A Matter of Faith

A Matter of Faith

Ted cupped his hands, splashing water upward, and then looked up, staring at the face in the mirror. He could see the ghostly doubts that plagued his mind hovering behind his eyes. “Don’t go, don’t go, don’t go,” he said referring to his faith. It was half plea, half prayer. As a member of the Society of Jesus – the Jesuit Order – he knew in his heart that his spiritual vision was to help others and seek God in all things. This was at odds with his own crisis of faith.

With a sigh, he picked up the towel and dried off. Donning his dark suit, he headed out to the Mathematics wing at Loyola. “Why can’t I have the same certainty in my faith that I have in math?” he wondered aloud.

His cell phone buzzed. He glanced at the cryptic text from Brother Rashid. “NOW!” was all it said.

"What's up?" Ted asked, rushing into the lab.

"Time travel. Short window," Rahsid said, scribbling numbers on the whiteboard.

"What are you talking about?"

"Look," Rahsid said.

Ted consumed the arcane math. "You mean ...?"

"Yes, there's a black hole passing by. According to Einstein, all time is "now." Using the tachyon equipment we have, it's possible to go to any point in time using its energy ... but only when it comes closest one hour from now. If my calculations are right, we could go anywhere and any time for four minutes."

Ted stared. "Proof of relativity. The holy grail ..." He shook his head. "We can't - I can't let this go by."

"Time and place?"

"The Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. April 6, 30 AD"

Rashid looked confused. "Why ..." he began then stopped. "You want to see Jesus?"

"I believe in science because I can see it. I want my faith to have the same grounding."

"But faith is ..."

"We can discuss philosophy later. Move!"

The generator's hum was deafening as Ted strapped the loci device to his chest. Rahsid threw the switch and ... blackness.

Ted was standing in an olive grove. The smell of the desert filled his nose. He saw a group of men sitting. His appearance must have been traumatic as they dropped everything, jumping to their feet in alarm.

" Zer da hori?

What is this?

"

Ted realized the flaw in his plan. He didn't speak Aramaic or Hebrew. "We have to get out of this place," he shouted. “There’s danger coming. Jesus, you’ll be captured and worse…”

" Zer hizkuntza hitz egiten zuen?

What language is he speaking?

"

He felt the pull of time, dragging him back. One man was immediately recognizable as Jesus. There was something about him that made him stand out. Jesus looked at him, sadness around his eyes and raised his hand in a gesture of peace. Just before the darkness consumed Ted, he saw His lips move in silent response. "I know, brother. I know."

An entry for the July round of "Rhythms & Writing: Official WDC Contest" 
Prompt: “Mexico” by Jump Little Children
Word Limit: 2000
Word Count: 500