Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20 As the sun set behind the rolling hills of Nazareth, Michael and Dr. Gomez burst through the front entrance of the basilica. "Merle! Pearl!" Michael shouted, his voice echoing off the walls of the empty church.

第二十章当太阳落在拿撒勒连绵起伏的山丘后面的时候，迈克尔和医生。 戈麦斯冲进教堂的正门。 “默尔!珠儿!”迈克尔喊道，他的声音在空荡荡的教堂的墙壁上回响。

"They've gone," a somber voice rang out from the shadows. Father Phillip stepped out into a pool of cool moonlight near the railing surrounding the Grotto of the Annunciation. "A man came and took them." "He was wearing a suit and sunglasses," Michael guessed. "As a matter of fact, he was," Father Phillip said. "The squirrels called him Ruben." "Ruben..." Dr. Gomez noted. It was the first time Michael and Dr. Gomez had heard the name of the mysterious figure. Michael's eyes welled up. Feeling overwhelmed, hungry, and tired from jet lag, he couldn't help but cry.

“他们走了。”一个阴沉的声音从阴影中传来。 菲利普神父走到天使报喜洞周围的栏杆旁，走进一池清凉的月光中。 “一个人来把他们带走了。” “他穿着西装，戴着墨镜，”迈克尔猜测道。 “事实上，他是，”菲利普神父说。 “松鼠们叫他鲁本。” “鲁本……”戈麦斯博士指出。 这是迈克尔和约翰博士第一次见面。 戈麦斯听到了这个神秘人物的名字。 迈克尔的眼睛湿润了。他感到不堪重负，又饿又累，由于时差反应，他忍不住哭了起来。

Besides teaching, another thing friars do well is to comfort those who are troubled. "I know you are afraid for your friends," Father Phillip said as he put his hand on Michael's shoulder. "Remember Mary, who was very young when Gabriel came to visit her at this very spot. She, too, was afraid of an uncertain future. What would it be like being the mother of Jesus? But the angel assured her that nothing is impossible with God. That is true for you as well. Whenever you are worried or scared, you can pray for God's peace." "My dad tells me the same thing," Michael said, exchanging a grin with Dr. Gomez. "Can we pray now?" "This is a good place for that," Father Phillip said with a smile. There in the quiet church, Michael prayed again for help finding Merle and Pearl. He asked God to help him not feel afraid or worried. "And God, we know that you are in control and nothing is impossible with you. In Jesus' name, amen." "Well, buddy, it's late," Dr. Gomez said. "We'd better find a room in an inn somewhere around here." Dr. Gomez thanked Father Phillip for his help and for getting the word to him about Merle and Pearl. "By the way," Dr. Gomez asked, "how do you think Ruben found you?" "The only thing that makes sense to me is that I also sent an email to the Antiquities Museum in Jerusalem. Maybe that's how Ruben got the information?" Father

除了教导之外，修士们擅长的另一件事是安慰那些有困难的人。 “我知道你担心你的朋友，”菲利普神父把手放在迈克尔的肩膀上说。 “别忘了，盖伯瑞尔来这里看望玛丽的时候，她还很小。 她也害怕不确定的未来。 成为耶稣的母亲会是什么感觉？ 但是天使向她保证，在上帝没有什么是不可能的。 对你来说也是如此。 当你担心或害怕的时候，你可以向上帝祈祷平安。” “我爸爸也跟我说过同样的话，”迈克尔说着，和琼斯医生交换了一个微笑。 戈麦斯。“我们现在可以祈祷了吗？”“这是一个很好的地方，”菲利普神父笑着说。 在安静的教堂里，迈克尔再次祈求上帝帮助他找到莫尔和珠儿。 他请求上帝帮助他不要害怕或担心。 “神啊，我们知道你掌管一切，在你没有不可能的事。 以耶稣之名，阿门。”“好了，伙计，时间不早了。” 戈麦斯说。“我们最好在这附近找个小旅馆找个房间。” 戈麦斯医生感谢菲利普神父的帮助，感谢他把莫尔和珀尔的事告诉了他。 “顺便问一下，”戈麦斯医生问，“你觉得鲁本是怎么找到你的？”“对我来说唯一说得通的是，我还给耶路撒冷的古物博物馆发了一封电子邮件。 也许鲁本就是这样得到消息的？”父亲

Phillip speculated. Dr. Gomez shook his head in disbelief. Michael's jaw dropped.

菲利普猜测。戈麦斯医生难以置信地摇了摇头。 迈克尔的下巴都掉了下来。