Fides Aeternam: A Christmas Story

During one Christmas on a distant planet, Catholics were killing each other as the War in Heaven raged on. The Ecclesia and the Dogmatists were dug in their positions as they traded shots and casualties as neither side could get an advantage on the other. They fought for months until Christmas came around. Three soldiers, Reuben, Judah, and Benjamin, were gathered around the fire as the snow fell on the cold world.

“You'd think that they would put miniature heaters in these suits for how advanced they're supposed to be,” Reuben joked.

“If they can protect you from laser fire and explosions, then they’re just fine the way they are,” Judah said.

“No, Reuban is right though I think they should add something to inject joy into you so you aren’t always so serious,” Benjamin said with sarcasm.

Benjamin and Reuben laugh a bit while Judah’s face remained as solid as the ice. While he warmed up his hands, Judah saw men and women abandoning their positions with something in their hands.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Judah said as he took his gun ready to shoot who he assumed to be cowards.

Benjamin and Reuben took their guns with some other soldiers who watched their fellow soldiers walk to the enemy lines. Judah was about to take a shot before Benjamin put his hand on Judah’s shoulder.

“Wait, let’s see what’s happening,” Benjamin said.

“These people are betraying God and His Church. What else could they be doing?” Judah said.

“Maybe they’re pretending to surrender so they can surprise the enemy,” Reuben guesses.

“Those Dogmatists don’t take prisoners who don’t convert.”

“Or maybe they’re getting themselves killed so they can visit their family and friends in spirit. I don’t know.”

“That seems more likely.”

“Stop guessing, and let’s see what’s happening.”

“Sergeant Benjamin why aren’t you firing on those traitors?” a commissar said from behind him.

“Today’s Christmas, sir, so I’m not in the mood to assume the worst of those under my command nor do I want to take the lives even of a sinner. Let’s wait a moment more to see what they do.”

The Ecclesia soldiers watched as their fellow soldiers dropped their weapons in front of the Dogmatists on the other side and held up food, drink, and gifts like toys and games. They also held up crosses and a statue of Mary, which was held up by a man with a rosary in his hand. The Dogmatists looked at each other before waving them over while the Ecclesia soldiers waved over their friends in the trenches. Benjamin was the first to move before Judah pulled him down.

“Have you gone mad?” Judah said.

“No. Today is the day when I’ve come to my senses. You going to either come with me or shoot me in the back. It’s your choice. The same goes for the rest of you.”

Benjamin dropped his weapon and went to the Dogmatists with people behind him.

“Not you too, Reuban,” Judah said, “We don’t celebrate Christmas with traitors!”

“It’s a good thing that I’m going to be spending it with brothers and sisters in the faith, right? Come on.”

Reuban forced Judah to come with him as the Ecclesia and Dogmatists line intermix as they celebrated Christmas together. They drank and ate together with some consuming a bit too much. These people are taken to the confessors on the battlefield just in case they die in the next battle. Besides this, they enjoyed a Christmas mass together, games, and the only shooting that happens is a shooting competition and artillery and tank guns that went off like fireworks to celebrate the birth of Christ while ships danced in the air like angels blaring Christmas music and hymns sung by those below.

While this is happening, Judah kept to himself. There were Ecclesia and Dogmatist soldiers who stuck to their own while their friends tried to get them to talk to the other side. Judah couldn’t help but scoff at the people who he considered to be traitors and be stone faced as everyone around him was full of cheer.

Seeing this, Reuban said to Judah, “Christmas is a time of joy, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

“And God wants us to always be in good spirits because of all He does for us. Am I wrong?”

“No, you aren’t.”

“So, what are you doing?”

“I don’t know.”

Looking through the crowds, Judah saw a lone man praying the rosary to a statue of Mary. He approached the man and appeared to be saying something to him. The next time that Benjamin and Reuban saw Judah he was praying the rosary with his friend then drinking and eating together. When Judah saw that he was being watched, the smile that he had faded as he turned his head in embarrassment. The entire day is a day of peace and the news of it is spread to the other lines of battle on other planets that celebrate Christmas like them, but this celebration only lasts until the next day.

Even as their commanders told their soldiers to shoot at their enemy under the threat of death, both sides hesitated as they were afraid to kill their new friends and of offending God because they realized the useless fighting of the civil war. When the shooting did start, soldiers were firing randomly in the air with some soldiers shooting themselves and pretending as if it wasn’t self-inflicted so they wouldn’t have to fight.

“Come on! Charge the enemy lines!” Judah said in a noticeably shaky voice.

The look in his eyes told of the true intentions of his soul. Judah didn’t want to fight but forced himself to since he told himself that it was his duty. Since not many were fighting, he decided to charge forward and shoot the first Dogmatist that he came across. Something suddenly struck his heart as if his guardian angel was telling him something he couldn’t see. Inspecting the soldier, Judah saw that the man that he shot was his friend. In a panic, he called for a medic as he tried to keep his friend alive. Instead of a medic, a commissar came out to tell Judah to finish off his enemy and threatened to kill him if he refused.

Judah cried like a child as he said, “Spare him, please! Take my life instead but save him!”

The commissar then shot Judah and his friend, which made things clear to Benjamin who shot the commissar. He then commanded all the Ecclesia and Dogmatists forces on the planet to band together and fight against those who forced them to fight each other. In the end, many soldiers and even commanders disobeyed their orders and formed together. Knowing that their leaders would put them to death for their disobedience, they left the planet and disappeared with other soldiers like them. These soldiers didn’t come home until the civil war ended and the pope granted them pardon for their betrayal. The pope even congratulated them for their bravery and compassion for one another.

When humanity’s time in space ended, these Christmas soldiers were the ones on Earth who defended the Church against the alliance of empires, and it is said that this was the proof that they found favor in God’s eyes.