanderer was having with the fatherly minister's presentation was that his critique was more accepting than critical. His message seemed to be that the times were changing, and many of these issues that would have been severely criticized or acted upon in past years, were now being accepted, or at least tolerated, in the name of change....

Upon completion of the service, the wanderer visited the minister's quarters, a rather plain attachment to the rear of the cathedral. As was the case with the minister at the sermon, his quarters were similarly unremarkable in appearance. The wanderer knocked on the large wooden door and presently a pleasant appearing lady, who was apparently in the employ of the ministers, opened the door. After a congenial exchange of greetings, he was ushered into the home and asked to wait while the pleasant looking lady departed to fetch the minister...

The minister's discussion was both moving and believable, unlike his earlier presentation at the church. But behind this compelling presentation, the wanderer detected a fatalism and acceptance of the changing position of the church. The church, the wanderer concluded, would not, in and of itself, be the vehicle around which the kingdom could rally to stem this decline.
As the wanderer departed, thanking the minister for his valuable time, he observed the minister hobbling back up the stairs, again the aged religious leader he had observed when he first arrived.