Worlds Beyond
Solving Mysteries
As their search for the Lost Ark draws to an exciting conclusion, Sam and Rebecca wonder whether this artifact truly has supernatural powers. In an era before science, our ancestors believed that spiritual powers were behind most of the things they could not understand. But contrary to modern belief, this does not necessarily mean that mysterious events can never have a spiritual connection. Even if the Lost Ark’s true source of power is purely symbolic, its spiritual impact could nevertheless be profound. Among other things, one has to decide who owns it and where to put it—with its former home on the disputed Temple Mount being one highly controversial option.
Seeking Truth
Inspired by the hand-drawn treasure map that his grandmother Danielle had donated to the Vatican’s Secret Archive, Sam finally realizes the truth of what she had sought to teach him. Like the interfaith shrine near Babylon that had preserved the truth about the Lost Ark legend for centuries, the greatest powers of humanity are compassion and unity. As the ancient writings tell us, the plagues of violence and war are manmade and can be ended. In the words of the prophets, humanity has free will and the power to heal the world and ensure peace. Will we finally choose that now?
To Touch the Sky
Delighted to learn that Rebecca shares his enthusiasm for the medieval poet Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, Sam wonders whether her beauty holds “the universe in ecstatic motion,” as the poem declares. Does she believe, as Rumi wrote, that “the soul of universe” is love? As darkness falls and their lips meet, he imagines that she, like him, “once had a thousand desires.” But united together in “one desire, all were fulfilled.”