The Golden Legend, Page 2

  The Lady of the Mountains had created the settings showing how beautiful the Garden of Eden must have been with the close relationship to God. The mind opened to the sacred visions of heaven.

  The Morning Star was fixed on the crown of the Tree of Life. After the Advent mass, the congregation usually gathered in front of the church to meditate on Christmas. The meditation was conducted by Brother Benedict who ran the orphanage.

  Time was passing quickly but there was no sign of the Morning Star.

  “The light must appear any moment,” said Steve full of excitement.

  Brother Benedict had doubts. He knew about the cowardice of King Bloodstone’s reptilian army. They executed quick assaults and escaped from the crime scene into hell like snakes under a stone.

  Brother Benedict had left the monastery to spend more time studying the Bible and become a hermit. He was setting up a little hermitage in the forest. However, God had other plans with him. He soon became the father of the orphans coming to Saint Peter in search of a new home. He was not happy with God’s plan and fought against it because he was longing to travel to Egypt, the home of some of the oldest Christian monasteries. In the desert of Scete, where Anthony the great used to live, lay the revelation for a higher understanding of the bible and Jesus Christ. The world’s most famous Gnostics came from Egypt. Brother Benedict admired the Christian mystics who were in denial of the material world and searching for a spiritual world transcending the human soul into heaven. These ascetic monks who could neither read nor write were searching for God by finding the inner self connecting the soul to God. The soul became a dove flying to a divine well and drinking from the spirit. The well was fed with prayers. If nobody was praying, the well was drying up and the souls were dying.

  The Pilgrimage of Life

  A pilgrimage was a travel through the archaic memory to find the sea of love like some of the fish travelling all the way from the Black Sea into the mountain lakes. The shrines in the mountains were sanctuaries where the soul met God, Mary and the angels; a world more powerful than the words in the Sacred books could describe; an inner visual world of sacred dreams.

  A painting showing Jesus Christ washing the feet of his disciples hung in the kitchen of the orphanage.

  The meditation of the morning star in the church started with the visualization of Christmas. The star shone over Jesus Birthplace in Bethlehem. The morning star guided the shepherds and the wise men from the East to the stable.

  A noise rose out of the silence of the quit night.

  “What was that?” asked Steve.

  They noise came from the small path leading to Mount Mary where they expected the Star to appear. But it was dark. The evening sank slowly into the night as did Steve’s thoughts.

  A light appeared in the mountains. It was not as intense as the light of the Morning Star. The small path leading from the house of the Lady of the Mountains to the forest appeared in the distance. Brother George, one of the priests of Saint Peter, had gone to the hostel of the Lady of the Mountains. The light disappeared and the house was wrapped in darkness again.

  There was no sign of a light becoming stronger and revealing itself as the Morning Star signaling the opening of the Advent season. The people in front of the church became very agitated as Brother George returned from the hostel with the Lady of the Mountains.

  Brother Benedict and Steve looked into each eyes knowing that something terrible happened. They ran down the hill to the church.

  The Disappearance of the Morning Star

  The Lady of the Mountains stood exhausted in front

  of the church together with three of her sons.

  “My son Christian has been kidnapped…. and the Morning Star,” she gasped.

  “You are all exhausted. Come into the church and have a cupper,” said Brother Martin and put his coat over her shoulders.

  Christian was the youngest of her four sons.

  The village people were shattered. The Advent season had sunken into darkness. This event was a precursor of something very evil. Death was moving through the liturgical year destroying Christmas. The Advent time was going to be gloom and Christmas doom.

  The assembled people decided the Romans were responsible for the crime but the brothers of the monastery read the signs of the attack, which pointed to something more evil than the Romans.

  Brother Benedict, Brother George, Brother Thomas and Brother Martin gathered in the church to discuss the disappearance of Christian and the Morning Star.

  The stained-glass window in the south of Saint Peter’s church showed a dove with a leave in its beak. The window in the north showed Jesus Christ holding some earth in his hands. A straw of wheat grew out of the earth. The voices of the children playing outside in the snow came through the windows.

  “The world will fall into chaos if we cannot find the Morning Star before Christmas,” said Brother Benedict looking at the floor.

  “It is sad. Advent and Christmas have fallen into darkness.” Brother Martin watched the icons of the crossway of Jesus Christ on the stone wall of the church of Saint Peter.

  “We do not know, where Christian and the Morning Star disappeared,” said Brother George.

  “I think I know. I found the answer in Revelation 2.” Brother Thomas had sorted the Holy Scriptures into Chapters and verses.

  “In the letter to Thyatira written by John the Apostle, the son of Zebedee and Mary Salome, Jesus says that the Morning Star would be given to the people of Thyatira who do not follow Queen Jezebel and her husband King Ahab. Jesus also said that he would give the Morning Star to the people who win victory and keep on obeying him until the end.”

  “But the Romans are behind the crime,” said Brother Martin.

  “I am not sure. We are not fighting against flesh and blood. We are fighting against evil spirit. It appears that the attack is coming directly from the underworld and its ruler King Bloodstone. He is the oldest enemy of mankind and one of the darkest soul in the underground. He has taken the Morning Star into the Underground,” said Brother George.

  “But the underworld is far away from Saint Peter,” replied Brother Martin.

  “It is not. It is actually very close. The gate of perception separates us from hell,” said Brother George.

  “The demons are looking for the gates to enter our world and steal our relics. The relics God has given us. If they find the door of perception they will destroy us and the earth.”

  “I hope that we will have found the Gate of Heaven to escape from the earth when All Saints Day comes over us,” said Brother Martin, pointing to the frescos at the ceiling of the church depicting Jesus Christ next to the Archangel Michael.

  “The Gate of Heaven is the Ark of the Covenant,” said Brother Benedict.

  “So what is the Ark of the Covenant then?” asked Brother Thomas.

  “The new Ark of the Covenant is the Queen of Heaven, Mary,” replied Brother Benedict.

  “Do you think that King Bloodstone has abducted Christian and the Morning Star?” asked Brother Benedict.

  “That is just a conspiracy story. Nobody has seen the creator of all sins yet. He lives in the Underworld. Our ancestors believed he was a demon hunting the human race since Adam and Eve,” said Brother George.

  “That would mean that King Bloodstone is among us and has already entered our perception,” said Brother Benedict.

  “Sin permeates through the walls of Hell like the beams of a dead sun. The underworld is an ancient world of fallen spirits. A prison build by God to capture these fallen spirits whose intention is to destroy the earth. These spirits are separated from us through the gate of perception but they try to escape to conquer the world,” said Brother Benedict.

  “They will succeed. Revelation tells us,” said Brother Thomas.

  “The King of Darkness, or King Bloodstone, as he was called by our ancestors, is the incarnation of evil. He rules the sea of death,” said Brother Benedict.

  “And what about the dragons abducting our children?” asked Brother George.

  “They live in the Underworld too. Leviathan, the sea monster, and Behemoth, the land monster. Both killed by God and thrown into the sea of fire as mentioned in the Book of Job,” said Brother Thomas.

  “The dragons are emerging from the Underworld and living in the mountains, from which they attack our village. The dragons could be either demons or fallen angels. They poisoning our trees, earth, water and air. The dragon’s poison is so strong it burns through mountains. Many children from Saint Michel and Saint John have already disappeared. The food storehouses of the villages in the mountains are already empty as the dragons have poisoned all the crops. We cannot wait until the dragons have taken everything from us,” said Brother Martin.

  “You are saying that the spirits of death have already found the door to enter our world and destroy us,” said Brother Benedict.

  “We can discuss that later. First we have to find out where Christian and the Morning Star are. Christmas is coming soon. I want Christian to celebrate Christmas with us and see the sparkles in the eyes of our children when the Morning Star shines over the Christmas tree,” said Brother George pacing up and down in the church.

  “How do we get to the underworld?” asked Brother Benedict and looked at Brother Thomas.

  “Don’t look at me. I do not know. I am the one supposed to know the Gospel; remember? You are wasting your time on pilgrimages rather than studying the Bible,” said Brother Thomas flicking through the pages of the Bible to find an answer.

  “Queen Jezebel’s intention was to kill the prophet Elijah. Her aim was to silence God’s prophets and to destroy the testimony of Jesus Christ,” said Brother Benedict.

  “Nobody knows the way in
to the Underworld,” said Brother Benedict.

  Brother Thomas closed the Bible.

  “There are maps in the secret books in the library of the monastery.”

  “The garden of the monastery is filled with books,” said Brother George picking a rosemary branch from the church bench indulging in the dry sweet scent.

  “Do you mean? You have thrown the books of the library away!” said Brother Thomas, terrified.

  “That is why I could not find any books in the library. You threw them all in the garden.” Brother Thomas turned around pointing at Brother George with the bible.

  “That is why you are so clever and know everything. You have eaten the vegetables growing in the garden,” said Brother George.

  “Stop fighting! He is teasing you. You would never throw the Sacred Books away. Would you, George?” asked Brother Benedict.

  “No, I would not. I just wanted to make my point that one cannot find all the answers solely in the bible or sacred books. The Holy Spirit is mysterious and God gives wisdom to us when we need it,” replied Brother George.

  “Have you seen the eyes of the children when they realized that the Morning Star would not arrive?” asked Brother Benedict.

  “Yes, and it nearly broke my heart,” said Brother George.

  “Christmas burns like a candle in the dreams of our children,” said Brother Benedict.

  “We must rescue the

  Morning Star from the Underworld and save Christmas,” said Brother Martin.

  “Yes. Sure. Sitting on a horse and gallivanting around the world is very helpful,” said Brother Thomas in an offensive tone.

  The light of a candle shimmered on his bald head.

  “Helping the poor and preaching the gospel is very important,” replied Brother Martin.

  “And protecting them against the Romans! Brother George puts his life on the line for the poor and needy every day,” said Brother Benedict.

  Brother Thomas was about two heads smaller than Brother Benedict who was standing next to him.

  “The enemy of our ancestors is raising a whole army against us,” said Brother George walking to the altar of the church.

  “Even if we knew the way to the valley of death we cannot leave Saint Peter. We are completely isolated from the world. The Romans are sitting like hawks on the mountains waiting to kill us. King Bloodstone controls the mountains north of Saint Peter. Dragons are ready to kidnap our children. We are trapped,” said Brother Benedict after a moment of silence.

  “We could save time if we crossed the mountains of the lost souls and cut through the way of the soldiers,” said Brother Benedict to his friends.

  “Only our ancestors knew the way.” He put his right hand on the wooden bench.

  “Does somebody know the way to the Underworld?” asked Brother George and went to Brother Benedict.

  “Our ancestors knew the way by heart,” answered Brother Benedict sitting on a church bench and watching the crucifix behind the altar.

  “There are caves and tunnels going through the mountain to the valley of death. If we knew the caves we could catch up with the soldiers before they arrive at the sea of death and recue Christian and the Morning Star.” Brother Benedict and jumped up from his seat as if he had found the solution to the problem.

  “The only person who can help us right now is the abbot. We need to see him tomorrow.” said Brother George.

  They started up the path to the monastery to see the abbot.

  The visit to the abbot

  “Isn’t it terrible? Christian kidnapped by King Bloodstone and the Morning Star has disappeared,” said the abbot standing behind his wooden desk with the secret book of John wide open. The Apocrypha of John how the book was also called was a 2nd century Sethian Gnostic text.

  John was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ and the brother of the apostle James, sons of Zebedee and Mary Salome. Mary Salome had been among the first arriving at the empty tomb at the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

  “Nobody has left the valley of death alive. We must find Christian before the soldiers of darkness arrive in the underworld,” said Brother Benedict who was pressing for a solution.

  “Saint Beatus who was living in a cave at a Mountain Lake not too far from here has drawn a map from all caves and tunnels in the vicinity,” said the abbot.

  “Saint Beatus was baptized in the land of the angels. He was a Celtic King. He was ordained as a priest in Rome by Saint Peter who told him to Christianize the people of Helvetia. In later life he was living as hermit in a cave praying and meditation,” said Brother Benedict.

  “Saint Beatus was not only praying and meditating. He was exploring all the caves and tunnels of the mountains with his brothers and recorded them on maps,” said the abbot and put an old map on the table.

  “You have preserved his maps. How wonderful,” said Brother Benedict looking at the hundreds of caves and tunnels connecting the mountains together.

  “Why did he and his friends spend so much time exploring the mountains?” asked Brother George.

  “They were looking for something,” said the abbot.

  “Jesus Christ gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Saint Peter. Whatever that is; it must have been very important as the Romans desperately tried to get it. When Saint Peter realized that he could not escape the persecution of Nero he gave the key to Saint Beatus along with many other artifacts. Saint Beatus and his friends buried the icons in the mountains with many other Christian artifacts,” said the abbot.

  “Why make such a big fuss about artifacts which are turning into dust over time,” said Brother Thomas.

  “They are useless artifacts for the blind but they are holding the mysteries of the universe for those who can see,” said the abbot.

  “I do not understand,” said Brother Thomas.

  “Give an artist a brush and he will paint a picture of the mother of God as Saint Luke did. Give the same brush to a monkey and he will scratch the back of his friend if he is not smashing it.

  “I will call Julian to help us to find the Morning Star as we need a guide,” said Brother Benedict.

  “Julian, the man with the soul stones,” said Brother George.

  “He calls them Tjurungas but they are very similar to the soul stones of our ancestors. They are used in initiation rites,” said the abbot and went back to his desk.

  “This is a soul stone. Crafted by our ancestors thousands of years ago,” said the abbot and pointed to a stone which was lying on a page of the secret book of John.

  “Where is Julian?” asked Brother George and took the stone on the desk in his hand and observed it as if it was a diamond.

  “He went for a pilgrimage to Mount Mary and will be back soon. But I will send one of my monks to get him here as quickly as possible so we can start our journey,” said the abbot.

  The arrival of Maurice and the Theban Legion

  Noise was coming from the church.

  “Something terrible must have happened,” said Brother Benedict and left the monastery.

  Brother George took his sword and run down the stairs followed by a few monks.

  “The Romans are attacking the village,” said a monk standing on the tower of the monastery.

  “Close the gates immediately,” said the abbot to the guardians who stood in front of the massive wooden gate. An elephant and a fish were carved in the wooden door.

  “They are already in the village. We need to protect the people from the attack,” said the abbot and run down the stairs.

  George rushed down to the village followed by Brother Benedict.

  “I hope the farmers can remember what I taught them about defense, “said Brother George jumping on the small way leading to the church.

  The news of the attack had spread quickly and many men joined Brother George.

  A monk knelt in the grass. His right arm bent his bow shooting an arrow towards the attackers. Brother George swung his right arm and threw a spear towards the invaders hiding behind trees.

  “They are already in the church,” said Brother George jumping over a hill.

  Some invaders had entered the church and blocked the door. George tried to open the church door but did not succeed.

  “Is that all you can do to protect your Saint?” said a voice from inside the church.