BC manages to disentangle himself from the middle of the love-in and looks around for Kim, who has somehow managed to disappear. BC sees Kim's bald dome flash around a corner in front of him over towards Kim's rooms. He follows and knocks on the door to Kim's room.
"Come in, Campion."
The door opens. BC enters. Father Kim is inside taking off his outer robe. BC waits until the door closes behind him to speak.
"You poured it on pretty thick back there, didn't you?"
"You weren't helping your cause much. Your protests weren't even all that convincing! I wouldn't have believed you, ‘oh, no, don't pick me.' I had to provide the drama. These people are used to it!"
"How'd you get the body to sit up like that? And his hand to hit me? Felt more like a slap than a blessing, though."
"I didn't do anything. That just happened. I thought I'd use it, improvise."
BC gets a serious chill and shakes it off.
"Spooky, isn't it, Campion?"
"That was weird. I felt better when I thought you had done it."
"I thought he was long dead. I used the dropdead so it would look like a heart attack. He was already cold."
"Wow. That's even freakier... So. What now, then?"
"The supply ship arrives in two days, we got their confirmation this morning. They're en route. They'll take you back to the Moon when they return, and I'll take care of things here, as we agreed."
"Trying to get rid of me so soon? Don't you want to bask in the New Light?"
"Look, we agreed. I help you, you help me. I can run this place a lot more effectively with you as an absentee Holy Father."
"I'm glad I fit your plan. Mine wasn't working so well."
"You were the right man at the right time, Father. Most of what I said was true, just enhanced," Kim says. "The two before you were slower, not as sharp. I couldn't use them. Look, there's one more thing you have to do.. You have to officiate at The Light's funeral before you leave. Do you have any clue what to do?"
"No."
"More lessons, then. We'll hold the Funeral Mass at 10 am tomorrow. That gives us plenty of time to teach you the Catholic Funeral Mass."
"Can't wait."
BC feels as filled in and informed as he can be when he prepares to say the mass the next morning. Kim has been grilling him on what to do when, what comes first, next, last. They've been going over just what BC has to know since the early morning hours.
"You have to win them over with this. There are still many doubts, despite my assurances and the love you felt last night. Your sermon is of vital importance. Do not falter," Kim tells him as they prepare for the service the next morning.
"Gotcha."
The mass goes as it should, smoothly, up to the sermon. BC gets his chance to address the congregation. He walks across the dais to the podium, clears his throat, looks out across The Light's followers, and then begins.
"I came among you as an outsider, and still, you took me in. I came among you as a sinner, and still, you took me in. I came among you as a killer, and still, you took me in. Where I sowed hatred, you reaped love. How did you do it? How did you save a wretched soul like mine? I can only say, I have seen The Light! The Light," BC gestures at the open casket before him, "showed me so much, showed me the error of my ways, and showed me the infinite patience, and the infinite love..." BC pauses for effect "...of God Himself, of our Lord Jesus. He taught me what it was to truly follow our Lord."
If I had a shovel, I'd shovel in the morning...
"My only regret is that I could not spend more time with Him! If I had only seen my error, the fault in my ways, sooner! He had so much yet to teach. I have so much yet to learn. We all are left now without The Light to shine and lead the way, and we could get lost. I know Father Kim thinks I'm The New Light, but I don't know... I'll try to shine. I tell you there is light within each of us, the Light of Christ, and it's there for each of us to find. We need to shine for each other. We need to shine for ourselves. We need to see that the Light is not dead, no! The Light is alive, inside of each and every one of us! We just gotta let it shine. We need to help each other shine now, especially, for it will seem dark now that we have lost The Light.
"I spent deep prayerful time with The Light, time almost out of time. I can almost be there with Him again right now, if I allow myself. His love is still there, I can still feel it, real and strong. He loved so deeply, and so well, that His love continues to be with us, even though His body has ceased to breathe.
"God is love, and this The Light has shown us. This is what He illuminated. He showed us the sheer power of love in our lives is unlimited, for it is the power of God. How purely can you love? How well, how strongly? This was His challenge. He often quoted to me the First Letter of John, ‘God is Love, Campion!' trying to teach me what truly following what Jesus taught really meant.
"The words of First John offer us a powerful challenge. We must love each other here and now, in this life, or we are not living as Jesus intended. We find our eternal life in this love!
"This is the essence of the message. The Light loved us all so well, so purely, so truly, that he is with us still whenever we think of Him in love! Think of The Light! Remember His Love! Can you feel it? Do you feel Him? He is with us still, I assure you, with us now! And We must not forget Him!"
BC bows his head, looking down at the body in the casket.
"Father Kim has called me The New Light, but, truly, none can replace Him. If I have been chosen to follow Him, I can only hope it is The Light himself choosing our next step, our further path. For I feel called to a different path. I feel called to spread the news, the love of The Light, to the rest of the world! The Light came to you, to us, to draw us together, to make us the strong mustard seed, the kernel about to explode into abundant life! I must now take the message back into the world.
"I will not be staying among you, but shining the Light unto the world to bring the message of The Light to those who still labor on in error as I did, those who still exist in darkness!"
The crowd is shocked, surprised. Murmurs and gasps are followed by whispering. BC can hear and sense their unease.
Alrighty, Kim, let's hope this works...
"Father Kim will lead in my stead while I am not here. We all know he can keep us together, even as I am apart from you. I will not be able to come back often, I fear, for I fear to draw attention to us here, to the true cradle of our faith, until we are sure the world is ready for us. Make no mistake, my brothers and sisters, this is our Eden. We have not left the garden! And yet, The Light leads me on to the greater path. I just dare not lead those who would ruin this place back here to hurt you, my new family, this body of Christ! This community built by The Light! We will continue to shine in His never-ending love!
"We will miss you, our Light, but we can see You shine on."
BC beams at the crowd. Father Kim looks pleased. The crowd sounds uplifted, happy.
I think they like me. Now for the rest of this mass thing.
The rest of the funeral mass cruises by for BC. The tough part is over. He's glad to get it done, get the whole thing over with.
Glad to get off that altar. It's still not my element.
Father Kim comes up, "You handled yourself well. Those were true words you spoke, whether you spoke them in truth or not."
"Thanks, I think."
BC walks among the people and around Fortune Station after the mass, killing time before the su