It seems my defense of the Legion and Regnum Christi has struck quite a chord. I want to thank Thomas Peters for letting me respond to some of the questions and criticism that has been raised by my piece at TheCatholicThing.org -
Austin Ruse:There has been quite a lot of comment about my assumption that members of the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi are now in Heaven. Of course, I cannot know this. I am assuming that members of LC/RC who die in a state of Grace receive the same promises made to all Christians who die in a state of Grace; that they will eventually achieve the Beatific Vision. I further assume that at least some of the members of LC/RC have died in a state of Grace. To the question of do they achieve this through their membership in LC/RC, I would agree that they achieve this not through membership in any religious Order or Movement but through the grace of God. However, members of LC/RC have been chosen to follow a particular religious Charism. This Charism becomes an avenue for them to live the Gospel, a way for them to correspond to the grace of God. So, I would further assert that their faithfulness to this Charism or Gospel Way is closely and perhaps inextricably linked to their salvation.
A word about Charism. I am using the term in the following way. This was taken from the website of the Carmelite Order in Ireland but similar definitions can be found elsewhere:
“A charism is a gift from God to the Church for the world. With regard to a Religious Order, the term refers to the gift which God gives to an individual or group to inspire the founding of a new religious family within the Church. This gift is handed down through the centuries and enriched by all who are called to live it. The charism of each religious family is the particular way in which its members are called to follow Christ. Since all Christians follow Christ, the charisms will have many elements in common, but the way in which these elements are emphasised gives each religious group its unique feel. All religious families have been asked by the Church to rediscover their original founding charism and make it come alive in each culture and in every age.”
One of the main questions that arises in the current controversy is whether a Charism can be separated from its founder. It is true that the Founder should most perfectly embody the Charism that presumably he received from God. But, the Charism of a religious Order that may begin with a Founder then lives on in its members, as the Carmelites note above. The Charism becomes something that is carried on member to member down through the ages. Can it be separated from the Founder. That we shall see in the coming days and months and years. I do note that not all religious Orders can even name their Founder, the Carmelites for instance, but I assume there are others.
There have been many comments about my using Father Thomas Berg as an example of a good Legionary priest. It is assumed by some that I have set him up over against the critics like Germain Grisez. While I was well aware of Father Berg’s anguished statement, please know that I did not mention him or any of the other LC/RC members as opponents of the critics. I used them simply as examples of the good fruit of the Charism of LC/RC. I stand by that.
Finally, I do not have a dog in the fight of what should happen to the Legion and Regnum Christi. I believe it is up to the Legion and Regnum Christi and the Holy See. I do not believe it is up to Germain Grisez, good man that he is, or the other lesser more hostile critics like Rod Dreher. I believe the mob mentality that has arisen over this crisis has only exacerbated the problem and in the process has deeply hurt those members of the Legion and Regnum Christi who were hurting already. I urge them to stay fast to the Charism. If it is of God it will last. It not it will die. And Glory Be His Will.
Labels: american papist texts, guest post
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