relative, he was and had always been her spiritual counselor. They had lived through some trying times together, and both had endured extraordinary tests of faith during her search for Mary Magdalene’s gospel. There was not an hour of the day that passed when Peter didn’t wonder if he had passed or failed those tests.
After Maureen had risked her life to obtain the ancient documents from their hiding place in a French cavern, Peter had taken it upon himself to remove the gospels from France and turn them over to the Church. To do this, he had been forced to deceive Maureen and all her friends at the Château des Pommes Bleues who had aided and protected her during the adventure. Essentially, he had stolen the documents like a thief in the night. While he now wallowed in self-loathing for that decision, his reasons for making it at the time were manifold. Primarily, he had convinced himself that he was protecting Maureen. Unfortunately, she and her associates didn’t see it that way. It had taken the better part of the last two years to completely mend their relationship, and that was much to the credit of Mary Magdalene herself. Because her gospel emphasized the power and importance of forgiveness, Maureen had decided that she would be the ultimate hypocrite if she didn’t forgive Peter under the circumstances.
But Peter had yet to forgive himself. At the time of the discovery and as he translated the gospel, he was shaken to his core by the revelations within it. He simply could not accept that such a critical link to the history of Christianity should not be in the hands of the Church, where every expert available could be utilized to analyze the material and authenticate it. So he did what he thought was best by turning over the originals to authorities in Rome. In return, he was allowed to participate in the ongoing investigation into the controversial gospel.
It was a miserable existence. Peter was immersed daily in the redtape and hierarchy of a Vatican structure that viewed him as an outsider. He was not a hero for delivering this priceless document. In fact, the opposite was true. He was suspect at all times as a participant in a potent heresy. Because Peter had translated the material first, prior to turning it over to the Vatican authorities, he was problematic. He knew precisely what the gospel said and, worse, had shared that translation with his cousin, who was a best-selling author as a result. And in his own heart he was convinced of its authenticity without so much as a single test. There were many here who opposed that idea, and Peter was often stymied and silenced in his attempts to be heard. There were moments when he felt far more like he was under house arrest than an active participant in the authentication process. He had only one ally in all of Rome whom he could really depend upon. Thankfully, it was a very powerful ally. Peter prayed for hours each night that the other members of the Vatican council would allow the light of the truth to enter their hearts during this process. He lived for the possibility that he might one day be able to tell Maureen that Mary Magdalene would be authenticated—and vindicated.
But now he had a new complication. Maureen was on the verge of another spiritual breakthrough, whether she knew it yet herself or not. Peter had watched this all happen before: the increase in the visionary dreams that led to a rapid series of synchronistic circumstances, all of which were inexplicable outside of divine intervention. Such events had led Maureen to the Magdalene gospel two years ago. So here she was having the dreams again, and this time Jesus was quoting scripture to her.
Be ye therefore perfect.
The line was from Matthew, chapter five. It was a commandment from the Sermon on the Mount that followed the instruction to love your enemies and bless those that curse you. Certainly, this was foundational to Christianity, but what did it mean in the context of her
After Maureen had risked her life to obtain the ancient documents from their hiding place in a French cavern, Peter had taken it upon himself to remove the gospels from France and turn them over to the Church. To do this, he had been forced to deceive Maureen and all her friends at the Château des Pommes Bleues who had aided and protected her during the adventure. Essentially, he had stolen the documents like a thief in the night. While he now wallowed in self-loathing for that decision, his reasons for making it at the time were manifold. Primarily, he had convinced himself that he was protecting Maureen. Unfortunately, she and her associates didn’t see it that way. It had taken the better part of the last two years to completely mend their relationship, and that was much to the credit of Mary Magdalene herself. Because her gospel emphasized the power and importance of forgiveness, Maureen had decided that she would be the ultimate hypocrite if she didn’t forgive Peter under the circumstances.
But Peter had yet to forgive himself. At the time of the discovery and as he translated the gospel, he was shaken to his core by the revelations within it. He simply could not accept that such a critical link to the history of Christianity should not be in the hands of the Church, where every expert available could be utilized to analyze the material and authenticate it. So he did what he thought was best by turning over the originals to authorities in Rome. In return, he was allowed to participate in the ongoing investigation into the controversial gospel.
It was a miserable existence. Peter was immersed daily in the redtape and hierarchy of a Vatican structure that viewed him as an outsider. He was not a hero for delivering this priceless document. In fact, the opposite was true. He was suspect at all times as a participant in a potent heresy. Because Peter had translated the material first, prior to turning it over to the Vatican authorities, he was problematic. He knew precisely what the gospel said and, worse, had shared that translation with his cousin, who was a best-selling author as a result. And in his own heart he was convinced of its authenticity without so much as a single test. There were many here who opposed that idea, and Peter was often stymied and silenced in his attempts to be heard. There were moments when he felt far more like he was under house arrest than an active participant in the authentication process. He had only one ally in all of Rome whom he could really depend upon. Thankfully, it was a very powerful ally. Peter prayed for hours each night that the other members of the Vatican council would allow the light of the truth to enter their hearts during this process. He lived for the possibility that he might one day be able to tell Maureen that Mary Magdalene would be authenticated—and vindicated.
But now he had a new complication. Maureen was on the verge of another spiritual breakthrough, whether she knew it yet herself or not. Peter had watched this all happen before: the increase in the visionary dreams that led to a rapid series of synchronistic circumstances, all of which were inexplicable outside of divine intervention. Such events had led Maureen to the Magdalene gospel two years ago. So here she was having the dreams again, and this time Jesus was quoting scripture to her.
Be ye therefore perfect.
The line was from Matthew, chapter five. It was a commandment from the Sermon on the Mount that followed the instruction to love your enemies and bless those that curse you. Certainly, this was foundational to Christianity, but what did it mean in the context of her
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