Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Some Observations

PROBLEMS ARE EVERYWHERE in contemporary Catholic life, including in the newer ecclesial movments. Some observations:
  1. Venerate your founder only after he is long dead and canonized.
  2. Choose a rule for your order that is ancient, tried, and tested, like the Rules of Augustine and Benedict. Most experiments end in failure.
  3. Court the wealthy as little as necessary. The sick and poor are the wealth of the Church.
  4. If you have to convince someone that he has a vocation to your religious order, then he does not have a vocation to your religious order.
  5. Whatever is asked of a member of an order goes at least double for the leader of the order.
  6. The purpose of an order is either the personal sanctity of its members or the service to others though charity. Period. Growth and influence are not valid ends for an order.
  7. Being able to accept criticism is a mark of humility.
Links to the terrible story of the founder of the Legion of Christ:


  1. I am not knowledgeable enough on this subject to debate anything on this topic. However point number 4 hits home in my neck of the woods. We are very aware of three siblings that in many eyes were persuaded to join this group,not only by their mother but by ordained priests. I will only make one statement "fear" of the world is not a good reason to seek refuge in a place like the LOC.

  2. Sad, but true. Somehow, so many keep forgetting the scriptural admonition to trust in God, and not in man.