The Cathari Treasure (Cameron Kincaid) (13 page)

“Very good then,” Ananda raised his
eyes to the others, “she will want to see all of you.  Come this way.”

Ananda pulled another key from
his pocket to unlock the French doors.  He pulled them open, one in each
hand revealing a small kitchen.  They walked through another set of open
French doors behind the kitchen then passed through a sitting room that held
three cushioned chairs and another small round tapestry covered table, this one
with an old television sitting on top with rabbit ear antennas.  Cameron
thought the television was too old to be color and was not surprised that the
cord dangling behind the table was unplugged.

The next room was lit by the
daylight of an adjacent room through yet another set of French doors. 
Ananda stopped short in front of these doors, one of which was opened
slightly.  “I will tell her you are here,” said Ananda and then slipped
into the room.  He had barely started to shut the door behind him when the
three heard a warm and musical voice exclaim, “Just bring them in here.”

The door swung open and Ananda
shuffled the three into a large bedroom. 

“May I present, Lady Mani and
Lady Yada?”

Thin translucent curtains
billowed on the far wall, barely masking the red wooden deck and top leaved
branches of the maple tree in the courtyard.  The only furniture in the
room was a bed, a small wooden chair, and cot on the opposite wall.  On
the bed, a Thai woman sat upright on the pillows, covered to her waist by a
pink blanket the hue of the pink lotus flowers sprouting from bright leafy
green stems on the large water color above the bed.  Lady Mani’s long
silver hair cascaded down her shoulders over her cotton gown.  Her vibrant
almond eyes and warm toothy smile gave the old woman a young, giddy, sprightly
appearance.  On the chair next to the bed sat Lady Yada, another silver
haired woman though younger more reserved than Lady Mani, even in her smile.

Marie and Nicole dropped to
their knees, bowed three times, and then chimed, “Parcite Nobis.  For all
the sins, I have ever done in thought, word, and deed.  I ask pardon of
God, of the Church, and of you.  Bless me lord and pray for me.  Lead
us to our rightful end.”

Lady Mani responded to the two
women warmly, “God bless you.  In our prayers, we ask from God to make
good Christians out of you and lead you to your rightful end.”

“Come here, the three of you,”
said Lady Mani.  “Unfortunately I am not moving to well.”

“She has all but begun the
endura,” said Ananda.

“She has been waiting for you,”
said Lady Yada.

Lady Mani sensed that Cameron
did not know what ‘endura’ meant.  “That means, young man, that I will
soon stop eating and drinking so that the end may come and I can return to
heaven and let this life be my last.  That is the endura.”

“I’m not sure I understand,”
said Cameron.

Nicole took his hand, “Ananda
and Lady Mani are Parfaits, Perfects.  They have lived many lives but the
lives they live now are their last in this realm.  When they leave the
these physical forms, they will leave the evil and temptation of Rex Mundi and
the world he has created.”

“So you will let yourself die?”

“Oh, I am dying young one. 
There is no reason to slow it now.  No worries to have, I would soon fast
for forty days regardless.  My purpose is almost complete.”

Lady Yada smiled at Lady
Mani. 

“And Lady Yada, is she a Perfect
too?”

“It is my honor to assist the
Perfect,” said Lady Yada.

“As it will be mine,” said
Marie.

Nicole squeezed Cameron’s hand
and then walked over to the edge of the bed.

“Are you ready child?” asked
Lady Mani.

“I have prepared myself
Parfaite.”

“I am sure you have little
one.  I myself accepted this gift when I was a bit younger than you. 
I knew then that this was to be my last life.  I also thought I knew the
responsibility that this gift would put upon me.  I only now know the full
truth of this gift.”

“I should wish to be wise enough
to learn the truth and will do my best to uphold the responsibility Parfaite.”

“I believe you will Nicole, as
others have for generations.”  Lady Mani looked up at Marie and
Cameron.  “I would like you to stay for the consolamentum as
witnesses.  Besides,” she gazed directly to Marie, “learning of our ways
will help this young man through this life.  Answer his questions, he will
have many.”

“Yes, of course Parfaite,” said
Marie.

* * *
* *

Consolamentum One

Nicole knelt away from Lady Mani
as Lady Yada eased the old woman to the edge of the bed.  Lady Mani moved
her weak, thin legs from under the blanket and over the side of the bed, and
then, with no small effort, pulled herself up between the headboard and Lady
Yada until she stood against the wall.  Lady Mani then turned toward
Nicole and smiled.

Cameron whispered to Marie, “May
I ask, what is the consolamentum?”

Lady Mani looked at Marie, “Tell
him dear.  The young knight deserves to know.”

Marie answered Cameron in a soft
voice, “The consolamentum is our sacrament, the only sacrament of the
Cathari.  It is a baptism of the Holy Spirit, a baptismal regeneration,
absolution, and ordination all in one.  When one receives the sacrament,
they become a Perfect.”

“Ordination, like a Priest?”

“It is more than that.  It
is important to understand that our beliefs are based on the idea that love and
power are incompatible.  The physical is a manifestation of power, so the
physical is incompatible with love.  We are what have come to be called
dualist.  We believe in two Gods, evil and good, equal and comparable in
status in heaven.  The physical world is evil, created by Rex Mundi, the
God of the Old Testament.  He is all that is corporeal, chaotic, and
powerful.  The God of the New Testament that we worship is
disincarnate.  The good God is of pure spirit and completely untainted by
matter.  He is the God of love, order, and peace.  The world has been
tricked that the two are the same.”

“They are different then?” asked
Cameron.

“When Rex Mundi created the
physical world, he trapped pure human spirits and brought them into the
corruption of the physical body and world.  Death merely causes the soul
to transfer to another body either human or animal,” said Marie.

“Reincarnation,” said Cameron.

“One can only attain salvation
by breaking the cycle of rebirth in the physical realm.  This is why
Jesus, the son of the good God, was sent to earth, to show man the way to
salvation.  Jesus performed the consolamentum on his disciples and they in
turn performed the right on others, placing their hands on those receiving the
sacrament and saying a prayer.  What you are watching is the literal
transference of the holy spirit from Lady Mani to Nicole as the holy spirit,
descended from heaven, has been transferred by touch all the way back to
Jesus.”

“All the way back to Jesus?”
asked Cameron.

“An unbroken line of
salvation.  In 2 Corinthians 4:4, the New Testament says ‘the God of this
world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light
of the gospel of the glory of Christ.’  Our Lord Jesus was discarnate like
his father.  Jesus was a life-giving spirit that only appeared human,”
said Marie.

“He wasn’t?”

“No.  This sacrament is
very special.  The purpose of man’s life on Earth is to transcend matter,
perpetually renouncing anything connected with the Rex Mundi, and attaining
union with the God of love.  This is Nicole’s transition from Credentes to
Perfect. There are only two ways to become a Perfect.  To be deemed worthy
after a long period of preparation and instruction as Nicole or as a request on
the deathbed.”

 “Like last rites?”

“Very much.  The last rites
of the Catholic Church are modeled after the Consolamentum.  With the
sacrament Nicole will gain true salvation and the ability to lead others to
salvation.”

Lady Mani took a black book, old
yet not tattered, from next to her pillow and raised the tome in both hands
above Nicole’s head.  Though there was no writing that Cameron could see,
he believed the book to be a Bible.  Lady Mani began to speak in Latin,
“Benedicite, Benedicite,
Domine
Deus, Pater bonorum
spirituum, adjuva nos in ommibus quae facere voluerimus.”

Cameron did not understand the
blessing and wondered if the whole ceremony would be in Latin.  Lady Mani
then began to recite the Lord’s Prayer in English.

Cameron caught himself mouthing
the words.

Lady Mani continued, “You are
the Temple of the Living God, as God has said, ‘I dwell in them and walk in them,
and I will be their God and they shall be my people.  Touch not the
unclean thing and I will receive you, and if you love me, keep my
commandments.  I will abide with you forever, the Spirit of Truth, whom
the world cannot receive because the world cannot see or know me.  You
know me, for I dwell with you, and shall be in you.  I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world.  Know that you are the temple of God, and
that the Spirit of God dwells in you.  If any man defiles the temple of
God, I shall destroy him, for the Temple of God is holy, and you are a
temple.  For it is not you that speaks but the Spirit of God that speaks
in you.’  By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, for he has
given us his Spirit.”

Marie whispered to Cameron, “She
is explaining that the Holy Spirit is to be transferred to Nicole as according
to scripture.”

Lady Mani looked down at Nicole,
“You are here in the place where Father, Son and Holy Ghost have their
spiritual abode, to receive that Holy Prayer which the Lord Jesus gave to his
disciples.”

 “Like a six degree
separation directly to Jesus Christ,” said Cameron.

“There are many more than six,
and Nicole has studied to learn them all.  But yes, she continues the
unbroken line of the sacrament.”

Lady Mani’s voice became
soothing, “You must learn that if you would receive this Holy Prayer you must
repent your sins and forgive all men.  For Our Lord Jesus Christ says, ‘If
you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly
Father
, forgive your trespasses.’  Hence it is meet and
right that you be resolved in your heart to keep this Holy Prayer all your life
according to the custom of the Church of God, in purity and truth, and in all
other virtues which God would bestow upon you.  Wherefore we pray the good
Lord who bestowed upon the disciples of Jesus Christ the virtue to receive this
Holy Prayer steadfastly that he may grant to you also the grace to receive it
steadfastly, in his honor and for your salvation.”

Lady Mani then began again
recite the Lord’s Prayer and Nicole followed her line for line.  Then of
the prayer Lady Mani said, “We deliver you this Holy Prayer that you may
receive it of us and of God and of the Church, that you may have the power to
say it all your life, day and night, alone or in company, and that you must
never eat or drink without first saying it.”  With a matter of fact tone
Lady Mani added, “If you omit to do so you must do penance.”

Nicole replied, “I receive it of
you and of the Church.”  Then Nicole bowed at Lady Mani’s feet.

“She is giving thanks, the
melhoramentum,” said Marie.

Lady Mani then three times asked
Nicole, “My sister, do you desire to give yourself to our faith?” and three
times Nicole answered, “yes”, each time, bowing and advancing one step. 
Between each step Nicole said, “Bless me.”  To each Lady Mani replied,
“God bless and keep you.”  The third time bowing Nicole added, “Lord, pray
to God for me, a sinner, that he will lead me to the good end.”  Lady
Mani’s response modified accordingly, “God bless you and make you a good
Christian and bring you to the good end.  Do you give yourself to God and
the Gospel?”

“Yes,” said Nicole.

“Do you promise that henceforth
you will eat neither meat nor eggs, nor cheese, nor fat, that you live only
from water and wood?”

“Water and wood?” asked
Cameron.  Marie answered, “Fish and vegetables.”  He nodded his head.

Lady Mani continued, “that you
will not lie, that you will not swear, that you will not kill, that you will
not abandon your body to any form of luxury?”  Nicole’s eyes were now
tearing at Lady Mani’s soothing litany, “that you will never go alone when it
is possible to have a companion, that you will never sleep without breeches and
shirt and that you will never abandon your faith for fear of water, fire or any
other manner of death?”

“Yes,” said Nicole.

 “You wish to receive the
spiritual baptism whereby the Holy Spirit is given in the Church of God with
the Holy Prayer by the laying on of hands of the Good Men.”

“Yes,” said Nicole.

“And lo, I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world.  Jesus Christ instituted this gift of the
Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands.”