I'm a convert to the faith. I admit there are a few things I have difficulty with -- usually on the level of relics (the collecting of bones, hair, fabrics that touch them, etc. but specifically the rivalry between competing shrines and the stealing of each other's relics). Such things baffle me, but I trust there's something I just don't get about it.
I do understand the Station Churches of Lent. Interesting, and a blessed opportunity for those who are there, but this "churchathon" is not the same. It's so Not The Same that I am embarrassed as a Catholic that authentic Catholics thought it up. Really? People were "amazed" in Rome at the sight of seminarians? And they prayed so fervently? For what, 2 minutes with a camera on them, and then raced to the next church? I understand fraternity, fundraising and fun. But when acts of piety are seen as x's in a box (like our commitment cards) it seems that usual Legion utilitarianism has no prudent boundaries.
Is this really part of the Church I joined?
This piece is a little more reverent, but reminds us that the whole city is waiting for them (that maddening self-absorption we've come to expect).
ADDENDUM: Nicole Winfield reminds us how it should be done.
In losing to the modern nation-state, the Church has adopted the marketing techniques of organizations and companies, instead of relying on the tried and true of community-building.
Posted by: pb | April 22, 2012 at 08:56 PM
I'm glad they had goofy fun, sorry they had to use it as a fundraising event, and appalled that they thought a group of foreign seminarians site-seeing in Rome was anything remarkable.....
Also, I'm not sure what you'd really get out of hitting 3 churches an hour, other than 'exhausted and brain-numbed.' I love the churches of Rome, but 30 in a long day gives you neither time to pray nor to enjoy the art, architecture and history. One church for each of Lent's 40 days would have been cooler, I think--but probably would have meant too much unsupervised contemplative downtime, which would lead to defections.
Better to keep them frenzied and moving....
Posted by: Deirdre Mundy | April 22, 2012 at 09:27 PM
One seminarian commented that on-lookers were so amazed/impressed by all of the "Men in Black". I wish people were instead, moved by their spirituality. It made it very clear that they are always concerned with image. That bothered me when I was in the movement. I can also see why they need so many donations - to pay for cab fares, dining establishments, etc. Too bad they don't spend more time in prayer.
Posted by: Dingledore | April 22, 2012 at 10:37 PM
This is so cool! 30 churches in one day! Did they get t-shirts, I wonder? Reminds me of my third junior year in college, when I went Around the World in 40 Beers (40 beers in 40 days and of course all bars are closed on Sunday in my home state). The last night, I had 5 beers left and all my friends came. They tell me I liked the third one but I thought the Belgian beer tasted like Worchestershire sauce. I hate the part where you wake up and there's dried vomit holding your hair to the floor but it was worth it because now I am an International Beer expert. I lost the mug a year later at one of my beach parties though (I used to dump 300 lbs of sand on my kitchen floor right before Spring Break.) Good thing these guys don't have to worry about the sin of pride, being Vatican Church experts and all.
Posted by: Jeannette | April 22, 2012 at 11:53 PM
"Bridge between everyone and God"????!!!! That's CHRIST, you &#!*!
Posted by: Mary Ann | April 23, 2012 at 12:00 AM
30 Churches!!!! What for? I mean a Church per day meant that you'd visit and reflect on the Holy Place, or the life of the Saint on That
day...but in one day, that's like doing something weird so that everyone could see you.
Posted by: Hope | April 23, 2012 at 12:45 AM
I meant that doing 30 churches in one day was weird, not one per day
Posted by: Hope | April 23, 2012 at 12:46 AM
I agree with Deirdre it sounds like goofy fun, and it's fine with me if they want to do it. Just don't break your arm trying to pat yourself on the back for it. You're certainly not going to get much spiritual or aesthetic appreciation of those magnificent churches at that pace. And seriously, you can't go 5 blocks in Rome without seeing seminarians dressed in black, many in cassocks.
Posted by: Don | April 23, 2012 at 01:44 AM
For goofy fun, how different is it to Cardinal Glick's "Catholicism Wow" campaign (aka Joe Carlin)? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BEZaPN8gUY
Posted by: Tom | April 23, 2012 at 02:49 AM
Wouldn't it have been nice if these guys went to visit some sick people in Roman hospitals, or volunteered at a soup kitchen or anything along those lines. I can't even understand what this junket was all about ...... Speechless! What is the point?! And why would anyone give them money for this?! I find the video embarrassing.
Posted by: Astrid Windfuhr | April 23, 2012 at 03:03 AM
Obviously this is fundraising disguised as a spiritual activity. Ins't this simony (although canon law speaks of simony only regarding sacraments or church offices.
Posted by: Scipio Africanus | April 23, 2012 at 08:01 AM
Folks, even though there is a lot of "fun" there, the first miscued aspect as someone mentioned is the image. "Wow, look at all those young men..." I never realized how many norms and how messed up they are about image. Sure, we shouldn't look like slobs, smell bad/bad breath etc...but there is one norm especially that says a legionary should never bring his hands to his face. I know I was corrected on that one more than once. I felt the moment thereafter that I touched my face, "the thought police" (Orwellian right?) would haul me in.
Then, even though this is "fun" and the LCs would think that I'm blowing this out of proportion, there is a lot of truth to the following: this is typical LC stoicism... Hey, let's be tough, let's be "men", WILL POWER.. and it doesn't seem like it since they all have those Donny Osmond smiles and definitely don't bring their hands to their face, everything is competition... and you know I could handle this more, but when they get back to their C.E.S., there is zero kicking back, having a beer, maybe a "quick" merienda, because a Legionary has to do more in less time. Btw, what happened to quality instead of quantity.
Finally folks, and sorry, I'm long winded this morning, but note (especially English Speakers) how many times they say "Christ" and how many times they will say the sweet name of Jesus. One of the last american LCs on the video made me think of this. I understand the power of the title of Christ "Messiah" etc. But our Lord's actual name is Jesus. So many saints will rest on, meditate on, call on the sweet name of Jesus. Coincidence? I don't think so. I can count on one hand the amount of times I heard the name of Jesus from dozens upon dozens of Fr Maciel's conferences and post communion BS spiel. It forms part of the stoicism. Depaolis will never get this... he will also see this is "fun". LC stoicism and lack of true relationship with Jesus runs deep, "to the bowels of this earth".
Posted by: happy in diocesan life | April 23, 2012 at 08:10 AM
Using the Church as a front to make money. So typical of LC.
"Happy in Diocesan Life" insteresting observation about their use of Christ vs. the Holy Name of Jesus. Hmmmm.
This morning the FB status page of a friend is full of "happy talk" about how wonderful Pure Fashion. Sigh, the using of people in the name of virtue never ends.
Posted by: Melissa G. | April 23, 2012 at 08:57 AM
I'm also intrigued by your comment, HIDL. In matters like this, I like to use myself as the baseline for dysfunctional, and I know I thoroughly appreciated the use of Christ rather than Jesus, because of my own discomfort with The Name. Even now, I still dodge matters by using "Our Lord" as often as possible, because of the power of That Name. I don't want to take it in vain, and I don't want to give the impression that The Second Person of the Holy Trinity is my homeboy. Personal intimacy? Not really there yet.
As I've often said, I came into the Movement with serious defects and many of those defects were perfectly at home there. Only when I received help from the outside and began to peel those layers off (the program of life had only made them worse) did I see what was happening in the bigger picture.
Just a personal anecdote -- take it for what it's worth.
Posted by: giselle | April 23, 2012 at 09:07 AM
If God Had intended to make it that expensive and utterly ridiculous for our prayers to be heard by Him, He wouldn't have sent His Son to die on the cross! He would have waited for the emergence of The Legionaries of Christ!
What kind of message does this send to Catholics?
Pay for a prayer by a Legionary in Rome because God will hear you better?
Looks like Maciel's Kingdom to me.
Posted by: Justice | April 23, 2012 at 09:51 AM
I agree with you giselle. We shouldn't debase the name of Jesus, but at the same time, and I know you know this, but Jesus wishes for a complete union of us with him. Think of the word Abba.. which does not mean Father, but Daddy.. that kind of heart. I am not saying of course, take away the Messianic title of Christ. I still say it, but the fact that you almost never hear the name, Jesus from the lips of Maciel and most Legionaries, it makes me wonder of how deep and personal is that relationship with the Lord, or do we just go by titles in the LC/RC
Posted by: happy in diocesan life | April 23, 2012 at 09:53 AM
When I was in the movement, their trick was to have members host cocktail parties so they could WOW people with themselves, the Men in Black. It was always about image, never about substance. They love to WOW people with their handsome, Aryan, good looks, their neatly parted hair (hair is VERY important and it MUST be parted on the right). They are using their new "cool" image to draw in modern day men and women with the hopes that they
will someday sacrifice their children. Why
would you not want your children to join their
family, the Men in Black. What, with free books,
donated cassocks, travel to Rome, and now
Churchathons! What happened to spirituality, to
Jesus Christ our Lord, to prayer? How much
of their spirituality is only a facade? What percentage of their time is spent on networking? This is Macielism, the art of schmoozing and deception.
Posted by: Dingledore | April 23, 2012 at 09:56 AM
Foolish and childish. I agree with Astrid Windfuhr: why not do something that puts the lc's in direct contact with souls that need saving instead of some anesthetized marathon for souls. Don't get me wrong - I believe in the power of prayer. But the LC's need to see that people (souls to save) are not just a means to an end. They badly need a good dose of human suffering and struggle, that maybe only the shunned legionaries in Quintana Roo get.
Posted by: Fr John | April 23, 2012 at 10:00 AM
I too am intrigued by the use of Christ - perhaps, like most such cults, they identify with the mission, not the person.
Posted by: Mary Ann | April 23, 2012 at 10:14 AM
Many groups use the word "christ" in ways that have nothing positive to do with Jesus. It may be that you have hit on the staring-us-in-the-face clue to Maciel's spirituality.
Posted by: Mary Ann | April 23, 2012 at 10:18 AM
Yeah, I think that the use of Christ (practically as the only way to address our Lord) has never been/or is not a directive from Maciel or the founders, but it is interesting since Christ is the Messianic mission on the this earth.
But on another note and pondering about this video further: would young Franciscans in Rome do this? The NAC (north american college)? Maybe a bunch of crazy college students would do a few. In other words, it really isn't normal. Yes, i do believe in the youthfulness, living that for our whole lives. I think one of the biggest disappointments in some marriages is that if the husband isn't controlled by any addictive behavior, what is still happened is that "freshness", his unique sense of humor, his way of having fun is often burned up in the grinding of passion for his job, but not present in the relationship with his wife.
But this video's "youthfulness" is something I would see in 8 year olds. high school/ college students might go to 5-10 churches or whatever as doing something off the wall, but 30?!?!
Actually, this video is also deceiving. There are 21 brothers doing this. Now, the same amount could have been doing this 10 years ago, but the Legion does videos, it really wants to impress, but I mean IMPRESS, people, cardinals etc. I really think that something like this would not have just been one "team" or "group" of brothers, but 50 of them doing this.. since they were making a video, they would definitely want more. For real Legion standards, 21 is nothing. But the problem is, they can't do that, have many brothers go out... so many are needed to serve guests, laundry, grounds maintenance, drivers etc and couldn't go out... there isn't a plethora of brothers anymore, but by their comments, they make it sound like it is. They can not admit the crisis they are in. Best damn Kool aid in the country!
Posted by: happy in diocesan life | April 23, 2012 at 10:53 AM
Giselle. Whenever I'm left scratching my head over the behavior of some in the Church, I'm reminded of Chesterton's claim that original sin is the only self-evident dogma.
As for the relics of the saints (hair, bones, etc) that teaching is based in part on Acts 5:15,"Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that when Peter came, his shadow at the least, might overshadow any of them, and they might be delivered from their infirmities."
Posted by: April 15 1912 - take 2 | April 23, 2012 at 11:06 AM
Using clerics as sex appeal.
Posted by: Mary Ann | April 23, 2012 at 11:12 AM
Plus, relics are cool! And Giselle, if the saint let you steal his body and then did miracles in the new church, he clearly WANTED to move. Those slobs you stole him from just weren't treating him with the dignity he deserved!
More seriously, I think part of the importance we place on relics has to do with the fact that, like Thomas, we need to see and touch to believe. God gave us bodies, and we use those bodies to understand the world.
So it's one thing to hear how St. Catherine was a model for Christian Courage, and another to stand face to face with her and realize that she was really REAL, not just a story.
It's like why we keep momentos from our ancestors, and why some people scour old battlefields for buttons and bullets.
Without the concrete connections, it becomes just stories. Relics make the saints real to us. Without them, we might as well imitate the virtues of Cinderella and Snow White.
Posted by: Deirdre Mundy | April 23, 2012 at 11:24 AM
I think the Protestant rejection of relics betrays a strain of dualism-- that we must be 'spiritual' in our faith, and have it totally divorced from the physical.
But as Catholics, we realize that God DOES work through the physical.
Posted by: Deirdre Mundy | April 23, 2012 at 11:27 AM