Thursday, February 11, 2010

Marcial Maciel. Impenitent? Dementia?

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An article published in the Spanish "El Mundo" describes the final moments of Marcial Maciel's death. The newspaper seems "reputable." I have no idea as to the credibility of the sources for the story. I've heard, on good authority, that Maciel suffered from dementia  during his final months. If that is true, I  want to take it into account as I ponder the (alleged) manner of his dying. I've seen various reflections on "El Mundo's" reporting on blogs I respect. One in particular caught my attention and I hastily posted a comment. My intent is not to be polemic. I guess I want to be sure that I still believe in a merciful, loving God who will judge me by the actions dictated by my conscience and not by the theatrics of my final moments .Here is what I said. Am I wrong in my reaction?

"I just left a comment about this at http://www.life-after-rc.com/2010/02/naming-the-charism.html#comments Seems to me that we are judged on the totality of our lives and not any particular statements or rituals as we actually kick the bucket. Moreover, it seems certain that MM was suffering dementia during his last months. Believe me, I am no fan of MM (I'm blogging about my forthcoming book at www.MonkWhoStoleTheCow.com) One thing is to abhor the man and his actions - another is to opine on how merciful God may, or may not, have chosen to be with him. The only place we know for sure that we meet God is in the depth of our conscience. I still believe in a merciful, loving God. And His designs are inscrutable. MM never hesitated to tell me I would go to hell if I "betrayed" my "vocation." That did not make it easy to leave after 20 years! But he (MM) was in no position to know how God will finally judge me or anyone else - and, I suggest,we are in no position to diagnose how God has dealt with MM. Based on all the evidence we have, we must condemn the sins of MM. Whether he is now in a hot or temperate place is up to God's mercy - and, so far in my experience, the good Lord is not a lawyer and had his own peculiar take on the Law. Am I wrong?"

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