The Mystic Rose (42 page)

The abbess took her place before them, her hands outspread above their heads, and she began to pray. When she finished, the two novices rose and, resuming their kneeling posture, began to pray aloud, saying:

There were more prayers, and when these finished the novices rose and one of the sisters came forward bearing a jar of consecrated oil with which she anointed them, dipping her finger and signing them with the cross on their foreheads. Then each of the novices pledged her life to the service of the community, taking a holy vow which the abbess administered with solemn approval.

After the vows, the nuns began singing again. This time, as they sang, they arranged themselves in two concentric rings around the altar holding their candles before them.
Cait took advantage of the movement and edged closer for a better look. From behind her pillar she now viewed the hooded figures from the side; Alethea was nearest her, though Cait could not see her face.

Returning to the altar, the abbess picked up a small wooden cross on a leather loop. Stepping before Alethea, the older woman held out the cross for the younger to kiss. Alethea leaned forward slightly, reached out, took hold of the cross, and brought it to her lips. As she did so, Cait felt a pang of yearning pierce her heart. This took her by surprise. She had not thought to be moved by the ceremony in this way. What did it mean?

She had little time to wonder about this, however, for Abbess Annora nodded, and Alethea reached up, pulled back the hood and lowered it to rest on her shoulders. It was then Cait saw that her sister's head was completely shaved. The sight made Cait's breath catch in her throat—all that lovely long dark hair…gone. Strangely, the sight of her sister this way, on her knees, denuded head bent in prayer, awakened Cait to the solemn seriousness of her sister's decision.
Oh, Thea,
she thought,
dear, dear Thea, for once in your life I hope you know what you are doing
.

The abbess moved to the other young woman and repeated the conferral of the cross. Then one of the sisters stepped forward, holding two lengths of dove-gray cloth across her outstretched palms. Taking one of the cloths, the abbess draped it around Alethea's shoulders like a shawl; leaning close she kissed the younger woman lightly on the forehead, then raised her to her feet. The procedure was repeated for the second novice, whereupon the two newest members of the abbey were embraced by the abbess and each of the other sisters in turn; thus were they welcomed into the intimate fellowship of the Order.

Cait thought the ceremony would end now, and the Gray Marys would leave, but as soon as the new sisters had received their welcome, the nuns reformed their circle. The abbess turned once more to the altar. Crossing her hands over her breast, she bent her head, and called out, “In the
meeting of our hearts and minds: Thou. In the calling of our souls, dear lord: Thou. In the weaving of life below with life above: Thou, savior lord, and Thou only.”

So saying, she stepped to the altar, pressed her hands together, and then placed her palms flat on either side of the huge golden cross as if she would remove it—an unusual gesture, and unexpected, which drew Cait's attention. As she watched, the abbess withdrew her hands, and Cait saw that a door had opened in the base of the cross, revealing a hollow place. Reaching in, the abbess brought forth a footed cup.

Cait could not see it clearly from where she stood, but it seemed an ordinary drinking cup of wood, perhaps, or pottery. A glint of candlelight traced the rim as the abbess turned and presented the cup to Alethea, who, gazing steadily at the vessel, extended her neck slightly as the abbess brought the cup to her mouth to drink. No sooner had the cup touched her lips, than the young woman gave out a loud cry. She raised her head and in the candlelight Cait saw her younger sister's face aglow with a strange light that seemed to dance over her features. Alethea cried out again and swooned, crumpling slowly onto her side.

It was all Cait could do to keep from rushing to her sister's aid. Instead, she bit the back of her hand and forced herself to stay behind her pillar. The cup was offered to the second novice, who likewise accepted a drink and promptly sank to the floor, a smile of ecstasy on her fresh young face. At the same time, Cait became aware of a sweetening of the air, as if a blossom-scented breeze had suddenly wafted into the cave.

The two young women lay before the altar for a long, silent moment. The sight of them sleeping so peacefully, their features suffused with such rapturous abandon, produced in Cait a longing she had not felt for a very long time.
Oh, to know such peace,
she thought.

After a while, the abbess returned the cup to its hidden
nook, and then stood over the stricken novices; stretching her hands above them, she intoned:

So saying, Abbess Annora stooped and placed a hand on each young woman's head. Then, resuming her place once more, she said, “As you abide in Christ, He abides in you. Therefore, through all things whatsoever shall befall you, remember:

The abbess placed her hand on the novices' heads once more and said, “Arise to life renewed.” With these words, both young women rose and stood smiling, looking slightly bewildered—as if they were indeed seeing the world for the first time. Abbess Annora blessed the newest members of her order, and the nuns re-formed their ranks and began withdrawing from the rock-cut sanctuary, singing as they went. Taking up their candles once more, the two young
nuns fell into place behind them, leaving the abbess alone for a moment.

After the others had gone, Abbess Annora made reverence herself before the altar, and then knelt, head lifted high, gazing up into the darkness of the cavern, arms outstretched as if to receive a gift from her unseen lord. Cait watched, and something about the simple devotion touched her, and she wondered how long it had been since she had knelt like that and experienced the tranquillity of a free and open heart. Instantly, she was seized by ferocious yearning to be at peace within herself once more.

When Annora's prayers were finished, Cait waited until she could no longer hear her footsteps and then crept out from her hiding place behind the pillar. She thought to take a candle from the altar so that she might find her way back through the tunnelled passages.

Stepping quickly to the altar, she reached for one of the candles and paused to look at the handsome golden cross. What from a distance appeared a work of solid metal, closer observation revealed to be carved wood overlaid with sheets of beaten gold. At the base of the cross she saw the thin vertical crack which defined the door of the niche containing the communion cup.

Moving closer, she placed her hands on either side of the base in imitation of the abbess. Although she felt nothing save the cool smoothness of the metal, the pressure of her palms caused the thin covering of gold to bulge slightly beneath her right hand. She pressed the bulge with her palm; there was a click, the little door opened in the base of the cross, and there was the cup.

Thinking only to admire its simple, uncomplicated shape she reached in and brought it out. It was, as she had guessed, a simple footed bowl of pale, deeply grained wood, to which had been added a golden rim, and the foot gilded. In the gentle light of the candles, the wooden bowl shone with a fine luster where the touch of many hands had polished it over the years.

She tilted the cup and looked inside. It was empty; more than that, it was dry—which she thought odd, for she had seen Alethea and the other novice drink from the cup. Even
if they had drained it there would still remain some residue of the wine they had tasted. But there was none.

Raising the vessel, she put her nose into the bowl and sniffed. The faintly sweet aroma she had smelled at the offering of the cup during the ceremony still lingered there. The scent reminded her of beeswax and rose blossom, but lighter, and somehow fresher.

Then, more in imitation than expectation, she touched her lip to the golden rim and tilted the cup. A warm fluid met her tongue.

She gave a squeak of surprise and jumped back, almost dropping the cup. She steadied her hand and looked into the bowl which was now filled with a darkly gleaming crimson liquid.

T
REMBLING, CAIT CLOSED
her eyes and brought the cup to her lips. The dark liquid seemed to flow of itself over the rim of the cup and into her mouth. It bathed her tongue with a heavy sweetness like that of honeyed wine.

The taste so surprised her that she jerked the cup away. What was it the nuns had prayed, she wondered. The words came at once to her lips and she spoke them out:

Raising the cup, she drank deep of the sweet, dark liquid. A quick warmth spread from her throat; it coursed through her body, flowing through her limbs to the tips of her fingers and toes. Her heart beat faster.

Cait looked again into the cup to see that it now contained more of the liquid than it had when she had first drunk. Her breath came faster and her temples throbbed. A strange distress crept over her; unseen needles pricked her throat and breast.
What have I done?
she thought.

Her breath came now in quick bursts and gasps. Fearing she might drop the sacred vessel, she carefully replaced the cup on the altar, and made to step away. Remembering the
candle, she reached for it, and saw that her hand was marked by a delicate tracery of tiny lines that seemed to glow from beneath her skin—as if instead of blood her veins now pulsed with living light.

Thrusting her hand behind her, as if hiding it from sight would conceal what she had done, she closed her eyes, but—wonder of wonders!—she could now see through her eyelids. The world was vastly altered: for instead of a mountain cavern and rough stone altar, she stood alone in the center of a low-ceilinged room. A single large window opened onto an early twilight sky where a solitary star was shining.

The objects in the room, and the room itself, possessed the distinctive clarity of a dream. All the same, she did not feel as if she was asleep; all her senses were keen and sharp—never had she been so aware, so alert, so alive.

The room in which she stood was large, and before her a low table was prepared for a meal. It was surrounded by rugs and cushions in the Eastern manner, and spread with a fine blue cloth; there were bowls of various sizes, and jars of several shapes and kinds, but there was no food.

Through the open window a soft breeze was blowing, and she could hear the dull clinking of a cattle bell outside. The soft evening air held the scent of the East, of sun-baked earth, of sandalwood and jasmine.

Stepping around the table, she moved to the window and peered out. The room overlooked the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, some of which had small palm trees in pots, or booths of striped cloth stretched over wooden frames. She heard the bell again and looked down into the narrow street below, where a shepherd in a ragged cloak herded a small flock of sheep led by a shaggy, long-necked goat.

From further up the street came the sound of laughter. A group of men entered the street—six or eight of them together—dark-haired, bearded, all dressed in loose, belted robes, and each carrying a cloak of light material rolled upon his shoulder. They walked with the easy familiarity of brothers, or soldiers; full of bluster and confidence, jostling one another good-naturedly; one or two had their arms
around the shoulders of their fellows. They were happy, laughing, talking loudly, luxuriating in the exuberance of their companionship.

Cait envied their enthusiasm—so light, so effusive. Men and sheep met in the middle of the street, and there was a momentary impasse, before one of the men gave out a shout and stamped his feet, which sent the sheep leaping over one another in a frantic effort to get by. The shepherd cried out in alarm, and shaking his staff at the raucous youths he ran after his flock. The men bleated like sheep, and continued on up the street, arriving beneath Cait's window, where they stopped.

Not wishing to be seen, she backed away, and a moment later heard voices in the house in the room below her. Then she heard feet on wooden steps and the voices grew louder. They were coming up!

She spun around, searching for a place to hide, and saw, at the far end of the room, one of two wooden pillars which supported the central roof beam; beside one of the pillars stood a large woven reed basket containing rolled-up rugs. Moving to the pillar, she slipped behind it, as the company trooped into the room, talking all the while in a language Cait could not understand.

They were dark-skinned young men, most with short dark beards and long hair, which some of them wore neatly plaited with curled sidelocks at either temple, and others loose in a shaggy mane. Some of them, she saw, carried cloth bags which they proceeded to empty onto the table: bread in large, flat rounds, dried fish, and grapes. More voices sounded from the street. One of the men leaned out of the window and shouted down to those below as feet pounded on the stairs, and more men burst happily into the room to be welcomed by their fellows.

Sacks of food were produced, and jars of oil in carriers of knotted grass. Cait became aware of the smell of roasting meat, and two men appeared, carrying a whole spitted lamb on an enormous wooden platter. They had no sooner set down the roast lamb when three more men came in bearing a huge open jug of wine, into which the jars on the table
were immediately plunged. Several women arrived, dressed in similar fashion to the men; the cloth of their garments was finer stuff, however, and more brightly colored, and they wore flowers in their long, black hair. Some brought bowls heaped high with blue-black olives, and others bowls of dates stuffed with almonds.

The room was soon full of people, and still more were crowding in. With everyone talking at once the sound was a noisy babble, but the commotion served to lessen Cait's fear of discovery. Plucking up her courage, she moved to stand beside the pillar as the festivities commenced. Everywhere men and women were talking, quickly, excitedly, eyes and teeth glinting with laughter. Suddenly one of the young men approached Cait's pillar and pulled a rolled-up rug from the basket. She made to step behind the pillar once more, but the fellow merely smiled at her and hurried away.

The talking and laughter continued unabated, but Cait sensed a change in the room. Like an eddy in a swift-running stream, the happy commotion suddenly swirled with new intensity and depth, and the room suddenly seemed brighter. She felt a shiver of excitement course through the gathering—as when the king arrives in a Yuletide hall, or the bride appears at a wedding party.

She searched for the source of the commotion, and saw that more celebrants had entered and were clustered in a tight knot by the door. She strained for a glimpse of who it might be; then the crowd parted and
he
stepped into the room.

He wore a simple belted mantle, the sleeves of which were rolled up to the elbows. Like the other young men, his cloak was folded on his shoulder, but where the others favored the brighter colors, his was the pale, unassuming gray of day-laborers and the poor. His beard was dark and curly, his brow even, his swarthy skin darkened by long days in the sun. His eyes were large and deep-set, his glance quick and keen.

“Master! Yeshua!” called one of the young men. “How do you like the room we have found for you?”

“You have done well, Nathanael,” replied the master.

“It was just as you said it would be.”

“Yeshua…” Cait whispered the name under her breath.

If, in appearance, he was a simple laborer, in bearing he was an emperor: head erect, shoulders straight, confidence and nobility flowed from every movement. Even from across the room, Cait could tell from his winsome smile that he was the source of the exuberance she and all the others felt. He was the sun whose presence warmed all who stood within the circle of his bright radiance.

He was smiling and laughing with the others, and as Cait watched he removed his cloak and laid it aside. He took up an empty bowl from the table and filled it with water from one of the jugs. Taking a cloth, he wrapped it around his waist and began moving among the crowd of friends. He stopped near to Cait's corner where two burly young men were talking; he knelt down and without a word began washing the feet of one of the fellows. The man laughed and stepped back, cheerfully declining the service, but Yeshua persisted, and so the fellow relented and allowed water to be poured over his dusty feet.

When he finished, he turned to the second man—a stocky, rough-handed fellow—who remonstrated more forcefully. They were near enough for Cait to hear what was said, and as they spoke, intelligible words gradually emerged from the welter of speech that filled the room. “Master!” cried the man. “What are you doing? Get up from there. Heaven forbid you should wash my feet.”

“Peace, brother,” Yeshua said. “Let me do this.”

“Never!” protested the young man; his arms were big, and his shoulders massive. He stood a head taller than anyone around him and his voice boomed out with the force of a man who has lived his life in wide open places. At his objection, others standing nearby turned to see what was happening. “Rather it is I who should wash you.”

“Hardheaded Kepha,” replied Yeshua, “do you not understand? Unless I wash you now, you can have no part of my kingdom later.”

“Very well,” said the big fisherman, thrusting out his arms, “then wash my hands and head as well.”

“Take a bath if you must, Shimeon,” answered Yeshua, resuming his duty. “Your big feet are labor enough for me.”

The onlookers laughed at this, and Shimeon, with much huffing and puffing, suffered the humiliation of having his feet washed by his Master. Yeshua continued on, making a circuit of the room. Cait watched him as he went here and there, pausing to wash his followers' feet in his lap and dry them with the cloth he had tied around his waist. Some laughed at the novelty of the situation, others grew quiet and submitted with solemn formality.

When he finished, Yeshua returned to the table and put on his cloak once more. Then, addressing the gathering, he spread his arms wide and said, “Beloved friends, the Passover feast is ready. Come, let us sit and enjoy it together. For I tell you the truth, I shall not eat it again until the kingdom is fulfilled.”

Cait could see that some wondered at the meaning of this invitation, but their questions were swept away in the general rush to find places at the table. Clearly, there were many more people present than would fit around the single table, and some would have to make their places on rugs spread about the room.

As the genial crowd pushed forward, two of the younger members jostled one another for a seat. One bumped the other in his haste to claim a place. His friend shoved him aside saying, “Leave the table for the elders. Children sit over there.”

Yeshua heard them. “What is this?” he chided gently. “Are we now become like Roman kings who lord it over the people and claim every high place as their right?” Having drawn the attention of the Master, the two grew embarrassed and shrank back. “May it never be. Instead, let the greatest among you be like the least. For in the kingdom to come, you will eat and drink at my table and each and every one of you will sit on thrones, judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel.”

This brought a delighted laugh from those around him. One at the end of the table called out, “I will be King Shimeon!” To which someone else added, “Ruler of the Fishes and Turtles in the sea!”

“Kings will you be,” affirmed the Master. “But in the
kingdom to come, the one who would rule must be as the lowliest servant in his house.”

The two slunk away, ashamed; their places were quickly taken by others and everyone settled down, some reclining on cushions, others sitting cross-legged on their rugs. When all was quiet, Yeshua blessed the food and the festal meal commenced. Soon they were all eating and talking—laughter gusted in quick bursts, most of which, Cait noticed, originated at Yeshua's side of the table.

Loath to take her eyes from him, Cait drank in each small gesture, each smile and nod, the lift of an eyebrow, the knowing glance as, like a good shepherd, he gathered his flock about him for a last meal.

How is this possible?
she wondered.
How is it happening?
Then, fearful that her questioning might somehow destroy the vision, she silenced her doubts and gave herself wholly to the moment.

One of the women of the group rose from her place and picked up a pitcher. She passed along the table, filling cups with wine, and came to where Yeshua was sitting. She filled his cup also, and as she made to move on he reached out and took her hand in his, pulled her to him and kissed her lightly on the cheek. No one else saw this small intimacy which passed between the two; or if they did, accepted it as a commonplace unworthy of comment. But Cait felt a warmth rise within her, and felt her face grow flushed—as if it had been herself the Master had honored in this way.

He is a man, after all
, she thought.

The dark-haired woman smiled, touched his cheek, and moved on. Yeshua stood and raised his cup as if he would drink the health of his followers. Instead, he tilted back his head and said, “Father of Lights, I give you thanks that you always hear me. Let this cup be to your honor and glory.”

Then, taking up a round flat loaf from one of the baskets, he blessed it likewise, and said, “I am the living bread which has come down from Heaven. Anyone who eats of this bread, shall have eternal life.” With that, he ripped the loaf in half,
and held out the two halves to those on either side of him. “The bread which I give you is my flesh. Take it and divide it among you. From now on, when you gather to break bread, remember how my body was broken for you, and for the sins of the world.”