How often do you get exasperated at something going on in Washington D.C.? Do you ever fret about a comment that you heard the Pope or some other Vatican official made? There is a remedy for that, but few people are willing to take advantage of it. In Psalm 131 we read:
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a child quieted at its mother’s breast;
like a child that is quieted is my soul.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and for evermore.
For our politicians, they are expected to be aware of what is going on, and what decisions are being made by the government. For the rest of us, it is nice to know, but what can we really do to change things? Yes, we can send letters, and we can vote for and against certain things. Yet, what do we do if our seeking information on American politics causes us to be fearful and to worry? How do we respond if the news is crippling our ability to find joy in Christ? What is the right response if we listen to the devil who tells us to give up hope?
Now, if someone is a Vatican official, those things might be what you are required to know. Bishops are obligated to be "in the know" on what is happening in Rome. But for the rest of us, those things are often "too great and too marvelous" for us. Am I saying you should be fully ignorant -- no, I am not. Yet, if your reading of "Vatican news" is causing you to worry and get angry, then you might want to take Psalm 131 to heart. The Psalm is telling all of us that "occupying" ourselves with these kinds of things can prevent "calm and quiet" in our souls.
Ignorance is not a virtue. But sometimes we need to be a little less "informed" in order to find that "hope in the Lord" that the Psalm tells us about. It might be hard to let go of the temptation of information, but it is for our sanctification in Christ.