Monday, June 16, 2008

From Fr. Karrass. Exlcblogger wonders....

know thyself

“When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully as I am fully known.” (1Cor 13: 11-12)

Only the final Light will reveal us for all that we truly are. If an adult achieves only shadowy, blurry knowledge of self – as Paul admits – what introspection, what self-criticism could a child have?

In these many months since the whole LC ball of yarn began unraveling, I have engaged in a peculiar form of self torture: I try to imagine what i capi talk about behind closed doors. Especially now, without Fr. Maciel’s all defining presence setting the agenda...

Is it all just damage control? Is it business as usual, keep the rank-and-file marching to the same beat and act like nothing has happened? Is it calling in favors to stop the bleeding? Is it putting the spin machine on overdrive to keep the bubble from bursting from within? Is it denial and hope that the storm blows over?

Or is it an openness to grace, a sincere reckoning, a fearless self-questioning, an honest and transparent desire to seek and embrace the truth of who we are and what the Church needs us to be?

Archbishop O’Brien’s demanding letter and his painfully candid interview will either be dealt with begrudgingly, as another splinter of persecution from our already heavy cross, or it will be embraced and reflected upon as a call to conscience for the LC, like the others that have been issued over the past three years.

Baltimore’s Archbishop sounds ticked-off and skeptical. He fears that the LC’s institutional lack of transparency may be beyond cure. He makes it clear that only a few timely phone calls from the Curia staved off a much harsher reaction, à la Columbus, OH or St.Paul-Minneapolis.

Still, the Exorcist remains hopeful.

When I was a child, I reacted like a child... as a man I leave childish things behind.

Maybe these are the LC’s growing pains. Maybe upon denial comes acceptance and self-analysis. Maybe the LC can yet learn to trust its own and not fear transparency and change. Maybe the best is yet to come...

Peace.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fr. Karras needs to escape from his fishbowl. He sees the outside world, but he can't leave his narrow confines.

Anonymous said...

Impossible. At root of the LC is an almost schizophrenic split, and every true LC feels it:

1) I am the Legion, and the whole thing hangs on me, persevering in molding myself to the personality of the founder.

and

2) I am not the Legion, and I cannot act spontaneously or question in the least the traditions, habits and structures of the Legion without betraying her founder on a very personal level.


The question is, what is it to be authentic? What is identity in the religious life?

At the end of the day, the Legion cannot ever bring itself to face the question, "Was there any truth to the allegations?" Never ever. That is an electric third rail that they won't ever touch.

Why? Immaturity? Insecurity? What would happen if MM were not the immaculate conception he is portrayed to be?

Anonymous said...

Is this priest an LC or not? I've read thru his entire blog from the beginning & cannot tell if he's still in the LC, or if he left & is now a diocesan priest. Anyone know?

Anonymous said...

He (Fr. Francis Snell, aka Fr. Karras) is still a Legionary priest:

http://www.parishesonline.com/scripts/HostedSites/org.asp?p=2&ID=648

Anonymous said...

at least in name. The fact is, there are all kind of special arrangements made, with or without consent of the priest concerned - ask Fr VM in Holland or Fr TH in Australia. The fact that he resides in a rectory with no accompaniment is highly unusual. Maybe he said something (like "Hey maybe we should look at what is wrong with ourselves as an organization") that got him ostracized.

Sean McVeigh said...

I haven't been following this issue and this blog doesn't exactly make it clear as to what is going on, only that something is amiss. When I was younger, I discerned if I had a vocation and visited the LC for a few hours. Something didn't sit quite right with me, so I didn't join them an opted for a Franciscan order instead. At any rate. I hope that whatever the problem was, it got straightened out.
Sean
www.CatholicGuestSpeaker.com
www.McVeighMinistries.com