Wednesday, December 12, 2012

"One step at a time" by Nieves Garcia






Nieves posted the following link recently on Facebook

[where I know a lot of you are instead of being here and following me!]

A long time ago when i was in the Regnum Christi, we were asked to write a testimony about what it meant for us to be co-founders...you know what I mean. I remember explaining that it meant walking in the dark; that it was incredible not to be able to see but just to keep putting one foot in front of the other, knowing you are not going to fall. The female director rebuked me and asked why I would say such a thing.

Now I see that my life was always like that and still is! Keep going! Not to stop because I don't see everything clearly. Maybe life itself is just like that. It is one day after another. We can't stop time. Every day we have to make decisions, even if it is just to get up in the morning. I wasn't motivated every day but I had to walk. I could not step off the train of life.

I want to make definitive decisions but I did not know which. I realized that each day had only one burden, one decision that needed to be taken. Just one step in front of the other. That was all....

[translate the rest on your own...]


Un pie delante de otro, nada más

Hace tiempo estando en el RC, se nos pidió a varias un testimonio acerca de lo que era para nosotras ser cofundadoras...en fin. Recuerdo que expliqué que para mí era caminar en la niebla, que lo increible era no ver pero seguir poniendo un pie delante de otro, con la certeza de no caer. La directora me llamó la atención y me dijo que cómo decía eso. 
Ahora veo que así ha sido mi vida y lo sigue siendo: ¡caminar! no detenerse, precisamente porque no veo todo claro. Quizás en parte la vida misma te obliga, un día se sucede al otro y no puedes detener el paso del tiempo. Cada día hay que tomar decisiones, aunque sea levantarse en la mañana. No todos los días he tenido el ánimo, pero había que caminar. No podía "bajarme" del tren de la vida misma.
Quería tomar decisiones definitivas, pero no sabía cuales. Y me di cuenta que cada día tenía un solo afán, una sola decisión que tomar. Y con ello era suficiente. Solo un pie delante del otro, nada más.
Y la experiencia que me iba saliendo al paso, en las cosas más sencillas, es que había Alguien, distinto de mí, que me cuidaba. Cuando llegué a Madrid la ciudad me resultaba extraña, pero incluso cuando cogía el metro, había una voz interior que me decía, no vayas por aquí, toma este otro camino, y ...acertaba. Yo pensaba a veces que estaba loca, que me inventaba todo, pero era real, era Alguien distinto a mí.
Recuerdo un día de profunda soledad interior, que me envolvía una sensación de abandono, que fui a ver a un matrimonio con dos niñas pequeñas. Era víspera de Navidad. Al rato de estar sentada, llegó la niña pequeña, de apenas 5 años, me vió, y sin conocer se sentó en mis piernas, me abrazo con fuerza y me dijo: te quiero mucho. No sabía ni mi nombre, y sus padres me dijeron que no era dada a acercarse a extraños. Estuvo toda la tarde en mi regazo, abrazada. Y cuando me fui me regaló un árbol de plastilina, que aún conservo.
Ese Alguien conocía el estado de mi alma, y me quiso decir a través del medio más  limpio, que era amada.
Gracias Jesús mío, por tu cariño providente. Tú no escuchabas mis palabras de enfado, solo veías mis lágrimas, y salías a mi paso para decirme, la frase más repetida de tu Evangelio: No tengas miedo.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Former Female "Consecrated" dies suddenly in Mexico City






Regnum Christi pays tribute to former member very "discreetly"
it would appear young woman may have suffered from depression, left the Movement, stayed in Mexico and later died of a heart attack
Blogger
---

A Tribute to Erin Bellefeuille
U. S. A. | MEMBERS | NEWS
Erin Bellefeuille, a former consecrated member from Phoenix, Arizona, entered eternal life on Tuesday night
erinb

Erin Bellefeuille was a native of Arizona, and was consecrated in 2002. This past August, she discerned that God was no longer calling her to the consecrated life, and took a job at a school in Mexico City.  She passed away on Tuesday night, following a brief illness.

Renee Pomarico, a consecrated member who worked with Erin in Rhode Island, shares a tribute to her friend and companion.

Today, November 13 2012, a dearly beloved friend, sister, and companion has gone to the Father’s house. Erin Bellefeuille was a compassionate friend, who constantly showed interest in the needs of others. She lived her life with sincerity and joy, prayerfully seeking to please the heavenly Father.

I remember Erin as someone I could always rely on. We had fun moments together and moments of deep sharing. I remember how she would send early birthday messages the day before my birthday, which would surprise me and touch me deeply. I always knew that she would be a friend forever, but I didn’t know that I would be able to pray to her so soon to ask her to intercede for us here below!

Erin was a person who had totally surrendered herself to God. She was already his because she had given everything over to him. Her life was a constant preparation for this definitive meeting with God the Father, who is holding Erin now in is eternal embrace.

She loved her family tremendously and prayed for them always - her parents and her brothers were foremost in her heart. We assure the Bellefeuille family of our heartfelt prayers and condolences.

On the feast of St. Teresa of Avila, Erin sent an email to her friends with the words of St. Teresa:

Let nothing disturb you,                 
Let nothing frighten you,                                                                      
All things are passing away:                     
God never changes.                                                                                                   
Patience obtains all things                                                                      
Whoever has God lacks nothing;                                                                                                             
God alone suffices.

-- St. Teresa of Avila

Monday, October 1, 2012

Whatever happened to Fr. Peter Byrne, LC?



A couple of years ago this priest protested. His protest was published on this blog; his whereabouts and info are hazy
Please post info in comments

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Priest cant wait to Leave Legion!

[Pe-John.jpg]

Fr. John, down there in Brasilia is waiting impatiently but patiently for his indult from the Holy See to arrive to declare him a non Legionary and so he can be officially admitted to the diocese of Brasilia


FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

Waiting for an indult

Today I learned that all the necessary documents have been turned in to the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life requesting that I be dispensed from the Evangelical Counsels in the Legionaries of Christ and incardinated into the Archdiocese of Brasília. This is the final step. The only thing left is to receive the indult from the Holy See and I will be officially out of the Legion. I wish I had a date so I could do a count-down.

I think I already mentioned this... I have a bottle of 21 year old Scotch I'm going to break open with some priest friends the day the indult arrives.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Fr. Raymond Cumiskey, LC. How does the Legion of Christ take care of its ailing members?




Fr. "Ray", as I call him. Is not going anywhere. My dear friend, fellow Dubliner who joined the Legion of Christ just after me -and maybe because of me- has been ill for some time. He has always been a Legionary and never wavered in his vocation, even when one of his best friends - but oh, best friendships dissolve in the Legion!- left the order in 1985.
We have had some limited contact. Raymond continues to preach the Work of God the best way he can. He is a devout priest.
I learn he is no longer on active duty because of his various illnesses, including diabetes.

I don't know how the Legion of Christ his order is taking care of him.
It seems he is living at a private residence in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.

Fr. Patrick Corrigan, LC, recently described fundraising in the local parishes for Fr. Raymond.
Is he not being cared for by the Legion's central funds of millions of dollars?
Lord, I feel sick to the stomach when I hear of this.
Lord, look after your servant, Raymond, who has served you selflessly for decades on the Quintana Roo Missions!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Fr Pablo Perez, LC, Dismissed from Cancun [ongoing]




Fr. Perez, a priest who has spent 13 years on the Mission in Quintana Roo has been publicly dissenting from the way superiors handled the Maciel debacle and the so-called Reform of the Legion. He now bites the dust for his troubles.

The local bishop, his LC superior, says he does not want him around "disturbing the peace"; what he means is that Fr. is a dissenting voice and the

Legion never allows dissent.

Even if it is during an investigation by the Vatican;
even if it is part of the preparation for a Chapter General.
The Legion does not want dissent in the Chapter General.
"We must all have the same opinions, just as our founder, Fr. Maciel, taught us."


Here are Fr. Guajardo's words translated by the blogger:

Accepting the decision of Bishop Pedro Pablo Elizondo, LC, on Saturday, September 8, 2012, I will say good bye to my church community as far as exercising my priestly ministry.  I am not completely sure why this drastic decision has been taken as I have had no personal meeting (with the bishop, my superior, to explain it), even though I asked for one. I hope in God to be able to spend some time in Playa del Carmen to pray, reflect and plan. 

I consider it a beautiful coincidence that I can conclude my priestly service on September 8th, the day on which the Church commemorates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God. Let these words be a testimony of my gratitude to so many wonderful people in Playa del Carmen.  And I am writing to "show my face" because I have nothing to hide or to feel ashamed of in my work for (the state/diocese of) Quintana Roo, a work  which covers both the spiritual dimension and also the promotion and defense of human rights. 

Your servant in Christ the Priest,
Pablo Perez Guajardo, LC. (Legionary of Christ)

[Original below]

Acatando la decisión del Obispo Pedro Pablo Elizondo Cárdenas (Legionario de Cristo) el sábado 8 de septiembre 2012 me despediré de la comunidad eclesial en cuanto al ejercicio del ministerio. A ciencia cierta ignoro el motivo de la drástica determinación porque no ha habido entrevista personal, a pesar de haberla solicitado. Confío en Dios que podré pasar algún tiempo en Playa del Carmen para orar, reflexionar y planear.

Considero un detalle hermoso coronar este servicio sacerdotal el 8 de septiembre, día en que la Iglesia recuerda el nacimiento de la Virgen María Madre de Dios. Vayan estas letras para dejar constancia de mi gratitud hacia tanta gente maravillosa de Playa del Carmen. Con estas lineas quiero dar la cara pues no tengo nada que esconder o de qué avergonzarme por un trabajo en favor de Quintana Roo que abarca tanto lo espiritual como la promoción y defensa de los derechos humanos.
Servidor en Cristo sacerdote, Pablo Pérez Guajardo LC (Legionario de Cristo)

(Source: Spanish link found on life.after.rc blog researched by blogger)

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Out of the Black and into the Blue




Hey, former member of the LC/RC take a listen

See if any of these lyrics apply to you and your experience



Neil Young My My, Hey Hey Lyrics


My my, hey hey
Rock and roll is here to stay
It's better to burn out
Than to fade away
My my, hey hey.

Out of the blue and into the black
They give you this, but you pay for that
And once you're gone, you can never come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black.

The king is gone but he's not forgotten
This is the story of a johnny rotten
It's better to burn out than it is to rust
The king is gone but he's not forgotten.

Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye.
Hey hey, my my.
[ Lyrics from: 

Friday, July 13, 2012

Connolly and McCool tell their war stories about the Regnum Christi boarding School

Now it's the girls' turn to tell their horror stories about the Regnum Christi

You have all  heard about Nieves Garcia, and now the American girls, 49weeks blog, and others are coming out of  the woodwork; here is an article from a local paper in Narraganset...


Vatican urged to close Immaculate Conception

July 13, 2012



The all-girl Immaculate Conception Academy has come under fire from former students who claim psychological abuse.
VATICAN CITY – Dozens of women who attended Immaculate Conception Academy in Wakefield have written a letter urging the Vatican to close the program, saying the psychological abuse they endured has caused them serious physical, mental and emotional hardship.
The school is run by the Legion of Christ, which The Associated Press called “disgraced” in its article on the school, given the numerous scandals it has been involved in over the years. The school has no affiliation with the Diocese of Providence.
The all-girl Immaculate Conception Academy opened two decades ago to serve as a program for the Legion to expand its female consecrated branch, where more than 700 women around the world live like nuns, making promises of poverty, chastity and obedience, who then work for the Legion in its schools and otherwise.
The former students, who lived as teenage nuns, sent a letter to the pope’s envoy running the Legion to denounce the manipulation and distrust they say marked their time at the school. Some say that their experiences caused them to develop eating disorders, suffer from depression and in some cases, attempt suicide, ultimately leading to years of therapy costing thousands of dollars.
In an effort to warn potential students about the program’s schools in the U.S., Spain and Mexico, 77 women signed the letter and created a blog (http://www.49weeks.blogspot.com/) detailing their experiences. Some who have not yet blogged also came forward to share their stories in an effort to create awareness about the school.
“Two consecrated women told my best friend I was going and then came to my house and said she was going,” said Lauren McCool, who attended Immaculate Conception Academy from 1997-1999. McCool, who is now 30 and lives in Seattle, said she and her friend essentially agreed to go to the school based on a lie.
She described the schedule as “very rigorous,” adding that every student carries around a day planner and that “every minute of your time is planned out, decided and scheduled.”
“People were happy to get sick to get a break from the schedule,” McCool said. “We asked other girls to cough on us or share the spoon of a sick girl to get sick.”
Sheila Connolly, who attended the school from 2000-2002, described the school’s rules in her blog (http://agiftuniverse.blogspot.com/p/my-rc-story.html) as quite strict, saying the girls had to ask permission  for pretty much everything, from reading a book during free time to taking an aspirin. The girls’ letters home were read by “spiritual guides,” they weren’t allowed to have “particular friends,” only hang out in groups and could rarely speak to upperclassmen. They were also only allowed to spend about three weeks a year visiting home.
Despite the rigor and the rules, McCool and Connolly returned for a second year at the school.
The second year, McCool said, was even more difficult. She was pushed into being a “team leader,” leading other students and helping them “to be courageous about doing an apostolic,” meaning a mission. McCool said she also had to help with recruitment and starting groups outside of school, which led to a lot of traveling around the United States.
“It was not something I wanted to do,” McCool said of being a team leader. “I ended up calling home and having a nervous breakdown. I stayed in bed for a week and couldn’t move. For the rest of my second year, I wasn’t myself anymore.”
McCool returned to her family’s home in Georgia in the summer of 1999, before her senior year in high school. She then enrolled in a public high school but was still tormented by nightmares of being “trapped” for about two years. She still gets the occasional nightmare stemming from her experiences at the school.
She described returning home as a “culture shock,” saying that it was strange to return home as an 18-year-old after leaving at age 15.
“I was trying to fit in, be normal, wear pants again and talk to boys,” she said.
Her time there also affected her Catholic faith.
“I think that I associate being Catholic with my experience at that school, so I don’t really practice that faith anymore,” she said.
McCool said that a lot of her experience is behind her, but she did go through years of therapy to overcome it.
Despite the school, McCool said she loved Rhode Island, especially Point Judith and Narragansett.
“Maybe one day I’ll be able to make it back and separate it from my memories of that school.”
Like McCool, Sheila Connolly did not graduate from the Immaculate Conception Academy. But instead of leaving voluntarily, she was told, “God wants you to go home.”
During her time at the school, Connolly, who now lives in Virginia, suffered physically. She describes periods of intense headaches, developed a hacking cough and would often find herself short of breath. She said the school's leaders though she was faking it to avoid participating in physical activities.
When Connolly returned home, she continued to be involved in the Regnum Christi, a lay ecclesial movement associated with the Legion of Christ, as she battled depression and struggled to fit in. She went to college and met her now husband. However, her faith in the Regnum Christi movement was rocked when its founder Father Marcial Maciel was disciplined by the Vatican in 2006 amid accusations of drug abuse and sexual abuse. Maciel died in 2008. In 2010 Maciel was formally denounced by the Vatican following an investigation into Maciel's alleged double life, which included fathering a child.
Perhaps given the scandals pertaining to the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi, the Immaculate Conception Academy's enrollment has dwindled in recent years. Only 14 seniors graduated from the school last month. This has prompted the school to merge with another Legion-run program in Michigan. Students from the Immaculate Conception Academy will attend Everest Collegiate Academy in Clarkston, Mich., and participate in extracurricular activities through the school. They will live at a nearby retreat facility in Oxford, Mich.
"While addressing practical and current economic realities, we believe that the relocation from Wakefield to Michigan will allow us to continue to provide our consistent and character-maturing program of formation and discernment," wrote Caroline Wilders, former director of the Immaculate Conception Academy in an April 2012 letter to parents of the school's students.
In response to the letter sent by former students to the Vatican, Monica Trevino, assistant territorial director of the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi, sent a letter to the consecrated women of Regnum Christi.
Trevino wrote, “Their concerns range in a broad spectrum and some of them are very valid: the effects of the life of the founder in the institution, the lack of freedom of conscience in choosing their own spiritual guides, the fact that they experienced a need of involving parents more in their discernment process, not having more experienced formators with the girls, lack of freedom regarding correspondence sent to them, etc.”
The letter continues, “As you well know, we are looking at all of these problems or misapplications in our pedagogy and have already made many changes in this regard following the guidance and indications of the Church.”
Trevino added that the program plans to change with the addition of more family communication for the students and the opportunity to experience the realities of the world by attending an outside school.
“Personally, I am saddened to think that some of the former precandidates were hurt and I would love for us to be able to reach out to them, and for them to have peace that some of these changes are in fact are being made,” Trevino wrote in the letter.
Margarita Martinez, current director of the Immaculate Conception Academy also provided a response to the alleged trauma detailed in the letter.
"We acknowledge that these women were hurt, and a number are angry about what they experienced," Martinez wrote in an e-mail.
She added that school officials are reviewing the rules of the program, including "what was tainted by the faults of our founder," referring to Father Maciel.
She provided examples of changes to the program, one being its move to Michigan, which she said will allow many of the girls, who primarily come from the Midwest, to be closer to their families. She also said they have extended the time of discernment, to allow for girls to seriously contemplate if the "call" to consecrated life is "authentic."
"While many have suffered, it is also true that not everyone has had the same reaction, or experienced the same level of negativity to his or her time in Regnum Christi," Martinez said. "We are listening to everyone's views, including those from the consecrated women still with us."

Monday, May 7, 2012

"Charism" or Chimera of Regnum Christi?







3.  dream, fantasy, delusion.



Word Origin & History

chimera 
late 14c., from L. Chimaera, from Gk. chimaira, a fabulous monster (with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail),supposedly personification of snow or winter, orig. "year-old she-goat," from cheima "winter season." Meaning "wild fantasy" first recorded 1587.

-------------------------------------------------



Could not help the play on words...The much vaunted, discussed, and questioned "God Given Gift" and specific characteristic of the Regnum Christi  continues to be the focus of attention, and rightly so.


This Charism, spiritual gift, usually bequeathed by the Founder to his religious order, despite Cardinal DePaolis' a priori affirmations and Legion leadership crowing, is not a foregone conclusion


Nieves Garcia, who was recently described to me by a former RC member as 'a very well known and beloved member; not a director/superior but a gifted recruiter' has this to say on her blog:


In the Movement we talked a lot about our own charisma, but is an issue still to be resolved so far.The dictionary tells us that charisma can be understood in two ways: as the special ability of some people to attract or fascinate or from the spiritual sense as a free gift that God gives some people for the benefit of the community.When I was young I was told that charisma was the recruitment, training and projection of leaders. Years afterwards there was much talk about the effectiveness and charisma, and the last years of the "initiator", talked about that charisma was love.To date it is an issue. I think we should start the reconstruction of the work, humbly opening to a calm reflection on this crucial point. The charisma justifies the existence of a work in the Church.If the charisma is coming from the founder I think it is clear that that it does not exist. Perhaps God may be talking about a deeper reason for being in the Church now, the current members of the Movement, but I get the feeling that it is an issue not yet examined  in depth.

This search is more important than concerns about the identity or spirituality. Charisma is that seed planted in the good soil of an open soul , resulting in a clear identity that develops,  generates a new way of life, and opens up a new spiritual outlook, reviving an aspect of the Gospel, without exclusiveness.

Works are worthless, or territorial programs or marketing strategies, if not springing from a true charisma. You cannot discuss the Constitutions of the Legion, without knowing how they are supported.Charism in a work of the Church,  the rock that holds the building; rock that comes from Jesus Christ, not from men. This is the difference between it and a human enterprise, only human.The definition of charisma is not born from the superiors. One person who lives it is enough to give it life. Maybe that person or group of them, can renew the work from within. They may be lay people, consecrated, or priests. God does not look at ranks or human status. God sees the heart, and gives grace to the humble.How beautiful it would be to open this dialog at this time! Today there are sufficient resources so that everyone can participate.I think this should be the first step. If not taken, everything is turned into pieces of a puzzle with no connection, words in the wind. History and time will show whether or not there was ever charisma.Anyone can propose this reflection, no need to wait "for it to come from on high."  The style of God, is often  different, it usually comes from the bottom up and not vice versa.Are you ready to go?


Original Spanish version:

En el Movimiento hemos hablado mucho acerca del propio carisma, pero es un tema pendiente de resolver, hasta la fecha.
El diccionario nos explica que carisma se puede entender de dos formas: como la especial capacidad de algunas personas de atraer o fascinar o desde el sentido espiritual como un don gratuito que Dios concede a algunas personas en beneficio de la comunidad.
Cuando era joven se me habló que el carisma era la captación, formación y proyección de líderes. Años más tardes se habló mucho acerca de la eficacia como carisma, y los últimos años del "iniciador", se hablaba de que el carisma era el amor.
Hasta la fecha es un tema pendiente. Creo que habría que iniciar la reconstrucción de la obra, con mucha humildad abriéndose a una reflexión serena sobre este punto crucial. El carisma justifica la existencia de una obra en la Iglesia.
Si el carisma venía del fundador, creo que queda claro que no existe. Quizás Dios pueda estar hablando acerca de un motivo más profundo para ser en la Iglesia ahora, a los actuales miembros del Movimiento, pero me da la sensación de que es un tema no profundizado.
Es más importante esta búsqueda que la inquietud por conocer la identidad o la espiritualidad. El carisma es esa semilla, que plantada en la tierra buena de un alma abierta, da lugar a una identidad clara que permite que se desarrolle, genera un estilo de vida, y abre un nuevo panorama espiritual, vivificando un aspecto del Evangelio, sin excluir nada.
De nada valen las obras, ni los programas territoriales o las estrategias de marketing, si no provienen de un carisma real. No se puede dialogar sobre la Constituciones de la Legión, sin conocer en qué se apoyan.
El carisma en una obra de la Iglesia, es la roca que sostiene el edificio, roca que proviene de Jesucristo, y no de los hombres. Esta es la diferencia con una empresa humana, solo humana.
La definición de un carisma no nace de los superiores. Basta una sola persona que lo viva para que cobre forma. Quizás esa persona o un grupo de ellas, puedan renovar la obra desde dentro. Pueden ser seglares, consagrados, sacredotes. Dios no se fija en rangos o status humanos. Dios ve el corazón, y da su gracia al humilde.
¡Que hermoso sería abrir este diálogo en este momento! Hoy en día existen los medios suficientes para que todos puedan participar.
Creo que este debería ser el primer paso. Si no se da, todo queda convertido en piezas de un gran rompecabezas sin conexión alguna, palabras que lleva el viento. La historia y el paso del tiempo demostrarán si hubo o no carisma alguna vez.
Cualquiera puede proponer esta reflexión, no hace falta esperar "que llegue de arriba". El estilo de Dios, suele ser distinto, suele venir de abajo a arriba y no al revés.
¿Se animan?

Thursday, May 3, 2012

"Go Home Marcela, Lourdes, and Yuri!" Regnum Christi Directors/Superiors tell unwitting members







Charity's fruits are joy, peace and mercy. It requires the practice of good and fraternal correction; it is benevolence; increases reciprocity; is always selfless and generous; It is friendship and communion: love is the culmination of all our works. This is the end; to achieve this, we run; We run towards him; Once arrived, it reposamos (S. Augustine, ep) Hol (10.4). (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1829)

Not without some astonishment I hear these days that some women enshrined in the Regnum Christi movement have been "sent" to his home with their families, and that without them apply, "has granted dispensation from their pledges of life consecrated to God". We talk specifically about 3 consecrated women who resided in the city of Monterrey (Mexico). One of them, Marcela with almost 30 years of consecrated life, the other person, Lourdes around 19 or 20 years of consecrated life, the third, Yuri with a few years less as consecrated to God in Regnum Christi.

Have they broken their promises? Have they caused scandals within and outside their own community? Have they committed a civil crime? Have they broken their love of Christ in external and visible way? Do betrayed to the Church, the Pope and his doctrine? As far we know, no. These women, flat and bravely asked accounts for the lack of clarity and awkward communication carried out in recent years in its movement after the scandals of its founder. And following the clarity of the two limited releases by the Holy see in relation to his movement, these women rely on his religious family, had the determination to ask for explanations. What has been the result? They are now at home, we hope that attended and supported by their families, that we do not know if they have certainly supported by the fruitful and continuous prayer of the mystical body of the Church.

The Church had already announced in the communiqué of May 1, 2010: "the Holy Father wishes to assure all the legionaries and the members of the movement Regnum Christi are not going to be alone: the Church has determined to accompany them and help them on the path of purification that awaits them."

Eternal life, to speak, is around the corner. If consecrated persons are not willing to gamble everything for love of God, without assurances either spiritual or psychological, they will hardly receive God's gift of healing, reconstruction and hopeful vision in their vocation for the future. Betting it all on the love of God and the truth,  these three women consecrated to God"apparently" fared badly . We say "apparently" because without doubt, their names longer prints and sealed in the heart of Christ, aspiration should lose sight of any Christian.
Nothing and nobody better than the Gospel and Pope Benedict XVI to help them to look at their conscience with courage and determination; do not fear, here is God, here is the Church and so many good people wishing you to find truth and love, whatever the cost to one and all.  Eternal life, to speak, is around the corner.
Christ taught all: priests, consecrated, lay, to live a radical detachment (' foxes have dens, and the fowls of the air, nests; "..."but the son of man has no where to lay his head" Mt 8.20) in the daily circumstances of their  life.

"In particular, I should like to recall the figure of Saint Thomas More, the great English scholar and statesman, who is admired by believers and non-believers for the integrity with which was true to his conscience, even at the cost of antagonizing the sovereign; who was a"good servant"because he chose to serve God first." "The dilemma that faced Moro in those difficult times, the perennial question of the relationship between what is due to Caesar and what is due to God..." [1]
"Perhaps someone believes that Holiness is not for him." Let me explain. When we are young, we tend to think in people that we respect, admire and which we would like to be. It may be someone that we find in our daily lives and who have a high esteem. Or it may be someone famous. We live in a culture of Fame, which often encourages young people to shape themselves according to the figures of the world of sport or entertainment. I wonder: what are the qualities you see in others that you want for yourself? What kind of person would you like to be really? When I invite you to be holy, I ask that you don't imitate the  second-rate. "I ask that you pursue an limitless goal and that you ignore others."[2]

"I would say that a Church that seeks to be especially attractive would already be a wrong way, because the Church does not work for herself, does not work to increase its numbers and so his own power."The Church is at the service of others: serves not herself, to be a strong body, but it strives to make accessible the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the great truths and large forces of love, love of reconciliation which has presented in this figure and that always comes from the presence of Jesus Christ. In this sense the Church does not seek its own appeal, but must be transparent for Jesus Christ and, that does not exist for its own sake, as a strong, powerful body in the world, which wants to have power, but it is simply voice of another, but transparently leads to the large figure of Christ and the great truths  He has brought to mankind. 


The strength of love, then, is heard, is accepted. The Church should not consider itself, but help to consider the other and see and talk about the other and of the other. It seems to me that, in this sense, both Anglicans and Catholics see that do not serve themselves, but they are instruments of Christ, friends of the husband, as says san Juan, if in both the priority is Christ and not themselves; also bind, because at that time the priority of Christ brings together them and are no longer competing -each one trying to get the greatest number- but are together in bringing the truth of Christ into this world and so are mutually supportive… "[3]"


In turn, the Eucharistic sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ embraces the mystery of the passion of our Lord, which continues in the members of his mystical body, the Church in every age. The large crucifix that stands before us, reminds us that Christ, our great and eternal priest, joins every day the infinite merits of his sacrifice to  our own sacrifices, suffering, needs, hopes and aspirations. By Christ, with him and in him, we present our bodies as a sacrifice Holy and pleasing to God (cf. Rm 12,1). In this regard, we associate ourselves with his eternal offering, completing, as says St. Paul, in our flesh what is missing to the pain of Christ for his body, which is the Church (cf. Col 1.24). In the life of the Church, in its trials and tribulations, Christ continues, according to the great expression of Pascal, still in agony until the end of the world (Pensées, 553, ed. Brunschvicg).[4]


Eternal life, to speak, is around the corner.





Regnum Christi leaders get rid of branches growing on fruitful tree


Translation to follow

Mensaje de una amiga


A LOS LEGIONARIOS DE CRISTO Y MIEMBROS CONSAGRADOS DEL REGNUM CHRISTI



La caridad tiene por frutos el gozo, la paz y la misericordia. Exige la práctica del bien y la corrección fraterna; es benevolencia; suscita la reciprocidad; es siempre desinteresada y generosa; es amistad y comunión: La culminación de todas nuestras obras es el amor. Ese es el fin; para conseguirlo, corremos; hacia él corremos; una vez llegados, en él reposamos (S. Agustín, ep. Jo. 10,4). (Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, 1829)

No sin cierto estupor escucho estos días que algunas mujeres consagradas en el Movimiento Regnum Christi han sido “enviadas” a su casa con sus familias, y que sin ellas solicitarlo, se “les ha concedido la dispensa de sus promesas de vida consagrada a Dios”. Concretamente hablamos de 3 mujeres consagradas que residían en la ciudad de Monterrey (México). Una de ellas, Marcela con casi 30 años de vida consagrada, la otra persona, Lourdes en torno a los 19 o 20 años de vida consagrada, la tercera, Yuri con unos años menos como consagrada a Dios en el Regnum Christi.


¿Han quebrantado sus promesas? ¿Han provocado escándalos dentro y fuera de su comunidad? ¿Han cometido algún delito civil? ¿Han quebrantado su amor a Cristo de forma externa y visible? ¿Traicionado a la Iglesia, al Papa y su doctrina? Hasta donde sabemos, no. Estas mujeres, llana y valientemente han pedido cuentas por la falta de claridad y torpe comunicación llevada a cabo en los últimos años en su movimiento tras los escándalos de su fundador. Y a raíz de la claridad de los dos escasos comunicados por parte de la Santa Sede en relación a su movimiento, estas mujeres, confiando en su familia religiosa, tuvieron la determinación de pedir explicaciones. ¿Cuál ha sido el resultado? Ahora están en su casa, esperamos que atendidas y apoyadas por sus familias, que no sabemos si la tienen y sin duda, sostenidas por la fecunda y continua oración del Cuerpo Místico dela Iglesia.

La Iglesia ya se lo anunció en el comunicado del 1 de mayo de 2010: “El Santo Padre desea asegurar a todos los Legionarios y a los miembros del Movimiento Regnum Christi que no van a estar solos: la Iglesia tiene la firme voluntad de acompañarlos y ayudarlos en el camino de purificación que les espera.”

La vida eterna, como quien dice, está a la vuelta de la esquina. Si personas consagradas no están dispuestas a apostarlo todo por amor a Dios, desprenderse de seguridades ya sean materiales, espirituales o psicológicas, difícilmente podrán recibir el don de Dios de sanación, reconstrucción y miras ilusionadas en su vocación ante el futuro. Apostarlo todo por amor a Dios y a la verdad, aunque les vaya “aparentemente” tan mal como a estas tres mujeres consagradas a Dios. Decimos “aparentemente” porque sin duda, sus nombres ya estarán grabados y sellados en el Corazón de Cristo, aspiración que ningún cristiano debería perder de vista.


Nada ni nadie mejor que el Evangelio y el Papa Benedicto XVI para ayudarles a mirar a su conciencia con valor y determinación, no teman ahí está Dios, aquí está la Iglesia y tantas personas de bien que desean que triunfe la verdad y el amor, cueste lo que cueste, a unos y a otros. La vida eterna, como quien dice, está a la vuelta de la esquina.

Cristo enseñó a todos: sacerdotes, consagrados, laicos, a vivir un desprendimiento radical («las raposas tienen cuevas, y las aves del cielo, nidos; pero el Hijo del Hombre no tiene dónde reclinar la cabeza» Mt 8,20) en medio de las circunstancias normales de su vida.
“En particular, quisiera recordar la figura de Santo Tomás Moro, el gran erudito inglés y hombre de Estado, quien es admirado por creyentes y no creyentes por la integridad con la que fue fiel a su conciencia, incluso a costa de contrariar al soberano de quien era un “buen servidor”, pues eligió servir primero a Dios. El dilema que afrontó Moro en aquellos tiempos difíciles, la perenne cuestión de la relación entre lo que se debe al César y lo que se debe a Dios…” [1]
“Quizás, alguno opina que la santidad no es para él. Dejad que me explique. Cuando somos jóvenes, solemos pensar en personas a las que respetamos, admiramos y como las que nos gustaría ser. Puede que sea alguien que encontramos en nuestra vida diaria y a quien tenemos una gran estima. O puede que sea alguien famoso. Vivimos en una cultura de la fama, y a menudo se alienta a los jóvenes a modelarse según las figuras del mundo del deporte o del entretenimiento. Os pregunto: ¿Cuáles son las cualidades que veis en otros y que más os gustarían para vosotros? ¿Qué tipo de persona os gustaría ser de verdad? Cuando os invito a ser santos, os pido que no os conforméis con ser de segunda fila. Os pido que no persigáis una meta limitada y que ignoréis las demás.”[2]
“Diría que una Iglesia que busca sobre todo ser atractiva estaría ya en un camino equivocado, porque la Iglesia no trabaja para sí misma, no trabaja para aumentar sus cifras y así su propio poder.La Iglesia está al servicio de otro: sirve no para ella misma, para ser un cuerpo fuerte, sino que sirve para hacer accesible el anuncio de Jesucristo, las grandes verdades y las grandes fuerzas de amor, amor de reconciliación que se ha presentado en esta figura y que viene siempre de la presencia de Jesucristo. En este sentido la Iglesia no busca su propio atractivo, sino que debe ser transparente para Jesucristo y, en la medida en que no exista para sí misma, como cuerpo fuerte, poderoso en el mundo, que quiere tener poder, sino que sea sencillamente voz de otro, se hace realmente transparente para la gran figura de Cristo y las grandes verdades que ha traído a la humanidad. La fuerza del amor, en ese momento, se escucha, se acepta. La Iglesia no debería considerarse a sí misma, sino ayudar a considerar al otro y ella misma ver y hablar del otro y por el otro. Me parece que, en este sentido, tanto anglicanos como católicos ven que no se sirven a sí mismos, sino que son instrumentos de Cristo, amigos del Esposo, como dice san Juan, si ambos realizan la prioridad de Cristo y no la de sí mismos; también se unen, porque en ese momento la prioridad de Cristo los congrega y ya no son competidores, buscando cada uno el mayor número, sino que están juntos en el compromiso por la verdad de Cristo que penetra en este mundo y así se encuentran también recíprocamente…”[3]
El sacrificio eucarístico del Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo abraza a su vez el misterio de la pasión de nuestro Señor, que continúa en los miembros de su Cuerpo místico, en la Iglesia en cada época. El gran crucifijo que aquí se yergue sobre nosotros, nos recuerda que Cristo, nuestro sumo y eterno sacerdote, une cada día a los méritos infinitos de su sacrificio nuestros propios sacrificios, sufrimientos, necesidades, esperanzas y aspiraciones. Por Cristo, con Él y en Él, presentamos nuestros cuerpos como sacrificio santo y agradable a Dios (cf. Rm 12,1). En este sentido, nos asociamos a su ofrenda eterna, completando, como dice San Pablo, en nuestra carne lo que falta a los dolores de Cristo en favor de su cuerpo, que es la Iglesia (cf. Col 1,24). En la vida de la Iglesia, en sus pruebas y tribulaciones, Cristo continúa, según la expresión genial de Pascal, estando en agonía hasta el fin del mundo (Pensées, 553, ed. Brunschvicg).[4]
La vida eterna, como quien dice, está a la vuelta de la esquina.


[1] Encuentro con Representantes de la Sociedad Británica - Westminster Hall - City of Westminster
   Viernes 17 de septiembre de 2010


[2] Colegio Universitario Santa María - de Twickenham (London Borough of Richmond) - viernes 17 de septiembre de 2010

[3] E ncuentro del  Papa Benedicto XVI con los periodistas vuelo al Reino Unido - Jueves 16 de septiembre de 2010

[4] Catedral de la Preciosísima Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo - City of Westminster, Sábado 18 de septiembre de 2010