Chapter 23: Manna From Maui

The below is an excerpt from my new book, The Papal Visitor.  Though it'll give you more of an idea what the book is about, it fits in somewhere in the middle of the book, and works well as a standalone piece for me to share with you here.  At this point in the book, Heaven has now revealed itself to Earth, and in this new world, there is as much confusion as there is peace about the certainty of Heaven.  In this chapter, God invites a few special souls to chat about everything that's been happening.

From The Papal Visitor, Chapter 23: Manna From Maui

“That peaceful land, that beautiful land, that far-off home of profound repose, and soft indolence, and dreamy solitude, where life is one long slumberous Sabbath, the climate one long delicious summer day, and the good that die experience no change, for they but fall asleep in one heaven and wake up in another.” –Mark Twain, about Hawaii

“So where are we? Tell me what the progress is so far,” God the Father said to those gathered there. He passed a Mai Tai to Jarez, as the warm Maui breeze blew past them. And then he handed one to Mary too, adding, “And a virgin for you, my dear.” She smiled and thanked him. They were all gathered around a small half-moon tiki-hut bar, and God was on the other side, playing bartender. On God’s right were Jarez, one of the Heavenly Bodies and current co-chair of The Ethereal Council; Mary, mother of Jesus, and motherly friend to so many in Heaven; and Jesus himself, prophet turned sacrificial lamb for the kingdom. On God’s left were Crystal, impoverished Ethiopian woman turned wise light for Heaven, and with Jarez, co-chair of The Ethereal Council; Lise, known on Earth as Peace Pilgrim, who many often turned to for her sage but simple advice on a range of matters; and Karam, a soft-spoken man with a sharp intellect, but a softer heart. On Earth, Karam was known as Gandhi, a voice of faith and peace in the face of enormous anger and protest. Together, they did not by any means comprise the only close advisers to God. They were just the ones he wanted to hear from today. And it wasn’t that God didn’t know what was going on either, of course, omniscience being what it is. He just tried his best not to read too far ahead of the class.

As the waves of the secluded, cliff-lined beach crashed just behind them, the friends sipped their Mai Tais and enjoyed the beyond-beautiful weather. “I think things are going well,” Jarez said, “And as long as we give humanity enough time, I believe they’ll show us their devoted hearts and souls.” He looked to the others, and Crystal spoke next. “Okay, I must ask you something, Lord, and if you don’t want to answer, I understand. What did you put in this Mai Tai? It’s incredible!” “Secret ingredient,” God answered very seriously, “But what about in the interim? Should we just wait and let things fly completely out of hand?”

“Well, what is all this foolishness with the pope?” Karam asked. “Can’t we at least keep him silent, or stop him from spewing these hateful things?” God looked at Karam with one eyebrow raised, and he immediately knew. No, we can’t. We must allow Free Will to continue. “Sorry,” Karam said, “Let him say his peace—for lack of a much better word—and let others have their say in return. Sorry, you’re right.”

“Jesus, what do you think?” God asked him. Jesus sat up a bit in his chair, and stopped stirring his Mai Tai with his finger above the glass. “Well, I think you’re right. We let things just unfold as they’re continuing to do so. We let Hell do their thing, and we let our angels do their work as well. People are seeing the difference. Those who have crossed over already have been telling me what they think. They believed Heaven would overcome any tensions cropping up around the world in these first days.”

Peace Pilgrim—Lise—leaned in and added, “And if things get out of hand, we can do something, yes?” The question was for God, not the others. Grabbing a dishrag, God wiped the top of the bar, and then washed his hands in a sink. “As I’ve told you all before, Free Will has to trump any other movement. Yes, we’re showing the world we’re here, and in that we have taken away all doubt of an afterlife, but they still have their Free Will. They still know the choice is there for Heaven or for Hell.”

“Actually, Lord,” Crystal added, “They don’t really know Hell is there. I think many still believe they’ll go to Heaven either way.” God frowned. “I thought you all sorted that out now with the Council of Correction and The Healing Council?” he asked. “We did to some degree, but the billions on Earth—well, they just don’t know what to believe still.” God sighed at her response. He was disappointed, but knew she was correct.

A very long time ago, God had decided knowing everything was too simple. He wanted omniscience to be more like a blanket he could use any time he wanted, or that he could also choose not to use. Wisdom, God believed, was warmer as a blanket worn by all, not just by one. And so, though information and answers were all easily retrievable, he wanted the communion and community of Heaven to work on decisions like this together whenever possible.

Jarez spoke up. “Lord, if I may, why is William still leaving Freddie alone? Doesn’t he trust Freddie enough to be ready now to join us?” God didn’t hesitate, and answered quickly, “William doesn’t think so, no. He believes Freddie needs more time, and he’s hoping to—well he’s hoping Freddie will just find his own way.” Jarez looked surprised. “So you’re just going to let him? Shouldn’t Freddie’s Free Will matter too? Why should he be locked up this whole time?” “Look,” God said, “He’s not locked up. William doesn’t have chains around him or anything. He’s just being left alone to work this out for himself. I trust William knows what he’s doing, and if he believes this is the best route for Freddie right now, I am willing to accept that.”

God looked over at Mary. “You’re awfully quiet over there.” She smiled at him. “Do you have any thoughts?” he asked. Mary turned and slid off her bar stool, then walked out into the waves a bit. She held her arms out wide, and just basked in the warm Hawaiian breeze for a moment. And then, looking back at them all, she said, “I think William is doing a wonderful job. We should trust him to keep on doing exactly that.” God smiled, and they all looked at one another. “So we just wait,” he added.

Jesus made a loud slurping sound as he finished sipping his Mai Tai. Looking up, he said, “Father, do you think the government bodies will really turn this into a war? We’re watching the leaders of the Asian-continent armies very closely, and I don’t think these are just idle threats. The leaders of the nations involved have all vowed to take action in the pope’s holy war, and it’s starting to look like they mean business. We’re fairly certain now that demons are involved, but I just want to say again, we really need all eyes and ears out there. Angels out in the world need to be on the lookout, and it wouldn’t hurt for us to have some stationed in the immediate vicinity of some of these world leaders. I know you’ve always said we shouldn’t be overly involved, especially in matters of church hierarchy or state decisions, but doesn’t this all seem a bit too,” he paused briefly and looked at everyone, “Too scary now? We’ve shown the world we’re here, and if they just go off the edge now a little bit, Hell could take full control.” Jesus looked around him and saw the others biting their lips or looking away. “What?” he asked.

Lise put a finger to her mouth and said, “Well first, you have some Mai Tai there on the top of your lips. But secondly, I think you’re right. I walked the North American continent spreading my message of peace, and I saw so many sad souls who seemed willing to believe anything their pastors told them! When that pastor is the pope himself, or a Russian president, and so on, it’s only magnified. Jesus is right. By staying out of things, we’re also telling Hell to do whatever they like.”

“I respectfully disagree,” Crystal said. “Evil is powerful, this is true. One person influenced by evil can cause much greater harm simply by spreading the lie, and thereby spreading the evil. All of this is true. But I also believe good triumphs even against the greatest adversaries, not simply because it is good, but because it is humble. Through humility, the good people will be justified, and the evil vanquished. When I was a little girl, a man invaded our home to live with my family. He yelled at us, and forced us to take care of him, and do horrible things with him, even though we did not know who he was. When my mother tried to stop him, he kicked her very hard, breaking her legs, and told her no one could come heal her until she completed the weeks of care he insisted we give him. So we cooked for him and we fed him. We treated him like a king, and did anything he wanted. Eventually, some villagers came and took him away from us, and they helped my mother.”

“So he got away with the crime! You did nothing to stop him,” Karam said. “This I do not understand.”

Crystal smiled. “It was a most uncomfortable fortnight, I must admit, but when we did not show up to school, and our mother did not show her face in the village, people realized we were in need. Our home was far too quiet, and the silence and absence told others something was very, very wrong. That is when they helped us.” She paused, and looked at each one of them in the eyes. “You see, sometimes humility and patience will starve the evil out.”

God sat back and thought for a moment, although it felt like hours to his friends who sat there waiting. Not that it mattered. There was no real time there anyway, of course. When God was ready to speak, a loud noise out in the ocean made them turn to look, and just as they did, a gigantic red whale flew out of the water with pink dolphins on either side of it, and in slow motion, they all watched as the whale splashed down with a loud, magnificent crash. They all applauded the trick, and as they turned back to look at God, they saw that he was now she. God the Father now chose to speak to them as God the Mother, and she took on the look of a very small, loving, grandmother type, the kind of sweet lady you just want to hug, and sit with forever. They all smiled at her, waiting for her to speak.

“My friends,” she finally said, “Creation is much more complex than any of you realize. It’s the kind of complexity I don’t even wish on any of you, because it can be a great burden for me to bear. I genuinely want things to stay as simple as possible, because it’s on the path of simplicity that love prefers to walk. This world has become so fragile. People believe they need to climb, climb, climb up the corporate ladders, the neighborhood class system, and the ranks of the wealthy. They do so much climbing so much of their time, they forget their own souls in the process. I look at everything going on right now, angels appearing to mankind, demons at work, trying to destroy the good we’re doing, countries and religions taking stances for or against the pope, all the while human beings are, for the most part, still just very confused. I wish I could just instruct William to give them all a speech that leaves no doubt whatsoever, but that would only be an invasion of their Free Will. Instead of forcing them to believe in goodness, I want them to follow goodness on their own. I want them to be able to separate fact from fiction, angel from demon, to see their world as a universe of possibilities just waiting for them. Maybe if they knew the truth, and I mean </i>the real truth</i>, they wouldn’t be so harsh with each other.” God paused, and they all wondered what she was getting at.

“Life is like a Mai Tai. You may not know what all the ingredients are, or what the exact measurements of each one the bartender added, but you enjoy the drink. Most do anyway. You can choose to get lost in the mystery of what that one secret ingredient is, or you can move through the mystery, and enjoy the drink. Now I’m not saying I don’t want everyone to appreciate the mystery or think about the mystery. I just wish they’d really enjoy life and all its questions without worrying so much. A few of you have been out there lately appearing to people. They didn’t sit there and try to contemplate what you were made of, what soul was, or why you looked so much like them. They found themselves entranced by your joy and your spirit. They felt love and peace and joy. Their bodies relaxed as they spoke with you, and all their worries seemed to drift away in the breeze. I want them to feel like that all the time. And yet I know that’s not even remotely possible on Earth. I see their pain, I feel their anguish, and I cry with every one of their tears. Life there is hard, really hard.” She paused again and looked at each of them carefully.

“Each one of you has given me some very helpful feedback. You’re all reflections of my own spirit, so I hope you know I asked you all here because I genuinely appreciate your opinions. They’re all my opinions, my beliefs about how to proceed. I see the governments aching for a fight. I see the demons—ugh, I really do hate that word—I see them positioning themselves in the back pockets of leaders and lay people alike. I see religious leaders twisting Scripture and even William’s messages around to suit their own needs, to raise money for their churches, and even spread discord against other churches. This world is just as much in turmoil as it was before William first appeared, before any of you started appearing to them. And yet now it’s an unholy crusade against good people everywhere, all in my name. If I had a stomach, I’d be sick to it. You see now why so many good people just give up out there? You can only take so much evil pretending to be good. You can only handle so many broken souls acting as if good people are the evil ones, before you just raise your hands and claim defeat. But I want you all to understand something. There is evil happening. There are spirits from Hell demonizing. There are even wars planned, and dark judgments justified by the self-righteous fanatics. But none of that means good can’t also triumph. None of that means good cannot rise up against hatred, against judgment, against the armies of Hell itself, and bring about a tidal wave of joy and love.

“Evil does, but good always is. Evil has done damage, but good will win out. Evil is at work, but good will work it all back together again. My friends, if there is one gift in my omniscience, it’s the knowledge I have of just how much good is out there. When I’m disappointed in my children near and far who hurt others, I am reminded of the many souls who do not hurt others. I see a smack across the face in one part of the planet at the same time as I see a thousand hugs and kisses somewhere else. Love is everywhere. And if all the forces of good were stacked up against all the forces of evil, it would be a most unfair fight. Good would always win. My dears, good will always win.”

God smiled at her children, and they all smiled back at her. Jesus said, “You know something else, don’t you?” “I know a lot of something else,” God answered. “And sit up straight.” They all laughed. “But yes,” God said, “I know things are going to be fine. Unfortunately, we do need to let things unravel as they will for now. Free Will stands. The laws of Nature stand. But in between, there can still be massive amounts of pure goodness, and pure love.”

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As God and friends continued discussing what was going on in the world, they relaxed on the secluded little beach on Maui, sipping their Mai Tais and enjoying the beautiful weather. It wasn’t that God didn’t still feel all the pain and struggle of the world’s people. It was just that sometimes amidst it all, it was important—even for God—to simply be.

Angels continued appearing everywhere, bringing joy and good tidings, but warnings too about the others. Dark works and words were planned, they told people, and faith in goodness was never more important than it was right now. No one doubted their words, but many still wondered why evil was allowed to torment the world. Though so many of their questions about God and Heaven were slowly being answered, so many still remained. Why did God allow suffering? Why did God allow evil? Why was God just letting things be?

In all parts of the planet, Hell was achieving their mission as well. A few demons here and there still went about their usual course of awful terrorism, but so many others were following Satan’s plans. The darkness was being spread very delicately, very maliciously, in a billion small ways worldwide. Demons had infiltrated governments, churches, and social networks. Posing as angels of light, they’d already convinced many people of the lies of Heaven and the blessings of Hell. The greatest evil was carried out by those pretending to be good, perpetrating hoaxes large and small, glorifying the guilty as good people, and making good souls worldwide feel like evildoers. It was the greatest talent of the most experienced demons: to spread discord with a smile, and in so doing, bring deep sadness to even the strongest of souls.