The morning news

For the 150th anniversary of Marian apparitions at Lourdes, the Pope is granting indulgences. Really?? Indulgences? I am not a Catholic, nor have I studied indulgences much but this smacks of medieval thinking. And theologically, it smacks of playing god. Indulgences are basically permission to get out of or reduce one's time in purgatory. IF one believes in purgatory does one really believe that some man can lessen the time spent in one spot in the afterlife? I know Jesus gave his disciples the authority to loose and bind. Still, it smacks of complete assumption - that we humans could be certain not only of the breakdown of the afterlife but that we might know who is going to be where and for how long.

I really loathe eschatology and avoid it all costs. I suspect at some point I may have to revisit this, but for now I'll just let myself be amazed that the Catholic Church has brought back indulgences. It's like bribing god..... I just don't get it.