The Third Secret

Seriously I am a devout Catholic. I believe in God and whatever miracles, great or small, have been performed by Him or His mother. I do not question His presence...Omnipresence it was called right?

But here comes the little devil: The Third Secret by Steve Berry. I first encountered this brilliant author when I first read one of his books, The Romanov Prophecy. It's something I would recommend my friends (who read) to buy. Anyway, The Third Secret has gotten me hooked. And here at work, I find myself unable to let go of the damn book. Bought it last Friday (before I got drunk and forgot to buy), and now Tuesday, I'm about to end it. I've just been trying to postpone the inevitable. And one of my means is writing a blog about it.

Why I say this is brilliant? Well first I'm a sucker for books/novels based on controversies intertwined with historical facts. Of course it all depends on how the author put a twist to it just like Dan Brown has done in his controversial books (Angel and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, and his latest The Lost Symbol).

I won't put a spoiler to the book's plot. I'd want more people to read. It's a shame how people turn to e-books instead of actually reading. But this book would actually toy with your FAITH. As I said I believe in God and I have no doubt of His existence. I believe that many people are actually sane right now because of their firm belief that He is with us. But there are just some points in the Roman Catholic belief system that doesn't acquire to my liking and which I have not really followed. Some of them is the belief that we are all SINNERS (come on!), that the only way to feed the soul is through communion (another oh! come on!), and penance is granted by talking to a priest who like me is human (thus a sinner as well), the only difference is that he's on the other side of the divider or whatever you call it.

The book delves into the scandals of the Church and among it its people. Yes the Popes, the Cardinals, the Bishops, and the priests. Yes, it excites me that someone actually has the guts to publish the goings-on of a very mysterious organization. It just goes to show that these men no matter how divine they are, are human too. Imagine a priest having an open relationship with a woman. A Cardinal hungry to be Pope could kill just to get to his most coveted position. It's a strong test of faith for Roman Catholics out there, and another bullet to shoot down the Roman Catholic Church by critics. Because it is indeed happening.

But what's important is that this book despite showing the Church's controversial side, it still sticks to the matter of Faith. A line keeps repeating in that books that dwells on us here on earth have been asking too many questions instead of just acting on it. Maybe it's time for us to stop questioning. But how do we when we know that most canon laws are made by man not by God. It's an open debate everyone! And like I said it all boils down to faith and what you choose to believe.

Filipinos have this "saradong Katoliko" thing going. And I am that. I'm not changing my religion for anything. But this book just made me realize how important faith is, blind faith. Talking to a wooden statue of a person. In the first place, weren't not even sure if that's how He really looked. But it's a movement that has changed the world.

But with the controversies starting to slowly leak out, how can we still maintain that faith? Our leaders aren't perfect sure, but they shouldn't be hypocritical about it. Exactly like in the book. A priest can still love a woman and preach the Gospel right? No difference! It's a matter of expressing your beliefs and sticking to it. If you believe in our God and what the promises He will fulfill when the end has come, then I guess having a parish priest with a wife doesn't really matter. At least you'll know that when you confess, you don't have this little argument at the back of your mind saying, he's not perfect. We're all equal, whether they're people of the Church.


Kudos to Steve Berry! I'm about to buy another one of your books very, very soon!! :)

To Dan Brown, please don't fret. You are still my original Idol!! :D