I am stuck at home sick. Apparently, it is inflammation of the lung so I am miserable because, not only am I under the weather but, I have to quit the cigs! At times like these, I don’t have much energy and resort to browsing the internet mainly because Czech T.V. isn’t much fun. I often end up chasing down topics across the net and last night was no exception. For some reason, I found myself reading about the Fatima children and the three secrets. I started searching on the fact that the Pope is resigning, found all kinds of doomsday nonsense about the Last Pope – Peter the Roman, and from there, went to the Fatima stories.
My initial thought, trawling through this material on the web, was good grief, no sooner is the whole 2012 thing finally dead than here we go again with more doomsday, end-of-the-world, nonsense. I worry about this constant need to have the End times just around the corner. I mean, people are thinking and willing this stuff. Sweating over it. Eventually, they will create it in reality. I lay in bed last night, next to my daughter, who migrated from her bed to ours as she tends to do, thinking about it. Stroking her hair wondering what she will face in her lifetime? Looking around, I do worry.
You know, if you read all sides of these stories, and you can on the internet, I come to the conclusion that its all nonsense. The Malachy document, which lists all the Popes to the last in Peter the Roman (The next Pope by the way), was almost certainly created by some Papal candidate in the dim and distant past who hoped it might be the tipping point in getting him elected (nothing has changed sadly has it?). Now, it will be picked up and waved around, and used to worry everyone as the latest and greatest Doomsday scenario……. lovely!
But, back to Fatima. I read all sides of this story too. There are hundreds of variations each supporting someone’s point of view. The truth, if there ever was any at all, is long gone and what we are left with is the dry skin of a hollow lie propagated to create fear. I read three variations on the so called Third Secret along with endless discussion and arguments about which was the correct one, why the Church hadn’t released it etc. ad naseum. There are those who believe the Church shouldn’t compromise and stick to its Guns (they should in my opinion, as this is their Dogma and it shouldn’t be changed. If people don’t agree, they should move on). There are those who say the whole thing was a plot to end Communism, or a plot by the Soviet Union to ensure that Communism couldn’t end…. my head spins.
As I have said many times – there no longer is any truth – just someone’s version of it. TRUTH has been lost across the board in politics, marketing, opinion mongering, and yes – Religion. These days everyone is so busy shouting out their version of the truth that no one is listening. In the good old days, there was just one version of the Truth. It may not actually have been truth but, if you didn’t accept it……..
In the end, what got me more was how some people speak about God. The Fatima prophesy (and others like it), were used to say that ‘Mary the Mother of God and Jesus have really tried hard to keep the Father’s temper in check over our continued behavior, but, they need our help in the form of penance, Hail Mary’s, and sacrifice, to stop Him up there going totally overboard and bringing fire from heaven on all of our heads such that millions upon millions of us (Good or Bad), die every second.’ Oh, and btw…. the Protestants will go first and even more dreadfully.
You know, I am sorry, but I don’t believe my God acts like a jealous and angry human. I think God is God. Beyond comprehension and not prone to retribution. I don’t think he has a Family that is interceding on our behalf either. Why? I mean, is the Deity living in some heavenly Soap Opera then or what? Neither do I think He/She/It takes sides, or favors one religion above another (In fact, I suspect, It thinks they are all foolish). But then, who am I to have an opinion?
As thinkers probe reality (I say thinkers not scientists because Science is also a religion of sorts these days), we seem to be coming to some surprising and startling pictures of how reality is. It appears to be turning out that we are all one thing, inter-connected, and creating this reality (and possibly an infinite number of others) every step of the way. It seems that Love really is the way to approach life and people. That whatever this force is, it works and it influences what is created and how. Right now, while everyone is shouting at each other about the Truth, the Truth is actually right there in front of us waiting for us to be quiet enough for a minute to see it.
I just hope enough of us see it quickly enough.