One mile away, the hulking albino named Silas limped through the front gate of the luxurious1 brownstone residence on Rue2 La Bruyère. The spiked3 cilice belt that he wore around his thigh4 cut into his flesh, and yet his soul sang with satisfaction of service to the Lord.
Pain is good.
His red eyes scanned the lobby as he entered the residence. Empty. He climbed the stairs quietly, not wanting to awaken5 any of his fellow numeraries. His bedroom door was open; locks were forbidden here. He entered, closing the door behind him.
The room was spartan—hardwood floors, a pine dresser, a canvas mat in the corner that served as his bed. He was a visitor here this week, and yet for many years he had been blessed with a similar sanctuary6 in New York City.
The Lord has provided me shelter and purpose in my life.
Tonight, at last, Silas felt he had begun to repay his debt. Hurrying to the dresser, he found the cell phone hidden in his bottom drawer and placed a call.
"Yes?" a male voice answered.
"Teacher, I have returned."
"Speak," the voice commanded, sounding pleased to hear from him.
"All four are gone. The three sénéchaux... and the Grand Master himself."
There was a momentary7 pause, as if for prayer. "Then I assume you have the information?"
"All four concurred8. Independently."
"And you believed them?"
"Their agreement was too great for coincidence."
An excited breath. "Excellent. I had feared the brotherhood9's reputation for secrecy10 might prevail."
"The prospect11 of death is strong motivation."
"So, my pupil, tell me what I must know."
Silas knew the information he had gleaned12 from his victims would come as a shock. "Teacher, all four confirmed the existence of the clef de vo?te... the legendary13 keystone."
He heard a quick intake14 of breath over the phone and could feel the Teacher's excitement. "The keystone. Exactly as we suspected."
According to lore15, the brotherhood had created a map of stone—a clef de vo?te... or keystone—an engraved16 tablet that revealed the final resting place of the brotherhood's greatest secret... information so powerful that its protection was the reason for the brotherhood's very existence.
"When we possess the keystone," the Teacher said, "we will be only one step away."
"We are closer than you think. The keystone is here in Paris."
"Paris? Incredible. It is almost too easy."
Silas relayed the earlier events of the evening... how all four of his victims, moments before death, had desperately17 tried to buy back their godless lives by telling their secret. Each had told Silas the exact same thing—that the keystone was ingeniously hidden at a precise location inside one of Paris's ancient churches—the Eglise de Saint-Sulpice.
"Inside a house of the Lord," the Teacher exclaimed. "How they mock us!"
"As they have for centuries."
The Teacher fell silent, as if letting the triumph of this moment settle over him. Finally, he spoke18. "You have done a great service to God. We have waited centuries for this. You must retrieve19 the stone for me. Immediately. Tonight. You understand the stakes."
Silas knew the stakes were incalculable, and yet what the Teacher was now commanding seemed impossible. "But the church, it is a fortress20. Especially at night. How will I enter?"
With the confident tone of a man of enormous influence, the Teacher explained what was to be done.
When Silas hung up the phone, his skin tingled21 with anticipation22.
One hour, he told himself, grateful that the Teacher had given him time to carry out the necessary penance23 before entering a house of God. I must purge24 my soul of today's sins. The sins committed today had been holy in purpose. Acts of war against the enemies of God had been committed for centuries. Forgiveness was assured.
Even so, Silas knew, absolution required sacrifice.
Pulling his shades, he stripped naked and knelt in the center of his room. Looking down, he examined the spiked cilice belt clamped around his thigh. All true followers25 of The Way wore this device—a leather strap26, studded with sharp metal barbs27 that cut into the flesh as a perpetual reminder28 of Christ's suffering. The pain caused by the device also helped counteract29 the desires of the flesh.
Although Silas already had worn his cilice today longer than the requisite30 two hours, he knew today was no ordinary day. Grasping the buckle31, he cinched it one notch32 tighter, wincing33 as the barbs dug deeper into his flesh. Exhaling34 slowly, he savored35 the cleansing36 ritual of his pain.
Pain is good, Silas whispered, repeating the sacred mantra of Father Josemaría Escrivá—the Teacher of all Teachers. Although Escrivá had died in 1975, his wisdom lived on, his words still whispered by thousands of faithful servants around the globe as they knelt on the floor and performed the sacred practice known as "corporal mortification37."
Silas turned his attention now to a heavy knotted rope coiled neatly38 on the floor beside him. The Discipline. The knots were caked with dried blood. Eager for the purifying effects of his own agony, Silas said a quick prayer. Then, gripping one end of the rope, he closed his eyes and swung it hard over his shoulder, feeling the knots slap against his back. He whipped it over his shoulder again, slashing39 at his flesh. Again and again, he lashed40.
Castigo corpus meum.
Finally, he felt the blood begin to flow.
一英里外，那位叫塞拉斯的白化病人一瘸一拐地走入位于拉布律大街的一座豪华的褐砂石大宅的门口。他束在大腿上的带刺的苦修带扎进了肉里。然而，由于他侍奉了上帝，所以他的灵魂在心满意足地歌唱。
疼痛对人有好处。
走进大宅时，他红红的眼睛迅速扫视了一下大厅。空无一人。他蹑手蹑脚地上了楼梯，不想吵醒任何一位同伴。他卧室的门开着，因为这里门不许上锁。他了屋进，顺手关了门。
房间陈设简单--硬木地板，松木衣橱，拐角处有一张当床用的帆布垫子。这一周他都住在这里。他还算运气，多年来，他一直在纽约市享用着这样的栖身之所。
上帝给了我庇护所，为我指出了生存的目的。
今夜，塞拉斯感到他终于得以回报了上帝。他匆忙走向衣橱，从最底部抽屉里找到藏在里面的手机拨打电话。
"喂？"接电话的是个男的声音。
"大师，我回来了。"
"讲"那声音命令道，感觉他听到这消息似乎很高兴。
"四个全完了。三个执事……再加上那个主事本人。"
对方停了一会，好像是在祷告"那么，我想你是搞到情报了。"
"四个人说的都一样。分别说出的。"
"你相信他们？"
"他们说的都一样，不可能是巧合。"
他听到一阵激动的呼吸声。
"好极了。他们一般会严守秘密，他们可是名声在外。我原来还担心他们会保守修士会的秘密而不讲的。"
"逼近的死神是会令他们开口的强大动因。"
"那么，弟子，快把我该知道的情况告诉我。"
塞拉斯知道他从他那几位受害者那里搞到的情报会令人震惊不已。"大师，四个人都证实了拱顶石--那个传奇的拱顶石的存在。"
通过电话，他听到对方立刻倒吸了一口气，他能感觉到大师的激动心情。"拱顶石，正如我们原来猜想的一样。"
据传，修士会制作了一个石头地图，即拱顶石，或曰塞缝石。这是一块石板，上面雕刻着修士会最大的秘密被隐藏的地方。这秘密太重要了，修士会就是为了保护它而存在。
"一旦我们拥有拱顶石，我们离成功就只有一步之遥。"大师道。
"我们比你想象的更接近。拱顶石就在巴黎。"
"巴黎？真令人难以置信，简直太容易了。"
塞拉斯继续描述那晚上早些时候发生的事情：那四名受害者如何在临死前试图通过告密来买回自己罪恶的生命。每个人对塞拉斯所说都一模一样：拱顶石被巧妙地藏在一个巴黎古教堂--圣叙尔皮斯教堂内一个确切的地方。
"就在上帝的圣所内。"大师惊叹道。"他们真会嘲弄我们！" "已好几个世纪了！"
大师突然非常肃静，似乎是要让此刻的胜利永驻心间。最后他说："你侍主有功，做了件了不起的事情。我们已苦等了好几百年。你必须找到那块石板--立刻--就在今夜。你知道这事事关重大。"
塞拉斯知道这事至关重要，可大师的命令似乎无法执行。
"但那教堂看管甚严。尤其是现在，是夜间，我怎么进去？" 大师以有着重大影响力人物的口吻开始面授机宜。 塞拉斯挂上电话，期待着，激动得连皮肤都发红了。
一个小时。
他告诉自己，同时感谢导师给了他时间，让他在进入上帝的圣所之前有时间作苦修。我必须清除今日我灵魂中的罪恶，今天的犯罪目的是神圣的，反抗上帝之敌的战争已进行了百年了，肯定会得到原谅的。
塞拉斯知道，即便如此，获得赦免的同时，也须做出奉献。
他取下墨镜，脱得赤条条地跪在房子中央。他低下头，仔细看着紧紧束扎在大腿上的带刺的苦修带。《路》的全部真正的信徒们都带这种东西。这是一根皮带，上面钉有锋利的金属倒钩刺，倒钩刺扎进肉里，以永远提醒人们不要忘记耶稣所受的苦难。这种东西引起的刺痛也有助于压制肉体的欲望。
虽然塞拉斯今天带苦修带的时间已超过规定的两小时，但他知道今天非同寻常。他抓住扣环，又缩紧了一扣。当倒钩刺扎得更深时，他的肌肉本能地收缩着。他缓缓地吐出一口气，品味着这给他带来疼痛的净化仪式。
疼痛对人有好处，塞拉斯小声嘀咕着。
他是在重复他们导师何塞玛利亚。埃斯克里瓦神圣的祷文。虽然埃斯克里瓦1979年就仙逝了，他的智慧永存。当全世界成千上万的信徒跪在地上进行被人称作"肉体苦行"的神圣仪式时，信徒们还在小声重复着他的话语。
塞拉斯此时将自己的注意力转向他身旁地板上的一根卷得工工整整打着很笨重的结的大绳。要克制。绳结上涂有干血。由于急于想得到因极度痛苦而获得的净化效果，塞拉斯很快地祷告完毕。然后，他抓住绳子的一头，闭上眼睛，使劲地将绳子甩过肩膀。他能感到绳结在击打他的后背。他再次将绳子甩过肩膀抽打自己，抽打自己的肉体。就这样，他反复鞭打着自己。
这叫鞭笞肉体。
终于，他感到血开始流了出来。
收听单词发音 |
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luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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spiked
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| adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的 | |
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thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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concurred
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| 同意（concur的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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brotherhood
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| n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊 | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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gleaned
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| v.一点点地收集（资料、事实）( glean的过去式和过去分词 )；（收割后）拾穗 | |
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legendary
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| adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学） | |
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intake
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| n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口 | |
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lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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tingled
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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penance
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| n.（赎罪的）惩罪 | |
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purge
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| n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁 | |
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25
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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barbs
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| n.（箭头、鱼钩等的）倒钩( barb的名词复数 )；带刺的话；毕露的锋芒；钩状毛 | |
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reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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counteract
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| vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消 | |
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requisite
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| adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品 | |
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buckle
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| n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲 | |
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notch
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| n.(V字形)槽口，缺口，等级 | |
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wincing
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的现在分词 ) | |
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exhaling
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| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的现在分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
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savored
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| v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的过去式和过去分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝 | |
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cleansing
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| n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词 | |
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mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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slashing
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| adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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