Condemnation

By Raymond Paul Boyd

This story is an insight of those who unite with Satan, not aware they have taken the path to perdition.

This writing conveys the heavenly message that, if heeded, assures an eternal life in the presence of God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984518293

Raymond Paul Boyd

At the naive age of four, I was impress by all that I saw in the movies. Fascinated by the musicals, westerns, and gangster film. The films were govern by a code of ethics that righteousness would always prevail over wrong doing. My life experience to my chagrin proved to be a fallacy “But several Epiphanys has restore my faith.”

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Raymond Paul Boyd.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2018903829

ISBN:                      Hardcover                  978-1-9845-1828-6

                                Softcover                    978-1-9845-1830-9

                                eBook                         978-1-9845-1829-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 01/28/2019

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To the memory of Saint Teresa of Ávila. The autobiography of Saint Teresa teaches not only priests but also the laity that with the use of holy water and prayer, one can successfully perform an exorcism.

Be it understood that exorcism is a dangerous undertaking due to the fact it’s a clash of wills between the ultimate evil, Satan, and the exorcist.

Thanks to my daughter Paula. Also my son, Larry, and grandson, Carlos, for agreeing this story should be published.

As always, I felt the presence of my late wife, Gloria (9-10-34 8-18-20), as I labored to create a mind-boggling story.

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1:     Secret Revealed

Chapter 2:     The Ring

Chapter 3:     Free of Guilt

Chapter 4:     There Is a Hell

Chapter 5:     The Black Mass

Chapter 6:     Love at First Sight

Chapter 7:     The Call

Chapter 8:     New Beginning

Chapter 9:     The Promise

Chapter 10:   Faith

Chapter 11:   In God We Trust

Chapter 12:   Dream or Telepathy?

Chapter 13:   The Devil Made Me Do It

Chapter 14:   The Gift

Epilogue

PROLOGUE

A fter the crucifixion of Christ, two millennium later, this story begins the day eighty-six-year-old Monsignor Giancarlo Scavette, curator of one of eight museums in Rome, unsealed the sarcophagus of Saint Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, who had converted to Christianity. Helena, devout to the religion, embarked on a spiritual quest to Jerusalem determined to find the cross Christ had been crucified on. Her faith was rewarded with the find. Helena died during her son’s reign, circa AD 306–337.

The monsignor was amazed seeing the body hadn’t decayed and by the sweet smell of flowers that emanated from her silk shroud. Also, there were two items that had been inside a gold chest, wrapped in white linen. The monsignor removed the smaller of the two. He unwrapped the cloth and saw the box laden with gold and inlaid with precious stones. To his surprise after having opened the box, he saw it contained a ring fashioned from wood stained with blood.

Thus the horrifying events unravel. The find would unite several people in a mind-altering confrontation with the ultimate personification of evil. This was attested by testing the fortitude of Monsignor Giancarlo Scavette, Abe Meyer, Dr. Gloria Rosen, Lester Ames, Sophy Stanley, Rev. Nayland Smith, the pope and Sister Loretta, that possessed the boundless faith that stood firm in their collective efforts to influence history.

CHAPTER 1

Secret Revealed

A be Meyer, thirty-seven years of age, was six feet tall, weighed 185 pounds, and had salt-and-pepper hair and steel-gray eyes. He was ruggedly handsome. His presence was formidable, and his engaging smile instantly put one at ease. Inclement weather caused him to limp slightly due to a football injury necessitating the removal of a cartilage from the left knee. Meyer’s credentials as an archaeologist gained credence not for anything his digs had unearthed, but for his persistence in the unsuccessful five-year quest to locate Noah’s Ark. Being a bachelor and independently wealthy afforded him the luxury to travel the globe in pursuit of his occupation. Fluent in eight languages and also adept in several ancient languages, he had been called upon by various museums to decipher artifacts they had acquired.

Abe Meyer was twenty-nine when his expertise was called upon when, by circumstance, he was in Rome. There he received a message from Monsignor Giancarlo Scavette, curator of the largest museums in Rome’s Vatican City. That was the beginning of a long friendship, although Meyer’s visits were sparse. Both men’s obsession with the mysteries of the past bonded their friendship. The monsignor’s thirty-seven years was senior to Meyer’s 49 years and with a wealth of knowledge in the field of archaeology, the two men corresponded several times a year by mail. The monsignor was adamant in his opinion that the sincerest form of communication was the act of exchanging letters. Therefore it was understandable why Meyer had been taken aback when—twenty years to the day—the two men first met.

Meyer woke at 6:00 a.m. Sunday to the irritating ringing of his telephone. The caller was Monsignor Giancarlo Scavette. Five seconds later—having agreed to his friend’s plea that he come to Rome at once—Meyer sat befuddled as to what could be so urgent, although he had’nt been given an explanation? He assured his friend that he would arrive in twelve hours. He then placed four calls, first to the airport to have his Learjet ready for flight. The second was to his friend and pilot, Lester Ames. He then called his fiancée, Dr. Gloria Rosen, who was affectionately called Honey by her family and friends. Lastly, he placed a call to the manager of his limousine company. Gloria normally stayed with Meyer, but he had to travel abroad on a ten-day trip, so she resided in an upscale three-bedroom apartment in Princeton, New Jersey. She and Dr. Michael Boyer, renowned in the science of hereditary disease, headed a research team at the University of Princeton.

Gloria was thirty-one years of age and stood at 5'7" and weighed 120 lb., her features framed by golden blond hair and an endearing smile. A moment after she had received Meyer’s call, she had a feeling of overpowering dread. Meyer said that once he had unearthed a significant find that would be applauded by the archaeological community, he would retire. And if Gloria consented to his proposal of marriage, his life would be enriched beyond words.

Lester Ames, age thirty-seven, was an employee and friend—a former pilot in the US Air Force honorably discharged with the rank of colonel. He sat at the controls of the supersonic jet that Meyer had recently purchased. Meyer sat next to him minutes after the aircraft had defied gravity. Ames listened intently as Meyer spoke of having a premonition that his visit to Rome, at the behest of the monsignor, would not be without dire consequences. Ames replied with confidence, saying, Whatever it is, I’m certain we can handle it. His reply was the reason Meyer valued Ames’s friendship.

The weather was ideal for the flight, and yet the plane inexplicably began to shake violently. Ames struggled to maintain control; as he often did when under stress, he invoked the name of Jesus. The plane instantaneously stabilized.

Ames, a former combat veteran accustomed to emergency situations, was taken aback, as the quiver in his voice revealed, as he asked Meyer if he had heard that hideous cry after he had spoken the name of Jesus. Meyer replied that he had, but he believed it had to do with the air current, stating further he was somewhat apprehensive by the sound. He then asked Ames how he would describe it.

Demonic, Ames replied with certainty.

Ten hour hours later, without additional mishap, they arrived at their destination. After checking into their adjoining suites, Ames was still a bit uneasy with what he had heard. He informed Meyer that he was going to the cathedral of Saint Peter’s to give thanks for their safe arrival.

Meyer was greeted warmly by the eighty-six-year-old Monsignor Giancarlo Scavette in his sparse but comfortable four-room apartment located in the far rear of the museum. It was apparent to Meyer, at first glance, that his friend had lost a significant amount of weight, his frail body racked with pain as a result of the debilitating effect of arthritis. Also, a recent physical by his physician revealed an arrhythmia of the heart; and also, his blood pressure was dangerously elevated. The monsignor’s deteriorating health had necessitated his urgent call to Abe Meyer. His smile and the brightness of his eyes gave no indication of his dire condition.

Have you eaten, my son?

Yes, I have, Meyer replied, masking his concern for the appearance of the person he held in the highest esteem of all his associates and acquaintances.

Then we shall have a glass of wine. So please be seated as I tell you how pleased I am that you came. Also, I shall tell you of an astounding find and the amazing story connected with it.

As he was about to begin, sixty-five-year-old Mrs. Anna Marrano, a widow of ten years, entered, asking if they cared to have something. She had been employed for twenty years as cook and housekeeper.

Just wine, the monsignor replied.

Meyer had thought to decline the offer but instead thanked his friend, saying he would enjoy a glass of wine.

Mrs. Marrano, anticipating the summons, entered the well-lit study with a pitcher of wine, two glasses, and a dish with an assortment of homemade Italian cakes. Placing the tray on the oak desk, she then departed.

The monsignor, with pride, stated that the wine was a gift from the vineyard of a retired priest who resided in a monastery in Naples. Meyer, having sipped a bit of the wine, said he hadn’t tasted better.

The monsignor smiled in agreement, then his expression altered as he said, My son, I am well aware that you are anxious to learn why I have sent for you. And I am so pleased that you are here as what I am about to tell you is, without a doubt, astounding, and only the pope and a few others have been privy to know. Three months ago, I felt the urge to open the sarcophagus containing the remains of Saint Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine. It was among the first acquisitions made by the then curator of this museum a hundred and twenty years ago. I had for some time felt the compulsion to open it but resisted to do so. Alas, I have succumbed. What I discovered is beyond belief.

His tone of voice quivered a bit as he began to explain that he removed from the sarcophagus a 12×12 gold chest that contained two items. "A ring stain with blood on it, sculpted from wood. Cypress. And also a scroll. A diary. Each wrapped in white linen. I began to read the diary written in Latin, the ancient text of Rome. I shall only speak of what I deem to be essential from the dairy.

"Helena was exhausted due to the rigors of the severity of a storm that did not cease until land had been sighted. She arrived in Jerusalem with an entourage of twenty. All but two were from her son’s Praetorian guards. Naomi, thirty-four years of age, served in the capacity as confidant, secretary, and biographer. Naomi, at age seventeen, had been a captive of many taken from Judah, by order of the Roman commanding officer, and was sent to Rome to work in servitude. Helena saw the young girl and was overcome with compassion, as it was vaguely apparent she was in the early stage of childbearing. The baby was named Ruth, named after the mother of King David.

Helena, in the following years, provided for the mother and daughter’s well-being and education. Helena’s quest was to locate the cross on which Jesus had been crucified on. The governor, Gaius Marcellus, had ordered a sumptuous meal prepared also the following announcement with pomp and ceremony the presence of Emperor Constantine’s mother, Helena, graciously declined that he do so. As the hour was growing late, she asked to be shown to her bedchambers. Naomi and Ruth accompanied her to the spacious chambers. As it was customary when they journeyed with Helena, they slept in proximity to their benefactress.

The monsignor paused for several moments as his voice began to falter. Meyer suggested he take a sip of wine as he handed the glass half filled. Slowly he took two sips. The monsignor smiled and thanked Meyer. He then cleared his throat, and with a slight smile indicating confidence, he continued his narrative from the dairy.

"My eyes were closed for only a moment when I heard my name called. Before I could open my eyes, I was aware it hadn’t been Naomi or Ruth, as I could hear them snoring in deep slumber. My name was repeated. As I opened my eyes, I was gripped with trepidation by the sight of a young man seated by the side of my bed. The protective veil that encased the bed was partially drawn open. As I gazed upon his face, I saw that it was pleasant, and yet I was apprehensive. He began to speak, and as he did, I became frightfully aware that it was the demon. I attempted to execute the sign of the cross, but my right arm was paralyzed. I knew he was aware of my intent. His voice, which had been soft when he said my name, now became agitated and guttural. As he spoke, I tried in vain to close my eyes and recite the Lord’s Prayer. I quaked with fear as the demon began to speak.

"‘I, Lucifer, have been cast from heaven into a place created for me and my followers. As I rule in the fires of the abyss, I pledge I shall ascend back and will exalt my rightful place above the stars of he and his angels that have cast my legends and me out, but not before I wreak havoc on the nations of earth. I shall take advantage of mankind’s greed. Therefore, as a result, they forfeiture their souls to my domain, where their cries for mercy always give delight to myself and my legions. I do say that I have been maligned since my expulsion. Why should I be expected to embrace the likes of mortals? My hatred is boundless.’

"Satan leered with pride as he started saying, ‘I have satisfied their craving for the only thing they possessed, that which none had valued until their