My wife and I went to see Conclave this afternoon. I don’t know why but Patty decided to see what Catholics are saying about the movie. Conclave is based on a Robert Harris novel and is basically about the political machinations among the College of Cardinals who want to ensure a particular future for The Church. Lots of good actors; Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini to name the actors most of us would recognize. It was a good movie in every respect with a surprising twist at the end that made me laugh and say “yeah!”
As you might imagine, among Catholics there are many opinions ranging from “right on” to “blasphemy” and “filled with anti-Catholic prejudice.” One priest who holds those vies didn’t even understand the twist at the end. I wish I could explain but I want to avoid plot spoilers.
Because what’s really important here is that this priest has no sense of the beautiful complexity of the world, of nature and how God,The Judeo-Christian-Muslim God of Abraham, does not follow the rules that we have created regarding what is real. My idea of God’s law is: GRAVITY. That is an immutable law and even that seems to work one way here on Earth and another way on the moon. But as we know from science – it’s just the different circumstances that makes it seem different; mathematically, GRAVITY works the same everywhere. Another example of God’s law is: THE SPEED OF LIGHT. It’s immutable.
People who think that The Catholic Church is the arbiter of what God wants or anyone who thinks he or she knows what God wants, whatever their faith or lack thereof are people who take selfies leaning out over the Grand Canyon. They may not fall to their deaths but only because God is good and puts the odds in our favor. However, in the long term, these folks are creating the conditions of divide in our world that will, sooner or later, send us all over the brink.
As difficult as it is, the only solution is the solution that Jesus offered; to love one another as he loved us. that may make enough difference that we may all break bread together and then go out and take care of the very real problems that, if not dealt with, will send us all over the brink. GRAVITY and LIGHT will remain.
Camel Through the Eye 