John Lyman - The Secret Chapel

“All of our past and all of our future. The name of every person who has lived before us, who is living now, and who is yet to be born. All of our greatest historical events, plagues, disasters, wars, and future wars. All are encoded in the Old Testament.”

“But that’s utterly impossible!”

“Well, Father, you’d better be prepared to argue with some pretty knowledgeable people who have done the research and proved its existence with a 99.998 percent probability. These guys were renowned scientists who set out to disprove the theory of the code, but instead, what they found sent chills up their spines. They saw the hand of God at work.”

Leo refilled his glass. “Then if what you say is correct, we are looking at an intelligence that encoded our past, present, and future over three thousand years ago, using a mathematical model we can’t even grasp today.”

“Exactly,” Morelli said. “And being a man of faith, I’m convinced that intelligence is God. He has given us proof with a modern twist that He exists and is sending us a message.”

“Or opening up a dialogue,” Leo added.

The three men gazed silently at the twinkling lights of Rome as darkness descended over the city, providing a backdrop to the brightly lit Basilica of Saint Peter’s.

“I think we’re missing something,” John said, after a moment of uncharacteristic silence.

Morelli turned toward the young man. “Go on, John. I see those wheels turning inside your head.”

“Well, for one thing, why is there an ancient seal in the catacombs depicting a nuclear attack? And of course, the big question is, who painted the image of the 9/11 attacks over two thousand years ago? Only someone with prophetic ability could have created pictures like that. Then there’s the question of who built the chapel and why.”

Morelli leaned against the balcony railing and took a sip from his glass. “Good points, John. I wish I could answer those questions right now, but I can’t. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, so for now, that part of the puzzle will have to remain a mystery until we have time to sift through all the information.”

“Do you think someone could have cracked the code that far back in time and constructed the chapel and painted the images as some kind of sign or warning to us now?” Leo asked.

“I doubt it,” Morelli said. “Like I said earlier, without computers, the code would have been virtually invisible back then. Whoever built the chapel and painted the images may have had a little help in the form of divine intervention. Maybe it was constructed for a specific reason by ancient Christians led by a prophet who saw into the future. Who knows? We may never know who actually built it, but it’s there just the same, and that’s all we have to go on for now.”

Morelli stretched with his arms above his head. “Well, my friends, the day is late, and I must rest.”

John set his glass on the table. “Yeah, me too.”

“Right. When we were your age, this discussion would have gone on until dawn,” Morelli said. “Oh, I almost forgot.” Morelli reached under his shirt and pulled out a large, gold pectoral cross. “This is for you, Leo.”

“Where did you get that?”

Morelli kept a straight face. “The cardinal store.”

Leo looked puzzled. “The what…?”

“I’m kidding, my friend. This cross once belonged to a pope when he was a cardinal. It’s my gift to you.”

“I can’t possibly accept-”

Morelli shoved the cross into Leo’s hand. “Yes, you can. I insist. Besides, I have a feeling it might come in handy someday, Father.”

Leo turned the large cross over and admired the magnificent workmanship. “It… it’s beautiful. I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Anthony.”

“Just be sure to wear it under your shirt, at least until you become a cardinal.”

“Chances of that happening are slim to none, but thank you anyway. I’ve never owned anything like this in my life.”

“Wow,” John said. “That really belonged to a pope?”

“Yes,” Morelli said, “a very special pope.”

Walking toward the door, Morelli clasped Leo’s shoulder in farewell. An expression of sadness clouded his face.

“You know, Leo, I’ve been waiting all my life for a discovery like the one we made today. I just never expected that it would make my faith even stronger. The more we learn, the more we realize that the code in the Bible is not as reliable as we first thought for making predictions. I believe the real purpose of the code is to authenticate the Bible as a book of divine and supernatural origin. The most beautiful thing about all of this is that it will announce to the whole world that, yes, God does exist, and He is still talking to us today using modern methods.”

“Maybe that’s His intention, Father.”

“Get some rest, my friend,” Morelli said. “You’ve got a lot ahead of you in the days to come.”

“You mean we don’t you, Anthony?”

Father Morelli paused as if he had misspoken. “Of course. We have a lot to do in the days ahead.”

Leo closed the door and thought for a moment before walking back out onto the balcony. Looking down at the street, he saw Morelli and John descend the hotel stairs and climb into the BMW. In the quiet night air, he could hear their voices clearly before Morelli revved the car’s engine in a prelude to his signature high-speed departure. Father Morelli glanced over his shoulder and spotted Leo standing on the balcony. His ever-present smile was absent as he waved and let his foot off the clutch before roaring off into the night.

Leo sat alone on the balcony for another hour, drinking his wine and looking across the street at the Vatican. He breathed in deeply before finally getting up and walking back into his room. The priest sat on the bed and grabbed the TV remote. He thought the distraction of a little Italian television would help to clear his mind, but it was no use. Father Leo Amodeo knew deep down inside that something was very, very wrong.

The ringing phone jarred Leo awake.

“Hello?”

“Father Leo, buon giorno. Mi dispiace to awaken you. It is me, Arnolfo, at the front desk.”

“ Buon giorno , Arnolfo. A che ora ?”

“ Sei , Father. Six in the morning. You have a call from the Vatican. It is from a cardinal, and he wants most urgently to speak with you.”

Leo could tell from Arnolfo’s voice that he was close to being hysterical at having to put a cardinal on hold.

“That’s fine, Arnolfo. Grazie . Put him through.”

“Hello… Leopold?” Leo knew that only Lundahl called him Leopold.

“Yes. Good morning, Cardinal. How-”

“You need to come to the Vatican right away, Leopold. I have some bad news. Very bad, I’m afraid.”

Leo felt a tightening in his stomach. “What is it, Your Eminence? What’s happened?”

“It concerns Father Morelli. I hate to tell you like this on the phone, Leopold, but he passed away last night. I know how close you two were, and I thought you would like to know right away.”

Leo felt the room sway. His mind went immediately to that place where it rested in a state of denial one experiences upon hearing the final, awful news that death has come to someone close. He crossed himself and began to pray.

“Leopold? Are you there?”

“Yes, sorry.” Leo began to gather himself. All he could picture at the moment was Father Morelli driving away in his red sports car the night before.

“I realize this must be a terrible shock to you, Father. We will be gathering in his room to pray for his departed soul. Can you come to the residence hall as soon as possible?”