“The dragon is dead. Brother George killed the dragon,” said a young monk lifting the claws of the monster with his sword.
The dark clouds in the sky disappeared and sun beams fell on the statue of Mary. The smell of oil dissipated and Mount Mary rose in the flood of the light.
The Adventures of Jack
The earth opened in front of the statue in the park. Jack appeared followed by the children who had been abducted by the dragon.
Marc and Margaret ran towards Jack who stood on the hill with open arms smiling.
Brother Thomas was still on his knees praying his way into heaven. Brother Benedict who stood next to him said.
“The lost sheep.
“Luke 15,” said Brother Thomas.
“Open your eyes your fool,” said Brother Benedict.
“It is Jack. Jack is back.”
The White Knight who was attending the celebration of Annunciation had observed the spectacular scenes and said.
“The prodigal son. Let us celebrate the return of the lost son.”
Brother Thomas rose from the ground and said to the White Knight.
“You are on the wrong page of the Bible. He is not the prodigal son. Jack is the lost sheep. You just have to flip a few pages to get to the right story in the gospel of Luke.”
“What is the difference between the lost sheep and the lost son anyway?” asked a pilgrim.
“The lost sheep tells us how much Jesus Christ cares for each of us. The prodigal son shows us his mercy and forgiveness,” explained Brother Thomas to the audience.
“At least it is not the end of the world as you predicted just a while ago,” said Brother Benedict.
“And we have the children and Jack back.”
Everybody gathered around Jack and the children who were unharmed.
“Tell us what happened, Jack,” said Brother Benedict, who could not wait to hear the story.
“I was on the fields when the claws of the dragon grabbed me and carried me away to a cave in the mountains in the north. Huge bones were scattered on the ground of the cave,” said Jack.
Everybody was hanging on his words.
“I met all the children who had been kidnapped from the villages hiding in the cave. It was dark and we could not see our hands in front of our eyes. ‘The children were hungry. They had not eaten for days. The dragon was sitting in front of the cave so we could not escape. The children had collected dried roots from the cave. There were plenty of roots from old trees lying in the dark cage. We broke them off and made a little fire warming us up during the cold nights.
“I explored the cave with some children the next day. The cave was filled with the scent of garlic and carrots. I followed the scents to the source and found garlic and vegetables such as horseradish, carrots, radish and sweet potatoes growing from the earth into the cave. We also found mushrooms and a boy discovered a huge pumpkin. Actually there were plenty of pumpkins hiding in the soil above the caves. We dug those all out using broken roots as tools.
“I tried several times to dig through the earth to get to the surface. But the earth was covered by a huge rock imprisoning us. There was no way to escape. Water was dripping from the roots of trees and bushes and falling into the empty pumpkins lying all over the cave. One pumpkin was as big as a bath. I had some candles in my pockets which we put in the body. We put candles in the pumpkins and carved holes in it to illuminate the cave. Some friendly faces were smiling at us soon. The fire kept us warm during the cold nights.
“There was no smoke gathering in the cave and we were wondering where all the smoke was going to. We discovered a hole where the smoke emerged and escaped through the hole. Our escape did not last long as we were soon caught by the soldiers of King Bloodstone who took us on a boat across the sea of death. The sea stank of oil. They detained us in a prison on the island.
"Nobody has ever seen King Bloodstone. He lives in the fourth inning of hell. He hides in the dark rooms of his castle, creating tools to torment Human Beings. There is a gloomy light in the tower where he is working. It looks like the skin of an egg. The light in one of the rooms reminded me of a star shining far away from the earth in a cold winter night. Creatures live in the sea of death, some looking like gigantic crocodiles, others like big predator fish. I saw one of the crocodiles being cut in half by a huge fish. It had gills as big as a house door.
“The soldiers put us into another prison in the fortress of King Bloodstone. No sunlight has ever penetrated the cave which was extremely large and looked like a gigantic staircase. The cage was very sensitive to noise. I could hear the brawling of a river resonating in the huge hall. We climbed up the staircase and found a crack in the rock where the water leaked through. We followed the creek until we got tired. We slept a few hours and continued our walk until we smelled incense and Lavender. We left the cave just at the source of the river Rhone.”
The Beatitudes
A pilgrim standing close to the dragon said:
“Brother George killed the dragon. We can breathe fresh air again and our children do not have to fear anybody.”
“Let us celebrate the dead of the dragon! Nobody will leave St Mary hungry today,” said the Knight of Whitestone and shouted to a monk.
“Open the food banks! I will pay for the feast.”
“How did you know that the dragon was attacking Saint Mary today?” asked Brother Benedict, who was standing next to Brother George.
“Two monks came straight to Saint Peter after the attack,” said Brother George to his friend.
“I did not loose any time and headed to Mount Mary. Just in time, I guess, because I saw the dragon appear in the sky as I arrived at the top of the mountain.” Brother George saw Marc with Jack and Margaret in the crowd. He jumped down from his horse and went to the boy.
“Marc, you are a hero. I have heard that you defended the painting of the lost sheep against the soldiers of blood and bone. You are a brave young man and deserve to fight for Saint Peter at the carnival tournament in the top row. Jack will be one of our front runners together with Steve and Brother Benedict.” Brother George looked into the eyes of the overjoyed boy.
“I need to talk to Julian. Has somebody seen Julian?” Brother George looked in the crowd.
There was no response as nobody had seen Julian.
Antony the pilgrim stepped forward and said.
“I have seen him at Mount Jesus a few weeks ago. He was staying at the shrine of Saint Michael.”
“Should you or anybody else see him, tell him that Saint Peter needs him for the spring football tournament. Maurice will also be on our team together with some of his soldiers. The company of the Morning Star will be the core of our team.” Brother George turned expectantly to the pilgrims in front of the church.
“Is everybody coming to the games next week?” “Yes!” roared the crowd in excitement.
“And we are going to win!” said a pilgrim from Saint Andrew, lifting his hands in the air.
“You must be joking. Saint John is going to win the tournament,” said another pilgrim proudly.
“Saint Marc will take the trophy home,” said another pilgrim.
The monks from the Monastery of Saint Mary brought big baskets filled with bread, cheese and fruit to the crowd. They put big stone plates in the fires to melt cheese. The meadows were filled with the scent of fried onions, garlic and mushrooms. Children roasted chestnuts in the fire.
The pilgrims celebrated together until the sun faded. There was no soul left hungry by the time the sun sank on the mountains. The peaks appeared yellow and orange in the evening sun of this wonderful Sunday of Annunciation.
Brother Georges sat on Pegasus on the hill top. He was holding Andreas in his arms. The injuries sustained in a raid by the Roman were so severe that Andreas could not walk anymore after the attack. Not only did he lose his ability to walk he also lost his parents.
The crowd gathered around Brother George who was about to lea
ve Mount Mary and ride to Saint Peter. Brother George raised his voice and said:
“God blesses the people who depend only on God.
They belong to the kingdom of heaven.
God blesses those people who grieve.
They will find comfort!”
“Nobody can preach the Beatitudes as passionately as Brother George,” said Brother Benedict to Brother Thomas standing next to him:
“I know. Matthew chapter 5,” said Brother Thomas watching Brother George continuing the mountain ceremony.
“God blesses those people who are humble.
The earth will belong to them.
God blesses those people who want to obey Jesus Christ
More than to eat and drink
They will be given what they want!
God blesses those people who are merciful.
They will be treated with mercy.
“God blesses those people whose hearts are pure.
They will see him.
God blesses those people who make peace.
They will be called his children.
God blesses those people
Who are treated badly for doing right?
They belong to the kingdom of heaven.
God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of Jesus Christ. Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven,” preached Brother George and the audience applauded.
The Knight of Whitestone sat on his mount ready to leave with his knights. Before he left he said.
“See you all at the lake of the fisher priest to celebrate the assumption of our Lady in summer. I will celebrate Christmas at Mount Mary this year. But I will definitely see all of you after Easter to celebrate Pentecost in my castle.”
“And you will all be invited to our wedding,” said Jack holding Margaret in his arms.
“You are invited to celebrate your wedding at my castle,” said the Knight of Whitestone.
“We will definitely come,” said Jack to the tall man sitting on his horse.
The knights gray hair blew in the wind as he smiled to his fellow Christians. The White Knight rode into the sun sinking behind the mountains.
Brother George was also ready to leave and said to Andreas.
“Come, Andreas. It is your day today. We will fly to Saint Peter.”
He disappeared in the evening waving goodbye to his Christian fellows.
The pilgrims left Mount Mary the following day packed with unforgettable spiritual experiences and new strength. Many of the pilgrims had come closer to God. People had learnt about the struggles of their neighboring villages and offered help. Many new friendships had been made and everybody was looking forward to the next pilgrimage to meet their friends again. Steve was heading back to Saint Peter together with Catherine and Antony the pilgrim.
Life goes on
One of the most exiting Christian festivals, the spring carnival or the fifth season was coming up. The football tournament was very popular and embedded in the happy time of the carnival season. It was believed that some old people in the village only stayed alive for the spring tournament. The spring carnival was a response to the cruel gladiator fights of the Romans demonstrating that people could have fun without shedding the blood of innocent people.
Saint Peter was organizing the tournament this year. The people from the neighborhood village were invited. A lot of preparation was necessary to accommodate so many people.
Brother George was determined to win the tournament. His ceremonies became shorter and shorter as he spent most of his energy organizing the sport event.
The spring carnival offered fun before the fasting cycle began. The goal of the game was to ascertain the holiest saint in the region. For this reason a replica of the statue of the saints of each village was crafted in leather and put on an altar at the end of both sides of the fields. The altar and its surroundings were called the church. The citizens of a village had to take the saint from the altar and carry the statue to the spectator forum in the middle of the field. The citizens of the opposing village would be defending their saint and trying everything so nobody could take the statue from the altar. Whilst one part of the village tried to break into the church, the other part was defending their Saints from being taken away.
The priest was allowed to ride a horse as he had to cover huge distances on the battle ground to give instructions and position the players for the next move. The football ground was more than ten square kilometers wide. Everybody in the village, young and old, male and female, children, grandmothers and grandfathers, were allowed to play.
During the carnival season the churches remained closed. Carnival was also the celebration of the fifth season, a creation of a funny and boisterous time where everything was supposed to be different. The monks in the monasteries invented games to give people fun before the long Easter period with its fasting and plays which were beautiful but very melancholic. Some cuttingly remarks remarked that the Saints could not see what his followers were doing as long as he was on the field and the church was closed, which gave rise to the wildest speculations. It was a wild anarchistic time and Brother George would put all his energy into winning as quickly as possible to bring order into the chaos and to bring Saint Peter in the church where he belonged.
Whatever the reason for the spring carnival was, everybody had great fun particularly in the mask balls which took place after the end of the tournament. The village turned into a big party. Day after day of music and dance rolled over the village. Particularly young people liked the season of carnival and wore all sorts of different masks and costumes and danced in the streets.
Steve and some of his maids trained the doves for the tournament. They built cages and left the birds in the cage where they were supposed to receive the message during the games. The put cages at the point where Brother George was going to receive the messages during the games. They attached messages to the feet of the birds. The doves flew to and fro between the boxes. Brother George reckoned that all the elderly and physically challenged people could draw maps enabling him to immediately know what was happening on the field and develop the best strategy to carry the statue forward to the middle point. He was training them personally to draw the right charts.
Brother George also had to motivate his people since nobody believed that Saint Peter stood a chance to win the games.
“We are the refuge of all unwanted. Disabled, abandoned, condemned; everybody who is not wanted elsewhere comes to Saint Peter,” said a man after Sunday’s ceremony.
“There is so much talent in our village. I will discover and develop your talents and lead you to victory,” replied Brother George, standing behind the altar. The long sleeves of his robe were hanging down.
“You do not give up. Do you?” said Brother Thomas admiring Brother George’s enthusiasm.
“It is impossible. We are all losers: the forgotten of this world, the trash of mankind. Nobody likes us,” said another man pessimistically.
“I am sick and tired of always hearing the same thing,” said Brother Martin, supporting Brother George. “Don’t be so negative. We have some good runners and a strong defense. We still have time available to recruit some good players. Do not bring the mood down, please.”
“The village football is a great game, full of surprise,” said Brother George. “With God on our side we will win. We came close to winning the cup last year thanks to Steve’s and Brother Benedict’s famous runs. Our chances are even better this time around.”
“Steve and Brother Benedict are fast runners. They are the fastest in the region but our ranks are not strong enough to support them. We are also not able to fight off the attacks of the adversary. They will take us by storm and tear us apart like worn out rags,” said a farmer.
“We did not even make it to the little finals last year,” stated Brother Thomas.
“Well. I have some surprises for our adv
ersaries too,” said Brother George. Everybody looked at him.
“What surprises?” asked Brother Thomas.
“I will not tell you now,” said Brother George.
The Discovery of the Temple of the Angels
Steve and Catherine went swimming the next day. The river was flowing through the valley like a stream of gold filled with the late spring afternoon sun. Rocks from the mountains had fallen into the river and formed pools. Steve and Catherine jumped from the rocks into the river. Waterfalls ran over the edge of the mountains. The water was light green. A trout looking for a drowning worm swam close to the shore covered with green grass.
The couple dived in the pool near the waterfall. They swam along the walls of the rock. The sun was strong and shining on the surface of the river. Two rocks stood next to each other like two pillars. Steve swam between the two rocks, opening like the gate to a temple. Catherine followed close behind. Then they moved towards the light penetrating the water. They entered a cave. The cave was huge and surrounded by rocks. They were amazed by the natural beauty of the cave which was like a cathedral. Stalagmites grew like candles out of the rocks grouping together and forming little niches like the chapel in a church. Everything was so huge and out of proportion. The dome was expressing another reality, a surreal world from another part in the universe: a world which had been hidden from mankind for millions of years.
It occurred to Steve that something extraordinary must have happened here. It appeared to him that the grotto had been used as a place of worship before men walked the earth. The water running over the walls, was gathering in little puddles, images telling stories from a time before the earth was born. The natural spectacle reminded Steve of the book of Genesis, the time when God created heaven and earth.
Little pools were scattered over the rocky ground. The rainwater was dripping from the ceiling into the water pools. The scent of the water mixed with the smell of the old rocks. The temple appeared to have stored the history of the mountain telling the listener stories of the forgotten time.
The caves were situated at the foot of the Mountain of the Angels. Steve had seen many paintings of angels on the walls of churches. Brother Benedict had told him that the angels were messengers of God announcing the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. He saw the Archangel Gabriel appearing to Mary. Each person had a guardian angel; each country a patron saint protecting its people from evil. Steve had always believed that the angels were symbolic and not real. Now he felt their presence.