Sorrowful Mysteries

Sneak Peak.

Chapter 1

Through the smoke circling from the pipe clutched between teeth, George Addison’s eyes drifted to the ringing phone. Colleagues and family members would never use his office phone; they knew that he never answered it. But today was different. It could have been the ring; though not different to the average person’s ears, it felt different; obliging him to answer.

“Hello.”

“Hi, I got your number from Bishop Barthe of New Orleans. I’m conducting research on the Oak Island phenomenon and he said that you’re an expert.”

He sat back in the chair with his hand to his head. “Don’t tell me that you’re another treasure hunter who believes he has the solution to what skilled practitionershave not successfully solved in over two hundred and thirtyyears.”

“No, I’m not a treasure hunter per se.” The caller flipped through several pages in his file. “I just wanted your input on some theories I’ve been developing. If you’re interested, after that maybe we can have another conversation or two.”

“Don’t hold your breath.” There was a long sigh as if he were trying to prevent the next words from leaving his mouth. On the ever so slight chance that this caller could be different, he gave in. “Okay, let’s hear what you have.”

“Thank you for the opportunity. First, why don’t we make sure that we’re on the same page? Do you believe that the Knights of the Templar are initially responsible for the supposed treasure at Oak Island?”

“Yes. Likewise, I believe in their secondary Scottish heritage and that they are indirectly responsible for the worldwide Masonic rites. Next.”

The caller frowned at the last comment. “I would guess, then, that you might agree that the contents at Oak Island may indeed be items from the Temple of Jerusalem?”

“That is one theory among hundreds of others. However, if you put stock in the Knights Templar then I guess you would have to accept that the contents of Oak Island could be related to their religious cause. Protecting items related to Christ from would-be collectors, pirates, or corrupters is the type of thing the Knights would go to great lengths to achieve.” He intended the statement to be as discouraging as possible.

“Excellent. Please allow me to digress for a moment. Given your background, your knowledge of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary must be stellar.”

His face wrinkled; the caller had been checking up on him. “I don’t know about stellar. What’s your question?”

The caller knew that the consultant on the other end of the phone already possessed this information, but he enjoyed adding to the drama. “Each of the Sorrowful Mysteries has a relationship to Christ’s blood and His crucifixion.”

“That’s correct, but that’s not a question.” He was beginning to feel impatient.

“Please, bear with me a moment longer. A closer examination of the mysteries reveals that the Church has obtained items related to most of the mysteries. The area in Gethsemane where Christ prayed is revered to this day; the Crown of Thorns is in Sainte Chappelle in Notre Dame; the Veil of Veronica is said to be in a Capuchin monastery in Manoppello, Italy; the Seamless robe of Jesus is in the Cathedral of Trier in Germany; the nails used to attach Jesus to the cross were said to have been melted and made into the Iron Crown of Lombardy and is in the Cathedral of Monza, Italy; the Holy Lance used to pierce Christ’s side is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna; pieces of the True Cross, including part of the INRI inscription tablet are at the Basilica Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome and the Shroud of Turin is in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy.”

“Okay, you’ve done some research. What’s your point?”

“Simple, what’s missing?”

“Missing?” He realized that this must be a challenge. The Mysteries began flipping through his mind. “You seem to have covered just about everything related to the crucifixion of Christ, which is the basis for the Sorrowful Mysteries.”

The caller loved moments of enlightenment. “Almost…what is missing is the whip used to scourge Christ at the pillar.”

If the room he was sitting in had been dark, it would have illuminated by the revelation. His gaping mouth was the punctuation of having been trumped. “Okay, so you’ve got my attention. How does this relate to Oak Island?”

“Based on our studies, we believe that Temple Mount in Jerusalem may have held more than the billions of dollars of gold and silver that everyone else is looking for. Relics directly related to Christ are most likely also part of the treasure. Imagine a repentant pawn of Caesar’s, forced to do his will, realizing that his instrument of torture was used on the Son of God. Further imagine that this repentant soldier forms a secret society to do nothing but keep the whip used on our Lord away from all others. In addition, we believe that this secret society steadfastly upheld their duty.

Eventually they turned the whip over to the Knights Templar upon receiving information of a secret mission to relocate other treasures related to Christ to what they believed was an undiscovered land. There, they believed that they could protect the treasure for all time. So far, that theory has been proven true.”

“Why, after a thousand years of intimate protection, would they entrust their charge to another group?”

“Think about it. After so long even rumors of the whip’s existence could prove dangerous, even fatal, to their wellbeing. Even if only one or two men at a time knew of the existence of the whip, the slightest slip could reveal its existence. Each time the relic was passed on to a new circle of protectors, potential discovers of the secret were added to the chain of secrecy. This trip provided an opportunity to move the Holy Whip to a new land and permanently deposit it for safekeeping.”

“So, you believe that this secret society entrusted the whip to one Templar Knight and that at his death the knowledge of the whip would also die?”

“Something like that.” The caller suggested.

“Since you obviously have more knowledge than I do on this subject, how can I help you?” He truly wanted to know— this was a dream come true, history, art and God all wrapped in one package.

The caller took a breath. “If our theory is correct, a relic that has had intimate contact with the body of Christ ishere in North America. If we can locate it, we can put the Church here on equal footing with many in Europe, giving us greater influence on policy. So…is the Oak Island treasure real?”

Too stunned to answer immediately, the pause persisted longer than anyone would deem natural. The last comment was at best a theological fallacy. Rome and the rest of Europe viewed the Church in the U.S. as a rebel child. But, finding this relic near here would bring a considerable amount of attention to the American branch of the Church. He wondered why that was important to the caller. “If the treasure wasn’t real, no one would have gone to such elaborate lengths to protect it. However, I’m afraid getting to it will prove impossible. Some very gifted people have tried to uncover it; even with the tremendousadvances in technology, all have failed.”

The caller quickly laid the comment aside. “I’m really not concerned with the search. Others can handle that.”

“You might also want to consider another possibility. Oak Island could be an elaborate decoy designed to keep people looking in perpetuity; kind of like trying to win big at a casino.”

The caller would not be deterred. “Even casinos have big winners once in a while.”

Completely wrapped in the potential of such a discovery, he neglected to acknowledge the dial tone humming in his ear.

In all the consults he’d provided, this was a first; a treasure hunter not motivated by the gold and silver. This was far beyond ordinary inspiration. Spiritual passionpropelled people more forcefully than the promises of riches ever could. Millions of souls rest in the clutches of such a motivation, resulting in wars being started to defend opposing positions. This knowledge alone was enough to launch all manner of discord.