Was Fr. Marcial Maciel a Vampire?

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Was Fr. Marcial Maciel a Vampire?

I write as I travel on business. Some of my postings have been mentioned or commented on at blogs such as life-after-rc and ex-lc blog. When I get back to the office I hope I have time to address some of them. Amongst them are thoughtful comments ranging from people who are hurt, outraged, and disappointed by Marcial Maciel the founder of the Legionaries of Christ. I saw one comment comparing Maciel to the "undead" vampires of medieval fame!

When I learned of the dark side of Maciel, I found myself remembering that even in the ranks of the Popes we Catholics have produced there were some nasty specimens. How quickly we forget!

For instance, Pope John XII was Pope from December 16, 955 to May 14, 964. He was accused of multiple diabolical acts by his enemies. He was said to have given lands to his many mistresses that include his father’s concubine and even his niece. He made the sacred palace into a whorehouse and ordained many incompetent people into a bishop that include a 10-year old boy. His enemies accused him further of committing multiple murders. Pope John XII was eventually killed by a man who caught him in bed with his wife according to allegations. Albeit, the pope was never seen to have done such evil acts but his accusers confessed with certainty. Scholars remain uncertain regarding the true story of this beleaguered Pope.

Christians follow Jesus, the manifestation of the Triune God, who is pleased to work through fallible human beings. I believe He also works through these flawed human beings without making them perfect. After all, to make a human perfect, whether he wills or not to be perfect, is to make him not free and not human.

God works through sinful people whether no matter how we flawed humans judge them. Such is life. That's as much as I have time for now!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: I have thought for years that Fr. Maciel is akin to a vampire.

The Legion has a long history of surviving and growing based on the good ideas and good reputation of others. More dramatically, the Legion sucks good people dry, manipulating them to giving more than a healthy person should, conning them into giving the Legion ownership over their life's work, then discarding them when they are no longer useful, but a dispirited, embittered, disillusioned husk.

St. Augustine famously teaches us that evil has no life force of its own, but feasts on the good that God has created and perverts it. Of such things, I am convinced, did Fr. Maciel construct the fabulously successful, and famously deceitful, Legionary machine.; February 16, 2010 at 11:41 AM
Anonymous said...: I suppose that if Maciel had a few moments in his life where he called upon God, then God would "work through him" like he would work on any human being who called upon Him. It doesn't make Maciel special. Maciel is diabolical not a vampire.; February 17, 2010 at 4:34 PM

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The story that inspired "Driving Straight on Crooked Lines"

“A long time ago, a Monk set out on his travels accompanied by his assistant, a Brother. Night was falling when the Monk told the Brother to go on ahead to find lodging. The Brother searched the deserted landscape until he found a humble shack, in the middle of nowhere. A poor family lived in the hovel. The mother, father and children were dressed in rags. The Brother asked if he and the Monk could spend the night in their dwelling. “You are most welcome to spend the night,” said the father of the family. They prepared a simple meal consisting of fresh milk, cheese and cream for the Brother and the Monk. The Brother felt moved by their poverty and even more by their simple generosity.

When they finished eating, the Monk asked them how they managed to survive in such a poor place, so far away from the nearest neighbors and town. The wife looked to her husband to answer. In a resigned tone of voice he told them how they managed to survive. ‘We have one cow. We sell her milk to our neighbors who do not live too far away. We hold back enough for our needs and to make some cheese and cream-that is what we eat.”

The next morning, the Brother and the Monk said their good-byes and set out to continue their journey. After the Monk and the Brother had walked a few miles, the Monk turned to the Brother and said, “Go back and push the cow off the cliff!” “Father,” the Brother replied, “they live off the cow. Without her, they will have nothing.” The Monk repeated his order “go back and kill the cow.”

With a heavy heart, the Brother returned to the hovel. He worried about the future of the family because he knew they depended on the cow to survive. His vow of obedience bound him to follow the orders of the wise Monk. He pushed the cow off the cliff.

Years later, the young Brother became a Monk. One day he found himself on the same road where he found lodging so many years ago. Driven by a sense of remorse he decided to visit the family. He rounded the curve in the road and to his surprise, he saw a splendid mansion, surrounded by landscaped gardens, in the place where the hovel used to be. The new house exuded a sense of prosperity and happiness. The Monk knocked on the door.

A well-dressed man answered. The Monk asked, “what ever became of the family who used to live here? Did they sell the property to you?” The man looked surprised and said he and his family had always lived on the property. The Monk told him how he had stayed in a hovel on the same spot, with his master the old Monk. ‘What happened to the family that lived here?” he asked.

The man invited the Monk to stay with him as his guest. While they ate, the host explained how the family’s fortune changed. “You know Father, we used to have a cow. She kept us alive. We didn't own anything else. One day she fell down the cliff and died. To survive, we had to start doing other things, develop skills we did not even know we had. We were forced to come up with new ways of doing things. It was the best thing that ever happened to us! We are now much better off than before.”

This is a blog of the memoirs of an Irishman - from Dublin - who is a former member of the Legion of Christ.

"Driving Straight on Crooked Lines: How an Irishman found his heart and nearly lost his mind" is available on Amazon.com and other outlets.

I look back at the events in the Legion that made me who I am today. It's a fun read with a serious message: positive change can come from adversity.

When I first heard the story of the Monk and the cow, my job - a job I truly loved - was eliminated at the multinational corporation which employed me. My cow was taken away from me, through no fault of my own. The person who told me the story was suggesting I could find new peace, happiness and financial well-being in my adversity, just as the family did when the Monk stole the cow.

A few years later, revelations about the double life of Fr. Marcial Maciel the Founder of the Legionaries of Christ, killed another cow in my life and in the lives of tens of thousands of people.

There is a Spanish saying: "God writes straight on crooked lines". "My Legionary Life" is about trying to not get lost in the crooked lines of our own - or others - making. It is about discovering the straight lines that reveal the true purpose for which we exist.

It is the the story of the first Irish Legionary of Christ to set foot in Mexico. It begins in Dublin, Ireland, passes through Spain, then Mexico, Italy, the U.S.A and Gabon, in Central West Africa.

When I am not writing, I make a living as an international managment consultant.

The Monk who Stole the Cow

Tuesday, February 16, 2010