27.

The Interview

Tuesday, April 2 - 5:17p.m.

Cardinal Vilotti was wondering what was happening in Las Vegas. By now, Malone should have done his job, gotten rid of Mike and called him. Unless something went wrong.

He switched on his computer and searched the Internet for information. He found a newspaper article relating to the incident that said the assassination attempt was foiled, thanks to the quick thinking of a local Catholic priest: Father John Lowry.

He couldn’t believe what he read. His friend John Lowry? What was he doing at a casino in the first place, much less listening to a lecture from a heretic? Perhaps he should have told Lowry about his plot. Then again, conspiring to commit murder is not something you share, even with good friends like John Lowry.

The article also said that suspect Tony Malone was now incarcerated and awaiting arraignment in the criminal justice system. It also said that Mike was still planning a trip to Israel. He decided to call Lowry to find out what the hell was going on.

There were no pleasantries between them. Vilotti told Lowry in no uncertain terms that his meddling may have had disastrous consequences for the world. He may have helped Satan win an important victory over the mother Church. “After all,” he said, “Mike is the Beast of Revelations.”

Lowry asked, “But how do you know he’s the Anti-Christ?”

Vilotti said, “Many things. It’s not just his heresies. I’ve had a man watching him for quite some time now, gathering evidence. Most importantly, there’s the matter of his name. Think, John. What does it say in Revelations?”

Something clicked in Lowry’s mind. It was Mike’s full name which appeared in Jennifer’s second newspaper article about him. Mike’s full name wasn’t Michael. It had the unusual spelling of Mikael, the legacy of having a Russian father. His full name was Mikael Steven Tomson, and what occurred to Father Lowry was how many letters were in Mike’s first, middle and last names. In the book of Revelation, 13:18, it said, “Let he who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast. The number represents a man’s name, and the numerical value of its letters is six hundred and sixty-six.” If you counted the letters of Mike’s first, middle and last names, it was 666. Mike had the number of the beast! So maybe Mike was the Beast from Revelation. He muttered, “Six, six, six.”

Vilotti was pleased that Lowry finally understood. He also understood what needed to be done. Lowry suggested an alternate plan, a plan that involved a certain fanatical member of his parish, but they had to act quickly.

Tuesday, April 2 - 11:47p.m.

Father Lowry knew what had to be done. Clearly, Mike was the Anti-Christ. Or was he? He still had the same doubts he felt when he saved Mike’s life. He had bought the airline tickets, spoken to Jeremy Jenkins, set the wheels in motion, but now he wondered: Had he made the right decision? Had he done his priestly duty and saved the world from evil? Or had he set up an innocent man to be killed?

He tossed and turned, trying to decide: Was Mike really the Beast of Revelation or just an innocent, albeit deluded, man? There was evidence to support either position. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he wrote, “If anyone claims to be inspired or a prophet, let him recognize that what I write has the Lord’s authority. If he does not acknowledge this, God does not acknowledge him.” By denying the authority of Paul, Mike was even admitting that he wasn’t God’s prophet.

Then he realized: the argument only holds true if Paul was speaking with God’s authority. If Mike was right and Paul was just a self-important cult leader, maybe the quote was merely the rambling of a deluded man; all cult leaders claim to be the sole representative of God on Earth, and the only thing that separates early Christianity from today’s cults is two thousand years. Maybe Mike was innocent. Hell, maybe he really was the reincarnation of Christ.

When he finally did fall asleep, Father Lowry dreamed he was a Roman guard back in ancient times. He was kneeling next to a large wooden cross with beams thicker than railroad ties. In his hand was a large hammer. Several other guards were holding a man down onto the wood, but the man accepted his fate and didn’t struggle, choosing to pray instead. He heard him whisper “Thy will, not mine, be done.”

He had heard rumors about the condemned man. Many people said the man was innocent–just a lowly preacher–and that he could perform miracles. The man had claimed to be the Messiah, which made him an enemy of the State, and by judgement of the Roman Governor, he was to be hung on the cross until dead. He looked into the man’s eyes and saw they were a deep penetrating blue. The thought of killing an innocent man tore him apart inside, but if he didn’t follow orders, he would be put to death himself; the Roman army didn’t tolerate soldiers who disobeyed.

A guard handed him a stake. His heart was racing. He placed the point of the stake on the man’s wrist. He wondered, How can I be doing this? The man on the cross lifted his head, looked at him with those loving, blue eyes and said, “Father, why have you forsaken me?” He raised his hammer into the air, then took a deep breath and–How can I be killing an innocent man?–he swung his arm down in a swift motion. Before the hammer hit the stake, he woke up with a start, his heart pounding.

He wondered. Some early sects of Christianity actually did believe in reincarnation. And if there really is a such thing, and Mike really was the reincarnation of Christ, maybe he was the reincarnation of a Roman guard who killed Jesus. Maybe his guilt over the whole affair propelled him to a future incarnation as a priest, devoted to the man he had killed. And maybe now he was killing his God and Savior all over again. He prayed that he had made the right decision.

Wednesday, April 3 - 9:05a.m.

Jeremy Jenkins was excited as he packed his suitcase. He had spent most of his life amongst the filth and scum of Las Vegas, battling Satan by preaching the good news. But there was never a reprieve and his sidewalk sermons never seemed to do much good; Satan never slept. When Father Lowry offered him a reprieve–in the form of an airplane ticket to the Holy Land–he was thrilled. Now he would be able to fulfill his lifelong dream of visiting the holy sites and walking in the footsteps of the Lord. There was just one condition: he was given a mission, an assignment bestowed upon him all the way from the Vatican. His mission was to stop the Anti-Christ, who, in fulfillment of the prophecies, now walked among the living. The Beast of Revelation, he was told, now took the form of a man named Mike, the blasphemer and false prophet whom he had already suspected of harboring some kind of sinister evil. He was proud of the fact that he was the first to recognize the evil one.

Finally, the battle between God and Satan was coming to a head, and he would make sure the Lord would triumph.

Friday, April 5 - 7:30p.m.

The “Mike Tomson: Messiah?” episode of Sightings aired early on CBS. Because of the dramatic display, the network decided to bump up the schedule of the show, which would have normally aired ten weeks after filming. Mike and Jennifer weren’t watching. They were on an airplane bound for Israel.

When the stewardess opened the door of the DC-10, the passengers were blasted by a wall of heat from the desert air, despite the fact that it was past seven o-clock in the evening. Mike felt tired from the long flight over the Atlantic, but the dry desert air felt good in his lungs. It felt like coming home. It was dark by the time they picked up their luggage and got through customs in Tel Aviv.

“You really didn’t need to come, Jennifer.”

“Are you kidding? The Sightings episode aired last night in the U.S. Now everyone’s wondering: Who is Mike Tomson? I’m the only reporter with the inside scoop. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Besides, I promised my boss, Scott, a story in exchange for the time off.”

They were picked up at the airport by the tour company and shuffled onto a big air-conditioned tour bus with a dozen other tourists. The bus was scheduled to take them on a five-day tour of Israel: the church of the annunciation in Nazareth, Tabgha where Christ multiplied loaves and fishes, the Jordan river, the city of Jericho and ended with a walking tour of old Jerusalem.

Because of the long plane ride, the tour group was given a day to recover. They were taken to their hotel for an overnight stay. The tour would begin the next day.

Jennifer called her boss at the Sun to let him know they arrived safely and to check for messages. It was after dark in Israel, but still daytime in the States.

“Hi Scott. I just wanted to let you know we arrived okay. What’s happening there?”

Scott was excited to hear from her. “Jennifer, Tomson is heating up. CBS aired the Sightings show about him last night, and we’ve been getting calls like crazy, especially after the assassination attempt. The producers of all the major news networks want interviews. Do you think he would do one for us? Since you’re the only one with the inside scoop, the majors will pay good money for the rights.”

To Jennifer, Mike was now a warm friend. She was reluctant to be cast back into the role of reporter. “Maybe when we get back. We’re . . . ”

Scott interrupted her. “It won’t wait until you get back. This story is hot now. In two weeks, it may be cold again. You know how this business works.” Then he had an idea. “You’ve got your laptop with you, right? What if I e-mail you a list of interview questions and you can work it up and e-mail it back? I’m sure I can sell it to the networks.”

Jennifer sighed. “Give me a minute.” She put her hand over the mouthpiece. She talked to Mike, and he agreed to do the interview, knowing that she wouldn’t misquote him or take anything out of context. “All right. He agreed to do the interview, but this is my story. Send me a list of questions, and I’ll work it into a piece you can sell.”

An hour later, she plugged her laptop into the hotel’s Internet service, retrieved her e-mail and got the list of Interview questions. She read each question to Mike and typed his responses into the computer as he reclined comfortably on the hotel bed.

“Number one. ‘The question on everybody’s mind is: Who is Mike Tomson?’”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m just a rock and roll singer. I’m just like everyone else in the world. Learning, trying to grow spiritually, trying to reestablish my connection to God.”

“Number two. ‘How were you able to heal the little girl at the hospital?’”

“I didn’t heal her, God healed her.”

“Right. See? This isn’t so bad, is it? Number three. ‘Right now, lots of people are talking about things you’ve done. They’re calling them miracles. How do you account for them?’”

He gave her a challenging smile. “Jennifer, how do you define a miracle? There’s no such thing as a miracle. Or rather, it’s more accurate to say that everything in this world is a miracle, and modern science is just now starting to recognize that fact through quantum physics. Tell me something: If I could turn grass into milk, would you consider that a miracle?”

She typed his answer into the computer, then she turned around and said, “Silly question, Mike. Of course. Like turning water into wine.”

He said, “People don’t go around turning grass into milk, so you think it’s a miracle. But every day, millions of cows do it. They drink water and eat grass, and out comes milk. Isn’t that a miracle? Isn’t that magic? Everything in this world is a miracle. How do Koala’s thrive by eating nothing but poisonous Eucalyptus leaves? It’s the miracle of life. People don’t realize their own divine nature. We are all creators. We create what we want, we destroy what we want, and we do so because we’re here to learn. And as long as people have a handle on the lessons they’re supposed to be learning, anyone can do miracles.”

Her hands flew across the keyboard as she typed in the answer. “Number four. You’re gonna love this one. ‘Are you the Messiah?’”

He groaned, “Jeezus.”

She turned around and winked at him, “Is that your final answer?” He donned a play frown for her. She joked back, “Hey, don’t shoot me. I didn’t make up these questions.”

“No, Jeezus is not my answer. The answer is: It depends on how you define messiah. How do you define it, Jennifer?”

“I’m not the one being interviewed. How do you define it?”

“Well, if you define the Messiah as the sole representative of God on Earth, I’d have to say that there’s no such thing. We’re all representatives of God. If you define Messiah as the Savior who is supposed to save the world from sin, I’d also have to say no. As long as this world exists, there will be sin because this is a learning place for our souls. If you ask whether I have special powers above and beyond everyone else, I’d have to say no, because everyone has infinite power.”

“Infinite power? Explain that.”

He began pacing the floor. “All you have to do is realize your divine nature. Get in touch with God. Reconnect with God. In a way, it’s a matter of perspective: What you do to the least of my children, you do unto me. In other words, we’re all connected. If you hurt someone, you’re hurting yourself. Get it? You’ve got to get God’s perspective. Like that Bette Midler song, ‘From a Distance.’”

“And how are people supposed to do that?”

He stopped and pointed up with his index finger. “First of all, forget your petty religious differences because there is only one God, spread across all forms, and it doesn’t matter how you choose to worship Him or Her, as long as you are fulfilling your spiritual purpose. Learn to recognize that everyone is a divine incarnation of God. But also recognize them as blinded by the circumstances of their birth.” He extended a second finger. “Next, unchain your soul from hate, greed, materialism, fear, jealousy, and lust. Those are all just forms of materialism.” A third finger came up. “Next, realize that you’re only in this world a short time, and that you have a purpose to fulfill. We’re all going to die sooner or later. So realize that you are not your physical body. You are a soul, and souls don’t have race, color, creed or sex. Prejudice is ridiculously petty.” He raised his fourth finger. “Then, once you’ve released your petty materialism and hate, embrace love. What you’ll discover is that all of creation is made of love. God’s love.”

“That’s so romantic, Mike.” Her eyes started to become moist. Beneath the rough Harley Davidson exterior was a very gentle and loving soul. She wondered why other men couldn’t be that way. “So you’re saying that love is the key to all of this? Everything?”

“Yes. Love is the key. Love is your connection with God, for God is love.”

Jennifer gave herself a little shake, as if to tell herself to get back to business. “Okay. Question five. ‘People are saying that you’re the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Is that true?’”

“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. I didn’t know it until I had a past-life regression with a hypnotist. Frankly, it came as quite a surprise.”

“Question six. ‘What can you tell us about the man called Jesus Christ?’”

“He delivered his message, and it’s the same message I have for you today: Love. But his message got twisted throughout two thousand years of history.”

“You better explain yourself, Mike. People will be outraged.”

“Well, Christ’s message was love and equality. But after he died, his followers, like Paul, took liberty with his message. They began to spread their own message, and they used Christ as a tool to spread their message.”

“Give me an example.”

“Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 11. Paul said that a man’s head is God, but a woman’s head is man. He said that women should have long hair and should be submissive to their husbands. Quote: ‘If there is something they want to know, they can ask their husbands at home.’ In Paul’s first letter to Timothy he said, and I quote, ‘I do not permit a woman to be a teacher, nor must women domineer over man; she should be quiet.’ Jesus never taught these ridiculous things. Paul distorted the message and misled billions of people across time.”

She recited another question. “Question seven. ‘What is the meaning of life?’”

“Do you mean the meaning of life or the purpose of life? There’s a big difference.”

Confused, she crooked her head at him. “What’s the difference?”

“The purpose of life is what we are supposed to do here as individuals. The meaning of life is the bigger picture: What does it mean?”

She decided to pry both answers out of him by asking them separately. “All right, what’s the purpose of life?”

He stroked his beard. “The purpose of life is to grow spiritually and to learn to love. Love yourself. Love others. Love God. That’s all there is to it. I said it two thousand years ago. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

“And the meaning of life?”

He smiled. “The meaning of life is God’s ultimate goal, which is spiritual growth. To expand, to become more. Growth of the whole through growth of the individual parts.”

The next question was her own. “Then why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?”

“Pain and suffering can be one of two things. It can either be a catalyst for spiritual growth, or a sign that we’re not fulfilling our life’s purpose. We’re all here to learn our spiritual lessons. Sometimes the most important lessons are the hardest and the most painful. So sometimes we use pain as a means of motivation. For example, a person may decide to have a painful lifetime in order to learn the lesson of compassion. That’s for people who can’t learn to love and feel empathy for others unless they experience the same kinds of pain and hardship.”

“So you’re saying that pain is chosen? People aren’t going to like hearing that.”

He sighed. “Yes, pain is chosen. All of our life-lessons are chosen, and most of them before we are born. But remember, pain can also be an indication that we’re not learning our lessons the way we should be. For example, some people choose to abuse their physical body by using illegal drugs to numb their pain and escape their life-lesson responsibilities. That choice results in pain. When people are learning what they came here for, their lives go smoothly and there is less pain.”

She turned back to her computer. “Last question. ‘What are your plans for the future?’”

“I don’t have any plans. I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

“C’mon, Mike, you’ve got to give them more than that. They want your web site address or a book to buy.”

“I don’t have a web site or a book, at least not yet. I’ve been writing down memories from my past-life, and my philosophies. Some day I hope to get it published.”

She raised her eyebrows. “When do I get to read it? After all, I do have a degree in journalism.”

He walked over to where she had been typing on her laptop, a hotel room dresser with a mirror. He put his hands on her shoulders and began massaging them. He teased her. “What do you mean, when? How about if?” He looked at her through the mirror and saw her puppy-dog eyes in response. He put his arms around her and kissed her softly on the cheek.“Well, I supposed I could let you read a page or two.”

Excerpt from The Gospel According to Mike

He said, “Blessed is he or she who focuses on spiritual goals rather than material goals. Blessed is he or she who finds happiness in simply fulfilling his or her purpose, rather than throwing money at the problem in vain. Blessed is he or she who looks inside for the answers, not outside. Blessed is he or she who sees himself or herself in others.”