Tamika wondered if she really was at peace. Was anyone at peace these days?
“Hey, I almost forgot,” Rubin said, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. “I owe you fifty bucks.” He plucked the money out and handed it over to Tamika.
“Thanks, mister.” Tamika stuffed the money into her pants pocket. “Hope you feel better soon.”
“You too. Thanks again for bringing my phone.”
“You’re welcome.”
At that, Tamika Moseley headed for home, 50 dollars richer. “Not bad for an hour’s work,” she mumbled to herself, with a hearty yawn. “Gladly exchange it for a few hours of sleep though!”
When she arrived home, she could barely keep her eyes open. After a quick shower, she went straight to bed. The instant her head touched the pillow, Tamika was sound asleep.
27
FOUR HOURS HAD PASSED since Brian Mulrooney read Justin Schroeder’s deep and extremely challenging letter. He patiently waited for Renate to leave ever since, so he could focus all his attention on this newest bombshell with no distractions.
She finally left 20 minutes ago, saying she would be back in a few hours with dinner.
Whereas Renate had dismissed Justin’s letter as yet another strange occurrence in a day so full of them, she didn’t know him personally. Therefore, she couldn’t fully comprehend just how out of character it was for him to write such things.
Brian, on the other hand, couldn’t have been any more mystified. How could those words have possibly come from the mind of someone who never even went to church growing up? It didn’t seem plausible. Yet, there was this certain peace about him that was enviable.
Could it have come from God?
Born and raised a Catholic, Mulrooney attended Catholic schools all his life, followed by Notre Dame, which was a Catholic university. He originally planned to attend Boston College, which was another Catholic university. Located in Massachusetts, it was a better choice, location wise, than Notre Dame.
But when he was “miraculously” accepted into Notre Dame, his thinking quickly changed. Not only did he get a top-notch education, he received many lucrative offers of employment from well-known corporations, long before he graduated.
Mulrooney ultimately chose the Marriott Corporation as his employer. The only drawback was that they needed him to start in Michigan. But they assured him that transferring to his home state of New York was a viable option down the road.
It was an option that sealed the deal for him. It was an option he never exercised after meeting Renate McCallister and falling in love.
It suddenly seemed like a thousand years ago...
With 16 years of Catholic education under his belt, Mulrooney couldn’t answer Justin’s simple question. Had my life come to an end yesterday, would I be in Heaven? Brian was uncertain. But this much he knew: he couldn’t remember a single time when Justin talked about God or religion growing up. And his parents certainly weren’t churchgoers. They were lifelong atheists.
So how could Justin be in Heaven now?
Brian, on the other hand, went to mass every Sunday. Most Sundays, anyway. After attending public schools his entire life, how could Justin proclaim to know so much about a subject his educators absolutely refused to teach?
If anything, they did all they could to ban religion from their schools, even outlawing the Bible, the Ten Commandments and prayer altogether, with astonishing success. It was like they were trying to shield their students from a deadly disease or something.
With absolutely no religious schooling under his belt, how could Justin have any sort of “religious” foundation in place, in just a few short years living in Colorado? He couldn’t! Could he?Why do I feel he knows more than I do? Knew, rather!
Mulrooney’s curiosity kept gnawing away at him until he grabbed the Bible from the spare bedroom and sat on the living room couch.
Resting his feet on the coffee table, he wondered how Renate would react if she knew his curiosity had been aroused to this level. Since she had no interest in spiritual matters, Brian would investigate it first without telling her. If he couldn’t find anything of interest, namely a proof-positive answer as to how to have eternal assurance, there would be no need to tell her anything.
But what if I do find answers, he thought. One way to find out...
Had someone told him just a few days ago he would be in his apartment reading the Bible of all things, a Bible given to him by the very last person Brian ever thought would find religion, Mulrooney would have simply discarded it as merely a temporary phase his pal was going through.
But it wasn’t life as usual. Justin was gone. And Brian wanted answers. He needed them. If his late friend’s claim that the Bible was the sole reason for the many positive changes in his life, if for only that reason, Brian felt obligated to read it.
When someone you love dies, or in this case, vanishes, it quickly sinks in that you’ll never communicate with that person again. It was only normal to want to learn everything you can about the departed; especially things you previously may not have known.
With that justification, Brian decided to proceed, but with caution.
Before delving into the Word of God, Mulrooney perused Justin’s letter again. The confidence he had in his own salvation was truly phenomenal. Yet it was a humble confidence. Never once did he brag on himself. If anything, he was emphatic that he couldn’t take an ounce of credit for his salvation. It was all God.
Brian had never experienced that one before. Nearing the end of the letter, one word stood out—vanished.
Brian read it again. In closing, I understand if you’re a little uncomfortable reading this. I felt the same way myself at first. But after God opened my spiritual eyes and ears to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, those feelings quickly vanished.
Vanished? Why did Justin choose that word? Was it merely a coincidence? Mulrooney did not know. Did Heather vanish too? If Justin’s letter was correct, she must have. That explains why she never called back. Could it really be? Brian wondered...
Yes indeed, things were strange. So very strange.
Mulrooney placed the letter on the coffee table and reached for the Bible tract. It was a simple piece of literature, approximately three inches wide, two inches long and four pages in length.
Yet, for such a small amount of space, it was packed with powerful, biblical verbiage. He noticed a step-by-step process that promised to rescue repentant sinners from the sure-fires of hell, by bringing them into a permanent relationship with God Almighty through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Brian was taught about Jesus in school; he believed He was the Son of God. But it never seemed personal or intimate like now. Was there something to it? Now fully intrigued, he opened his Bible to search the verses Justin had highlighted for him to read.
The first was Romans 10:9-10. Searching the CONTENTS page, Mulrooney thought, all my schooling in religion, and I don’t even know where the Book of Romans is in the Bible? Finding Romans chapter 10, he fingered his way down to verses 9 and 10.
“For if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
Catholic schooling had taught Mulrooney that salvation came through Christ Jesus. He heard it preached on numerous occasions over the years at Sunday mass. But it always felt like an impersonal group thing. Unlike now. He also believed if he remained a good Catholic, he was all but assured a place in Heaven when his time on Earth came to an end. Now he wasn’t so sure.
Everything felt different, like God was speaking to his heart, deeply and intimately.
> Next, Brian searched for the Gospel of John. Once there, he read John 3:16. It, too, was highlighted: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Next, he read John 5:24: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”
After that he read Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
“Why wasn’t I taught this in school?” Mulrooney said, under his breath.
From there Brian read Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Mulrooney went straight down the list. Second Corinthians 5:21: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Then First Peter 2:24: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”
Brian Mulrooney was astounded. The verses he just read were so powerful, so definitive; yet it sounded too simple. Believe in Jesus and be saved. What about Mary? Didn’t she deserve a portion of the credit? After all, of all the women who ever lived, God chose her to give birth to His only begotten Son.
That had to count for something. And what about church doctrine and tradition? Those things had to count for something as well, right? Not according to what he’d just read.
Brian needed another opinion. It was time to consult a Catholic priest. After all, he was educated in their system. Therefore, they owed it to him to provide solid answers to these extremely challenging questions. If anyone should have answers, he reasoned, it would be a Catholic priest.
We’ll see, he thought.
28
BRIAN MULROONEY JUMPED WHEN the phone rang. With his nerves still on high alert, it didn’t take much to rattle him.
It was Craig Rubin. “Hey Craig. Boy, am I glad you’re okay.”
“You too, Brian.”
“I heard about your mom. Sorry, man.”
“Yeah, it’s probably for the best though. As you know, she suffered a lot over the years. We were sort of expecting it to happen at any time. At least she’s at peace now.”
Is she? Mulrooney didn’t know how to honestly answer it. “Unbelievable day yesterday, huh?”
“That’s the understatement of a lifetime. Did you hear we lost one of our restaurants?”
“Oh my, really?”
“Yeah. Burnt to the ground.”
“Which one?”
“The one in Battery Park.”
“Sorry to hear that, Craig.”
“Whaddaya gonna do...”
“Was anyone inside when it burnt down?”
“As usual, it was packed with customers. Thankfully, we were able to get everyone out safely.”
“That’s a blessing.”
“Yeah, in the grand scheme of things, it’s only a restaurant. I just feel bad for my pop.” Craig spoke in a somber, lethargic tone. “First it was Mom, then one of his prized restaurants. I hope he makes it through this.”
“If you need me for anything, Craig, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Likewise,” Rubin said. “Just glad you’re safe. When I called your parents’ yesterday, they still hadn’t heard from you. You had us worried, man. By the way, how’s Justin?”
There was a prolonged silence.
Brian didn’t know what to say. Not only did Justin vanish into thin air right before his eyes, he also turned into a religious fanatic beforehand. Worse, it appeared his main reason for coming to Michigan wasn’t the game, but to recruit his two buddies into his new religious fold.
How could he possibly tell Craig they knew nothing about the new Justin Schroeder? And how could he possibly explain the Gifts Justin left for the both of them? “Uh Craig, Justin left me a gift—a Bible. And by the way, he left one for you, too.”
“Still there?” Craig asked. The silence was deafening. But it also confirmed that Justin was not okay.
Brian cleared his throat, “He’s no longer with us.”
“Oh, no! What happened?” Craig Rubin’s voice cracked.
“He was among the disappearances. We were at the game when it happened.”
“You gotta be kidding me?” Craig was completely stunned.
“Wish I was, bro.”
“Wow! You caught me off guard. I always knew my mother’s days were numbered. But Justin was in the prime of his life. I can’t believe he’s gone!”
Brian said, “And to think the three of us were going to the Jets-Lions game today. Someone or something has played a cruel trick on us.”
“I’m sure everyone knows someone who died or vanished yesterday. Even President Danforth lost loved ones. Is Renate okay?”
“She’s fine, thanks.”
“Thank God for that,” came the reply.
“I’m very thankful.” Thankful to Whom, Brian thought.
“I was at JFK Airport when it happened.”
“Yeah, my mom told me.”
“I saw this girl vanish right before my eyes,” Craig said, still unable to fathom it all. “I was in line to board the plane when, poof, she disappeared. Couldn’t believe my eyes! I was staring at her when it happened. Surely, she has family members who are grieving now. And she wasn’t the only one; the man behind me also vanished. I fell back into what was left of him. Freaked me out, bro. Just thankful the plane wasn’t in the air at the time. Had it happened twenty minutes later, who knows, maybe I’d be a goner too, like all those other people on planes that went down.”
Mulrooney’s head was spinning. He was having difficulty keeping pace with Craig. All he could focus on was the Bible resting on his lap.
He would eventually level with Craig, just not now. He needed time to think, to let things settle in his mind, to adjust. What he had to adjust to, he was still uncertain.
As soon as there was a break in the conversation, Brian said, “Not to sound rude, Craig, but I have a splitting headache and need to rest a while.”
“I understand. My head’s still spinning too. Get some rest, bro. Stay in touch.”
“I will. Love ya, bro.”
“Love you too...”
29
BRIAN MULROONEY FOUND THE number to the Catholic Church he attended in Ann Arbor. He thought to call one of the priests he’d studied under at Notre Dame, but decided to start locally first. If they couldn’t help him, he’d call Notre Dame’s finest for answers.
That is, if he could even get through to anyone.
After hearing “All circuits are busy. Please try your call again later,” for more than 20 minutes, he finally heard ringing. An older woman at the rectory answered.
Brian requested an audience with a priest but was quickly denied.
“As you can imagine, we’re on complete overload with requests for assistance. Since yours isn’t life threatening, kindly leave your name and number. If at all possible, someone may get back to you today.”
Mulrooney understood. Everyone in the parish must have been desperate for assistance.
Surprisingly, an hour later, Father Tom Dunleavey called back, saying he only had five minutes to spare, forcing Brian to get to the point. “Father Dunleavey, can you give me a logical explanation as to what happened yesterday?”
The priest’s answer was brisk and to the point. And obviously scripted. “Well, Brian, until the Catholic Church explores all possibilities, we cannot state with one-hundred percent accuracy what took pla
ce. But rest assured, we’re conducting a thorough investigation. One way or the other, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“What’s the Pope saying?”
Is this an interview? The Catholic priest sighed and went on, “He’s been fasting and seeking Divine Guidance in the matter. If God will enlighten anyone on the issue, you and I both know it’ll be the Holy Father.”
Do I really know that for sure? Brian was growing increasingly doubtful. “I was with my good friend yesterday when he vanished. Can you at least tell me why he vanished while others died?”
“Well, first off, I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. As for your question, the Catholic Church is investigating…”
Brian cut him off, “Could the fact that he was a born-again Christian have anything to do with it?”
“Wow! Difficult question.” Maybe this is an interview. One way to find out... “Are you a member of our parish, Mister Mulrooney?”
“Yes. Well, sort of.”
“What kind of an answer is that?”
“I’m originally from New York. When I don’t work on Sundays, which, thanks to my recent promotion is quite rare, I attend mass at your church. But I’ve never officially signed on as a member...”
“I see. So, you’re a Catholic?”
“Yes, I am.” Am I? Brian wasn’t so sure what he was anymore.
“Are you a journalist?”
“A journalist? No. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, it’s just that you’re asking some very pressing questions. I’m not up to being interviewed right now, Mister Mulrooney.”
“I can assure you, Father, that this is not an interview, and I’m not with the press. You’re not being recorded or anything like that. I just need to talk to someone and figured a Catholic priest was the best person for that.”
“You’re right, contacting a priest was the right choice. I only wish I could provide you with more precise answers to your thought-provoking questions. I can say this, we’re obviously being tested by God Almighty Himself. Now more than ever we need to remain patient.” Father Dunleavey paused. “Do you have any Catholic schooling?”
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