Except for the older man in gray, it was the first time for the other men in gray and Father Yang to see the dark room and the two statues with their own eyes. However, they had long heard that the sacred relic of the Brotherhood was kept under the ground of this building.
Of course, this company itself was used by the Brotherhood to deceive people. The employees in the company were also believers of the Brotherhood. The accounts and trade dealings were all well documented. As long as the goal was not to make a profit, it was not difficult to maintain a puppet company to be self-sufficient.
Everyone present stared at the statue, as if they could feel his greatness and glory across time and space.
They had seen the face of the Saint in other murals and statues countless times, but only this statue could faithfully restore the voice and smile of the Saint. Even the fine lines between his eyebrows, the folds of his robe, the knots of the hemp rope around his waist, and the thick calluses on the soles of his feet because of walking barefoot for a long time were all shown in detail. It was as if he would come to life in the next moment and lead them to glory.
The older man in gray staggered to the side of the dark room and pressed a switch. The lights in the dark room were turned on.
Their pupils instantly contracted due to shock, and their eyes widened. Their knees went weak and they almost knelt down because they saw an incredible scene. As the lights were turned on, the head of the Saint was also shrouded in a faint halo.
As the lights were turned on, the details hidden in the darkness were clearly revealed to them. There was a light red hole-shaped scar on the palms of his hands and the insteps of his feet. If ordinary people who did not know about his deeds saw this statue, they would easily ignore these four scars.
There was a hole in his robe on the left side of his rib. From the hole, they could vaguely see the deepest hidden, fifth light red hole-shaped scar.
Although they understood that they should give praise to the sculptor of hundreds of years ago, thanking him for his uncanny craftsmanship for leaving such a perfect statue of the Saint for future generations.
As for the beast next to it …
The ferocious beast was also vivid and lifelike. Its fur fluttered in the wind, and the sharp fangs in its mouth shot out in all directions. Its robust body was full of strength, as if it would raise its head to the sky and howl at the moon in the next moment … Only its eyes, which did not belong to a ferocious beast, were clear and pious.
They all knew the legend of the Saint like the back of their hands, so they knew that it was a ferocious beast and not a pet dog, such as an Alaskan Malamute or a husky, because its demeanor was far different from the image of a ferocious beast like a gray wolf. However, this was not a mistake on the part of the sculptor. On the contrary, the fact that the ferocious gray wolf could be converted into a kind pet dog showed how great the Saint's virtue was.
The older man in gray said solemnly, "800 years ago, the evil cult made us helpless. At that time, we also made a big mistake. In order to overcome the fear of the evil statue, we slaughtered domestic and wild cats. In the end, the situation became so serious that it could not be resolved … At that time, we could only pray, God, Father Heaven to guide us and ask the Saint to lead us out of the swamp. God responded to us, and the Saint sent his brother to expel the devil to hell for us, and bury the evil statue deep underground, never to see the light of day. Today, the heresy is quietly spreading in this city, and the good animals have succumbed to the devil's call. So we have to seek help from the Saint again, and ask him to give us grace and lead us to defeat the devil again! Amen! "
Father Yang and the other men in gray drew a cross in front of their chest, and said in unison, "Amen!"
Having said that, they did not know how to remove the seal of the holy object, and the matter of 800 years ago was too long ago, so long that there was not much information left.
They looked at the older man in gray, waiting for his instructions. As the guardian of the holy object, he should know more secrets than them.
Moreover, he was the one who gathered them. If he did not know how to remove the seal and summon the holy object, wouldn't it be a joke?
The older man in gray said confidently, "It's very simple. We will pray, just like 800 years ago."
Pray? All we have to do is pray?
The eyes of the older man in gray shone. "It's not just us, please spread the word. The billions of brothers and sisters of the Franciscans and the Franciscans will pray with the greatest devotion from today onwards, until the Saint and the holy object respond to our call, and lead us to defeat the devil … Now, it starts with us."
Everyone took a deep breath, and prayed in unison devoutly.
Lord!
Please shape me into a tool of peace!
Where there is harm, let me spread forgiveness;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is doubt, let me provide hope;
Where there is despair, let me bring joy …
They prayed over and over again, in front of the statue of the Saint, their hearts filled with devotion.
They did not doubt that the Saint would respond to their prayers, nor did they doubt the legend of the resurrection of the holy object from 800 years ago to expel the devil.
If prayer was the only thing they could do, then they were willing to pray until the day their lives ended.
Countless brothers and sisters would pray with them, praying for the power of the Saint to come to the city named after him.
Father Yang was also praying. He was born in China, but was taken abroad when he was very young. At that time, he had not heard of the city of San Francisco. Later, when he grew up and studied in Belgium, he learned that such a city existed in the United States, but he did not pay much attention to it. It was not until he converted to the Church and joined the Brotherhood that this city had a special meaning for him … When he passed the test of the Church and returned to China after he could stand on his own, he was not used to the name of the city of San Francisco in China.
"San Francisco" was a very beautiful name, but it also had historical significance and a sense of the times. It had witnessed the blood and tears of countless Chinese laborers in the United States, and it was worthy of respect. Unfortunately, in the three principles of translation of "faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance," the word "faithfulness" and "elegance" were achieved to the extreme, but the word "faithfulness" was missing.
As for the inexplicable translation of "San Francisco," he didn't even want to think about it.
He preferred to call the city by another name that was less down to earth, which was the real name of the city.
San Francisco.
The city named after animals, merchants, stowaways, the guardian of the Catholic Church movement and the natural environment, the owner of the Stigmata, and the performer of miracles – St. Francis!
Whether it was a heretic worshipper or a devil, if they dared to do evil in this city named after the Saint, what awaited them was the fate of destruction.
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