“The Legion of Christ is a Satanical Cult” –fireside chat
Two former Legionaries, Mutt and Jeff, beg to differ
Background:
Jeff had asked for prayers on a Legion-friendly blog for the repose of the soul
of his father. Mutt heard that Jeff’s father had once stated that the Legion of
Christ was a Satanical Cult and mentioned this on the blog. Jeff took exception
and entered Mutt’s Facebook chat to straighten Mutt out and the chat ensued:
Jeff
to Mutt:
I
understand your feelings about the Legion, but please respect my wishes, which
were to ask for prayers for my father and my family. Please don't use this
request as an excuse to wage a polemic of your own, especially as you seemed
not to have any idea who I am. If you wish to join us in prayer, you are more
than welcome! But please don't invade a moment of mourning with an agenda of
your own.
Mutt
to Jeff:
I
thought I had some idea of who your father was and how HE felt about the
Legion; but I could be mistaken
Jeff
to Mutt:
Would
that really make it OK? You are mistaken if you think you can summarize his
thoughts with that comment, but even if you were not, the comment is beyond
offensive and totally out of bounds. I am honestly quite surprised as I have
always held you in high esteem as a person who was seeking reconciliation and
healing, but I can't see that in your post, nor in your response above, in lieu
of which a simple apology would have sufficed. I can't even believe there is a
need to say these things. What you have done is the equivalent of crashing the
receiving line at a funeral of someone you don't know, in the worst possible
way. I must ask you to delete your comments. I would like to save these
memories, but you are entering the equivalent of graffiti in a funeral home
register and ruining it for future reflection. Not everything that takes place
in the world is about the wounds that you or anyone else has suffered at the
hands of Maciel, though I can well understand that they may be painful.
Mutt
to Jeff:
That
is quite a mouthful. I know I am a very bad boy but I have done my bit in
deleting my comments from the blog. I understand that my timing/place was
wrong. It just happened that I was speaking with a very good priest today and
he mentioned your father's passing and his quote (“The Legion of Christ is a
Satanical Cult”); I couldn’t help myself and interrupted your mourning process –and
your digestion, too. So, not good timing.
Just
a little clarification re the wounds. It’s not all about Fr. Maciel. It’s the
Legion/Regnum Christi. Those of us who take exception to the LC/RC are always supposed to have
some kind of a chip on our shoulders while you, the supporters, the balanced,
the healed and unscathed are fine, rational and in a better place.
I
assume that true to the spirit of the Legion you will forgive and pray for
poor, unfortunate, resentful, unholy and disgruntled me…I know I need it. And I
know that because of your Charism of Charity you will forgive me for publishing
our chat anonymously.
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Legal Disclaimer: Any relationship between Mutt, Jeff and the blogger is strenuously denied. The Blogger takes no responsibility for the content of the above post to which he, she or it may have been privy.
