Truth or Facts?

Reflecting on the dance between science and spirituality, and the differing rhythms of facts and truths.

Hi Beautiful Being!

Has anybody told you they love you today? I hope they have! And, regardless, please know: I love you. Truly!

Speaking of love, my nineteen-year-old kiddo—who I hadn’t seen for nearly six months—is visiting. My heart is doing backflips! Yesterday (as I write this) we went to Catania, Sicily for a guided tour. It’s is the second largest city on the island, with nearly 300,000 people. Yet, while that’s not particularly impressive; it turns out Catania is quite famous for its annual Festival of Saint Agatha. This celebration of Sant’Agata (as they call her in Italian) is one of the three largest religious festivals in the world. Roughly 1.5 million people fill the city for it every February.

Wanting to know why Sant’Agata (231 AD – February 5, 251 AD), is such a big deal, Kato and I took a tour to find out. Since she came from a rich and noble family, it seems a Roman prefect—meaning he was a decently powerful governmental official—took a liking to her. Yet, she wasn’t having it. You see, Agata had dedicated her life to Christ. In other words, she was committed to living love, manifesting peace, and caring for the unseen and unheard—practices that flew in the face of the power-hungry Roman Empire.

But, no matter the reason, the prefect wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. What is more, her refusal came during one of the infrequent times when the Roman Empire persecuted Christians. So, he decided to use the threat of torture—and worse—to win her affections.

Can I pause for a second, to point out how ridiculous that sounds? I mean, what was this dude’s end game? “Ah, she’ll get over how I threatened to torture and kill her, and we’ll have a wonderful family!” But I digress.

As you might imagine, Agata rebuffed his not so romantic advances. So, he had her breasts ripped off with iron hooks; and threw her back in prison to think things over. That night, Saint Peter appeared to, comforted, and healed her. (Note, while Wikipedia puts this timeline a bit differently, this is how I remember our guide telling us the tale in her accented English.) So, the next day the Romans decided to kill her, by burning her alive.

Now, it’s important to point out: Back then, the rulers executed “criminals” in public, so that everyone else would know to not disobey them. What is more, such events were the height of entertainment for the populace—kind of like how the OJ Simpson trial was for many of us in the ‘90s.

So, picture the scene. A crowd of hundreds—perhaps thousands—has gathered. Roman officials are on hand to let the locals know they are in control. Anticipation fills the air. As soldiers lead Agata to the stake, a hush falls over the crowd. They tie her up, light the fire, and are waiting for her to burn … when all of a sudden, the ground quivers, shakes, and heaves beneath everyone’s feet! People, including the soldiers, scatter in fear as Catania is rocked by an earthquake—and Agata is freed from the flames.

After the chaos settles and order is restored, Agata is brought back to the prison. That night, she peacefully passed from this life into the next.

That is how Agatha not only became the patron saint of Catania, and other cities, but also an inspiration to women with breast cancer—at least as I recall it.

I land the story with “as I recall it”, because it gets at what was to me the most meaningful part of our tour. Multiple times, Matilde shared with us:

When it comes to life: There is the spiritual perspective on things, and the scientific take on things. They don’t always agree, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. Both, bless and benefit us in many ways.

For instance, at one of Saint Agatha’s cathedrals that we toured, she said: The earthquake that stopped Agata from being burned may literally have been a regular earthquake at a fortunate time. They sometimes happen here. And, people choose to see it as an act of divine favor; which gives them hope in hard times, and lifts their spirits.

Later, we went to the church built on the site of Agata’s imprisonment. As we stood in her “prison cell”, Matilde related to Kato and I how, “historians and archeologists agree this space dates back to Roman times. But they say it definitely wasn’t a prison cell, as it was a room in a political building or temple. Yet, that doesn’t change the power of this place. Thousands of people flock here, and have holy experiences.”

Over-and-over, Matilde expressed to me in word, deed, and spirit that:

Science and spirituality don’t have to agree with one another, to both be “true”.

Please note I mean “science”, in a broad sense—as in any discipline focused on finding the facts. With that in mind:

While science does a beautiful job of telling us the observable what of a matter; spirituality is concerned with the underlying why of things.

In other words: Spirituality and science are not at odds with one another. They cannot be! They are simply two vital ways of seeing and experiencing the world. Faith and facts are completely different categories—ones that don’t contradict, but complement one another.  Can you see the power and potency of recognizing reality this way?

The key, I find, is to hold both to be simultaneously “true”—especially when they appear to be at odds. For example, when it came to COVID and the vaccine, some people believed the Divine and/or their pure lifestyle was all they needed. This spiritual perspective is beautiful and true. And, science said the vaccine is what we needed. Holding the two together, then, meant trusting the Divine and taking the vaccine—perhaps even understanding it to be God acting through human hands.

Now, I’m over the word count I hold myself to. So, let’s land this with some food for thought that I’d love for you to share your take on in the comments.

Truth and facts are different categories. The truth is what is good and beautiful, while the facts are literal. Spirituality is truth—which gives purpose and meaning. While science is facts—which gifts understanding and logic. Sometimes the truth is also factual, but it doesn’t need to be. Both not only belong, but are vital.

Before you go, beloved reader: If you enjoyed this, please click the “like” button 🤍 and subscribe, as kindness is happiness. Also, your thoughts matter—so, we’d love to hear from you in the comments! And, if you know anyone this could bless or benefit, please consider sharing this offering with them. Finally: YOU are amazing, and I hope you have a beautiful day!

Hugs & Love,

Lang (aka “Dr. Love”)