Murray Hill Place—the new Opus Dei World Headquarters and conference center—is located at 243 Lexington Avenue in New York City. With a price tag of just over $47 million, the 133,000-square-foot tower is clad in red brick and Indiana limestone. Designed by May & Pinska, the building contains over one hundred bedrooms, six dining rooms, libraries, living rooms, meeting rooms, and offices. The second, eighth, and sixteenth floors contain chapels, ornamented with mill-work and marble. The seventeenth floor is entirely residential. Men enter the building through the main doors on Lexington Avenue. Women enter through a side street and are "acoustically and visually separated" from the men at all times within the building.
Earlier this evening, within the sanctuary of his penthouse apartment, Bishop Manuel Aringarosa had packed a small travel bag and dressed in a traditional black cassock. Normally, he would have wrapped a purple cincture around his waist, but tonight he would be traveling among the public, and he preferred not to draw attention to his high office. Only those with a keen eye would notice his 14-karat gold bishop's ring with purple amethyst, large diamonds, and hand-tooled mitre-crozier appliqué. Throwing the travel bag over his shoulder, he said a silent prayer and left his apartment, descending to the lobby where his driver was waiting to take him to the airport.
Now, sitting aboard a commercial airliner bound for Rome, Aringarosa gazed out the window at the dark Atlantic. The sun had already set, but Aringarosa knew his own star was on the rise. Tonight the battle will be won, he thought, amazed that only months ago he had felt powerless against the hands that threatened to destroy his empire.
As president-general of Opus Dei, Bishop Aringarosa had spent the last decade of his life spreading the message of "God's Work"—literally, Opus Dei. The congregation, founded in 1928 by the Spanish priest Josemaría Escrivá, promoted a return to conservative Catholic values and encouraged its members to make sweeping sacrifices in their own lives in order to do the Work of God.
Opus Dei's traditionalist philosophy initially had taken root in Spain before Franco's regime, but with the 1934 publication of Josemaría Escrivá's spiritual book The Way—999 points of meditation for doing God's Work in one's own life—Escrivá's message exploded across the world. Now, with over four million copies of The Way in circulation in forty-two languages, Opus Dei was a global force. Its residence halls, teaching centers, and even universities could be found in almost every major metropolis on earth. Opus Dei was the fastest-growing and most financially secure Catholic organization in the world. Unfortunately, Aringarosa had learned, in an age of religious cynicism, cults, and televangelists, Opus Dei's escalating wealth and power was a magnet for suspicion.
"Many call Opus Dei a brainwashing cult," reporters often challenged. "Others call you an ultraconservative Christian secret society. Which are you?"
"Opus Dei is neither," the bishop would patiently reply. "We are a Catholic Church. We are a congregation of Catholics who have chosen as our priority to follow Catholic doctrine as rigorously as we can in our own daily lives."
"Does God's Work necessarily include vows of chastity, tithing, and atonement for sins through self-flagellation and the cilice?"
"You are describing only a small portion of the Opus Dei population," Aringarosa said. "There are many levels of involvement. Thousands of Opus Dei members are married, have families, and do God's Work in their own communities. Others choose lives of asceticism within our cloistered residence halls. These choices are personal, but everyone in Opus Dei shares the goal of bettering the world by doing the Work of God. Surely this is an admirable quest."
Reason seldom worked, though. The media always gravitated toward scandal, and Opus Dei, like most large organizations, had within its membership a few misguided souls who cast a shadow over the entire group.
Two months ago, an Opus Dei group at a midwestern university had been caught drugging new recruits with mescaline in an effort to induce a euphoric state that neophytes would perceive as a religious experience. Another university student had used his barbed cilice belt more often than the recommended two hours a day and had given himself a near lethal infection. In Boston not long ago, a disillusioned young investment banker had signed over his entire life savings to Opus Dei before attempting suicide.
Misguided sheep, Aringarosa thought, his heart going out to them.
Of course the ultimate embarrassment had been the widely publicized trial of FBI spy Robert Hanssen, who, in addition to being a prominent member of Opus Dei, had turned out to be a sexual deviant, his trial uncovering evidence that he had rigged hidden video cameras in his own bedroom so his friends could watch him having sex with his wife. "Hardly the pastime of a devout Catholic," the judge had noted.
Sadly, all of these events had helped spawn the new watch group known as the Opus Dei Awareness Network (ODAN). The group's popular website—www.odan.org—relayed frightening stories from former Opus Dei members who warned of the dangers of joining. The media was now referring to Opus Dei as "God's Mafia" and "the Cult of Christ."
We fear what we do not understand, Aringarosa thought, wondering if these critics had any idea how many lives Opus Dei had enriched. The group enjoyed the full endorsement and blessing of the Vatican. Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Pope himself.
Recently, however, Opus Dei had found itself threatened by a force infinitely more powerful than the media... an unexpected foe from which Aringarosa could not possibly hide. Five months ago, the kaleidoscope of power had been shaken, and Aringarosa was still reeling from the blow.
"They know not the war they have begun," Aringarosa whispered to himself, staring out the plane's window at the darkness of the ocean below. For an instant, his eyes refocused, lingering on the reflection of his awkward face—dark and oblong, dominated by a flat, crooked nose that had been shattered by a fist in Spain when he was a young missionary. The physical flaw barely registered now. Aringarosa's was a world of the soul, not of the flesh.
As the jet passed over the coast of Portugal, the cell phone in Aringarosa's cassock began vibrating in silent ring mode. Despite airline regulations prohibiting the use of cell phones during flights, Aringarosa knew this was a call he could not miss. Only one man possessed this number, the man who had mailed Aringarosa the phone.
Excited, the bishop answered quietly. "Yes?"
"Silas has located the keystone," the caller said. "It is in Paris. Within the Church of Saint-Sulpice."
Bishop Aringarosa smiled. "Then we are close."
"We can obtain it immediately. But we need your influence."
"Of course. Tell me what to do."
When Aringarosa switched off the phone, his heart was pounding. He gazed once again into the void of night, feeling dwarfed by the events he had put into motion.
Five hundred miles away, the albino named Silas stood over a small basin of water and dabbed the blood from his back, watching the patterns of red spinning in the water. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean, he prayed, quoting Psalms. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Silas was feeling an aroused anticipation that he had not felt since his previous life. It both surprised and electrified him. For the last decade, he had been following The Way, cleansing himself of sins... rebuilding his life... erasing the violence in his past. Tonight, however, it had all come rushing back. The hatred he had fought so hard to bury had been summoned. He had been startled how quickly his past had resurfaced. And with it, of course, had come his skills. Rusty but serviceable.
Jesus' message is one of peace... of nonviolence... of love. This was the message Silas had been taught from the beginning, and the message he held in his heart. And yet this was the message the enemies of Christ now threatened to destroy. Those who threaten God with force will be met with force. Immovable and steadfast.
For two millennia, Christian soldiers had defended their faith against those who tried to displace it. Tonight, Silas had been called to battle.
Drying his wounds, he donned his ankle-length, hooded robe. It was plain, made of dark wool, accentuating the whiteness of his skin and hair. Tightening the rope-tie around his waist, he raised the hood over his head and allowed his red eyes to admire his reflection in the mirror. The wheels are in motion.
默里山广场--天主事工会新的全球总部和会议中心，位于纽约市的莱克星屯大街243 号。这个耗资超过47，000，000 美元，面积达133，000 平方英尺的塔楼是用红砖和印地安那石灰岩砌成的，由梅与品斯卡公司设计。大楼里有一百多间卧室，六个餐厅，有图书馆、会客厅、会议室和办公室。第二、第八、第十六层有装饰着木饰品和大理石的小教堂。第十七层全部为居住房。男人从莱克星屯大街上的正门进，女人从侧面的一条街的侧门进。在这座大楼里，男人女人始终是分开的，彼此看不见也听不着。
今晚早些时候，在顶层豪华客房里，曼努埃尔。阿林加洛沙主教已收拿好一个小旅行包，穿上了传统的黑色长袍。通常他会在腰间系一条紫色束带，但今晚他是和普通大众一道旅行，他不想让人注意到他如此高的职位。只有眼尖的人才会注意到他14 克拉的主教金戒指。戒指上嵌有紫水晶，大钻石和手工制作的主教冠和主教牧杖嵌花。他把旅行包往背后一甩，默默祷告后，便离开了公寓，下了楼。他的司机正在大堂里等他，要把他送到机场。
此刻阿林加洛沙正坐在飞往罗马的商业客机上。他凝视着窗外黑暗的大西洋。太阳已经落山了，但阿林加洛沙自己的星星正在升起。今晚这一仗是会打赢的，他心里想。想起几个月前他对那些威胁要摧毁他帝国的家伙束手无策时，他还心有余悸。
作为天主事工会的总统帅，阿林加洛沙主教已经花了十年时间传播"上帝的善行"的音讯--即天主事工会要遵循的训示。这个教派于1928 年由西班牙牧师何塞马利亚。埃斯克里瓦创立，倡导回归到保守的罗马天主教价值观上来，鼓励信徒做出巨大的牺牲以便能做"上帝的善行"。天主事工会中的传统主义者的哲学在弗朗哥王朝以前就在西班牙扎下了根。但在1934 年，随着何塞马利亚。埃斯克里瓦神圣的《路》一书的出版--书中记载着人一生中做"上帝的善行"时的999 点沉思录--埃斯克里瓦的思想顿时风靡全球。现在，由于有四十二种语言的四百万册《路》的发行量，天主事工会成为全球性的力量。它所建成的住宅用房，教学中心，甚至大学，遍及世界各大主要城市。天主事工会是全世界发展迅速、经济最有保证的罗马天主教组织。不幸的是，阿林加洛沙了解到，在一个充斥着宗教的玩世不恭主义、邪教和广播电视福音传道者的年代，天主事工会迅速增长的财富和影响力成了人们怀疑的焦点。
经常会有记者尖锐地问："许多人称天主事工会是一个给人洗脑的邪教组织。有人称你们是一个极端保守的基督教秘密社团。你们是到底是哪一种？"
主教会耐心地回答说："天主事工会不是其中的任何一种，我们是罗马天主教。我们是罗马天主教信徒，我们把在日常生活中恪守天主教教义这一点视为头等重要的事情。""‘上帝的善行’非得包括要对自己的贞洁起誓、征收什么税和通过自我鞭笞，还有带苦修带来赎罪这类东西吗？"
"你所描述只是天主事工会中的少数人。"阿林加洛沙说，"可以有多种层次的参与。成千上万的天主事工会会员都结婚、生子，并在他们的社区内做着上帝的善行。有些人自愿选择住在我们修堂里做苦行主义者。这些都是个人意愿，但每位会员都把做‘上帝的善行’和使这个世界更美好作为自己的目标。这当然是一种值得钦佩的追求。"然而，这些解释却无济于事。媒体总喜欢盯着丑闻不放。而且，像其他任何规模宏大的组织一样，天主事工会内部总有几个迷途的灵魂往整个团体身上投下些阴影。
两个月前，有人发现中西部的一所大学的一帮天主事工会成员让新入教者服用一种叫仙人球碱的致幻剂，以达到欣快异常的状态。新入教者可能会将这种状态视为一种宗教经历。还有一个大学生使用带回刺的苦修带的时间要比推荐的一天两小时长得多，结果差点感染至死。不久前，在波士顿，一位幻想破灭的年轻投资银行家在试图自杀之前把自己终生的积蓄都转签给了天主事工会。
迷途的羔羊，阿林加洛沙这样认为。他很同情他们。
当然，最令他们尴尬的还是一桩广为流传审判事件。被审判的是联邦调查局间谍罗伯特。哈桑，他不单单是天主事工会会员中的知名人士，而且还是个性变态狂。审判过程中发现的证据表明，他还在自己的卧室里安装摄像机以便让他的朋友看他与老婆做爱的情形。
"一个虔诚的天主教徒几乎得不到快乐。"法官说。
不幸的是，这些事件促成了一个名为"认清天主事工会网络"的新观察组织的产生。这个组织在其颇受欢迎的网站 上不断发布原天主事工会会员讲述的骇人听闻的事件。这些前会员们还警告人们不要加入天主事工会。现在，媒体称天主事工会为"上帝的黑手党"或"基督的邪教。"我们对自己不了解的东西总是很恐惧，阿林加洛沙这样想。他不知道那些批评者是不是明白天主事工会曾使多少人的生活多姿多彩。天主事工会得到了梵蒂冈的完全认可和恩准。天主事工会是一个教皇个人的教区。
近来，天主事工会发现自己被一种比媒体威力更大的力量威胁着。阿林加洛沙躲都躲不开这突然冒出来的敌人。虽然五个月前，这股不稳定的力量被粉碎了，但阿林加洛沙现在还感到心有余悸。
"他们不知道他们已挑起了战争。"阿林加洛沙一边望着机窗下黑暗的大西洋一边小声嘀咕着。突然，他的目光停在机窗反射的自己的那张难看的面孔--又黑又斜，还有一个又扁又歪的大鼻子。那是他年轻时在西班牙作传教士时被人用拳头打的。这种身体上的缺陷现在基本上无所谓了。因为阿林加洛沙的世界是心灵的世界，不是肉体的世界。
在飞机飞越葡萄牙海岸时，阿林加洛沙的教士服里的手机在无声状态震动起来。虽然航空公司禁止在飞机飞行期间使用手机，但阿林加洛沙知道这个电话他不能不接。只有一个人有这个号码，这个人就是给阿林加洛沙邮寄手机的人。
主教一阵激动，轻声回话："喂？"
"塞拉斯已经知道拱顶石在什么地方了。在巴黎。在圣叙尔皮斯教堂里。"打电话的人说。
阿林加洛沙主教微笑着说："我们接近成功了。"
"我们马上就能得到它。但我们需要你施加影响。"
"没问题。说吧，要我做什么？"
关掉手机后，阿林加洛沙心还在怦怦跳。他再次凝望那空洞洞的黑夜，感到与他要做的事相比自己非常渺小。
在五百英里外的地方，那个叫塞那斯的白化病人正站在一小盆水前。他轻轻擦掉后背上的鲜血，观察着血在水中打旋的方式。他引用《旧约。诗篇》中的句子祷告：求你用牛膝草洁净我，我就干净；求你洗涤我，我就比雪更白。
塞拉斯感到有一股以前从未被激起过的期待。这使他震惊又令他激动。在过去的十年中，他一直按《路》的要求行事，清除自己的罪恶，重建自己的生活……抹去过去的暴力。然而，今夜，这一切又突然回来了。他极力压抑的恨又被召回了。看到过去这么快地浮现起来，他觉得非常震惊。当然，和过去一同回来的还有他的功夫。虽然有些"生锈"，但尚且能用。
耶稣传播的是和平……是非暴力……是爱。从一开始，塞拉斯就被这样教导，并将教诲铭记在心。可这是基督的敌人威胁要毁掉的训戒。用武力威胁上帝的人定会受到武力的回击，坚定不移的回击。
两千年来，基督教卫士们一直保卫着他们的信仰，抗击着企图取代它的各种信仰。今夜，塞拉斯已应征参战。
擦干了伤口，他穿上了齐踝的长的有兜帽的长袍。在平纹织的黑毛羊料子做的长袍的映衬下，他的皮肤和头发被衬托得更白。他系紧了腰间的袍带，把兜帽套在头上，只露出双睛来欣赏镜子中的自己。车轮已经转起来了。