There's a reason the early Christians shared their personal testimony of how they encountered Christ. For most of us, a good story captures the imagination much more readily than dry theological treatises. Which is why I'm happy to see so many former LC/RC/3gf emerging in the blogosphere to share their personal stories of leaving Maciel's movement. One never knows when the Holy Spirit will use your story to help others in a similar situation. By sharing the truth of your experience with the movement, Christ is setting you and others free.
To start, a friend of mine - former 3gf - emailed me the other day. She had gone to confession to a diocesan priest. What surprised her was how well the priest heard her confession. "These are the true heroes of the priesthood," she stated. "Rather than become celebrities, they have given their lives anonymously to care for Christ's faithful." And thus a former 3gf discovered the extraordinary grace of ordinary Catholicism.
Which is also a point raised by shalimamma, a former RC member whose exit from the movement is partially due to to the splendor of ordinary Catholicism in a good Catholic parish. To read shalimamma's story, please click here for part 1 and here for part 2.
Catholic Mommy is another blogger with a wonderful story of her and her family encountered Christ after leaving LC/RC. Like St. Francis of Assisi, she now seeks Christ in the ordinary events of life. You can read her testimony by clicking here.
I read somewhere that "Do not be afraid" is Our Lord's most repeated commandment in Holy Scripture. Do not be afraid to share your testimony of how God freed you from Maciel's methodology.
Do not be afraid to pray for Maciel either. A grudge might seem just, but only just anger is just. Just anger dose not stop one from doing good to those who cause you to be angry, because it is aimed not at the sinner but at sin. Forgiveness is a fruit of mercy and it frees you to do good and liberates you from the bondage of grudges so that you may not have to live under a storm cloud all your life but enjoy the rays of God's Mercy. Contemplation on Jesus' Passion is a good reminder of this. We all must bear our crosses and ought to pray and love those through whom crosses come. After all, Jesus prays for and loves us, the authors of His Passion and the executioners of His Cross.
When praying for Maciel, I suggest the Divine Praises for two reasons:
1 - It reminds us that despite the great evil wrought by Maciel, the devil cannot deprive us of the joy we receive through Our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 - The Divine Praises are prayed in atonement for the evils of sacrilege and blasphemy against Our Lord.
The Divine Praises are:
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Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.
May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.
Pray God, those who have been "infected" with the whole "Maciel" business will find some peace, direction and sense of being "in the heart of the Church"...I believe that the recently ordained parish priests (within the last ten or so years) have a good formation and spirituality to help guide souls to our Lord. This business of being "uber-Catholics", within an insane web of lies and deceit, must be a horrid mess to come out of. But with God's good grace, the guidance of our Holy Father (whose speeches and writings are available to those who desire to read them), and the example of good and holy priests to help them, there is great hope.
There ARE authentic charisms that have been time-tested and available to the faithful. They are the means to true holiness and fruitfulness.
Only with the honest and open relationship with the local Bishop or the regular superior can the real Springtime of the Church be realized. My prayers for all of you who have suffered, are suffering, need healing.
Thanks Fr John Mary - your post was so helpful. I hope that all those LC/RC whether in or out realize that we all need healing from this lie that ripped at the core of our faith and who we are as children of God.