Sister Sandrine frowned. "Of course. It would be my pleasure."
The abbé thanked her and hung up.
Puzzled, Sister Sandrine remained a moment in the warmth of her bed, trying to shake off the cobwebs of sleep. Her sixty-year-old body did not awake as fast as it used to, although tonight's phone call had certainly roused her senses. Opus Dei had always made her uneasy. Beyond the prelature's adherence to the arcane ritual of corporal mortification, their views on women were medieval at best. She had been shocked to learn that female numeraries were forced to clean the men's residence halls for no pay while the men were at mass; women slept on hardwood floors, while the men had straw mats; and women were forced to endure additional requirements of corporal mortification... all as added penance for original sin. It seemed Eve's bite from the apple of knowledge was a debt women were doomed to pay for eternity. Sadly, while most of the Catholic Church was gradually moving in the right direction with respect to women's rights, Opus Dei threatened to reverse the progress. Even so, Sister Sandrine had her orders.
Swinging her legs off the bed, she stood slowly, chilled by the cold stone on the soles of her bare feet. As the chill rose through her flesh, she felt an unexpected apprehension.
Women's intuition?
A follower of God, Sister Sandrine had learned to find peace in the calming voices of her own soul. Tonight, however, those voices were as silent as the empty church around her.
Cobweb 蜘蛛網
Eternity 永恆
"修女桑德琳蹙起眉頭。"當然。我很樂意。"修道院院長對她表示了感謝，掛上了電話。
桑德琳還是疑惑不解。她又在暖和的被窩裡躺了一會兒，同時又盡力趕走睡意。她六十五歲的身體不如從前醒得快，雖然今晚的電話無疑已喚醒了她的感官。天主事工會一直令她心裡不舒服。且不說這個教派固守著肉體懲罰的秘密儀式，他們對女人的看法充其量也只是中世紀的。她曾非常吃驚地瞭解到男會員在作彌撒時，女會員得被迫無償地為他清潔住所；女人睡在硬木地板上，而男人卻有乾草床墊；女人被迫做額外的肉體懲罰--都是為了抵贖原罪。似乎夏娃在智慧樹上咬的那一口成了女人註定要永遠償還的債務。令人傷心的是，雖然世界上大多數天主教堂都朝著尊重婦女權力的正確方向發展，而天主事工會卻威脅要將這趨勢逆轉過來。即使有這些想法，修女桑德琳還是接受了命令。
她抬腿下床，慢慢站起來，光著腳踩在鞋裡冰冷的石頭上，覺得刺骨的涼。這冷意沿著她的身體上升，一種突如其來的恐懼感向她襲來。
女人的直覺嗎？
作為上帝的信徒，修女桑德琳已經學會從自己靈魂的冷靜的聲音中找到安寧。但今夜，那些聲音全沒了，像她周圍空空的教堂一樣寂靜。
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