Recovery, Depression, Family, Church, Jesus

 

RECOVERY, DEPRESSION, CHURCH AND JESUS

dialog with author Merica Saint John on Amazon memoirs:

Merica Saint John says:

Paul Lennon,
Thanks for your post. I've heard and read some about Father Maciel and the Legion of Christ. What I read told about some of the trauma suffered by those who were in it. My depression very likely began in childhood due to a very strong pull to paganism in my family. Being farm people (and I only knew farm people then), family and neighbors lived in a closed cookie-cutter society where everyone looked alike and acted alike, or so it seemed to me as a child. While I yearned for a spiritual life connected to God, my parents were believers in Nature as theirs. This dichotomy caused me great confusion and sadness, as nothing was spelled out. We went to church on Sundays (Protestant country church) but I heard very little about Jesus and nothing about the Gospel. It wasn't until recently, after much research, that I discovered my parents' true belief system. It came as quite a shock to me. So, I suppose my depression was both endemic and environmental as a result of both my milieu and my circumstances. As a young adult I also re-enacted some ritualistic abuse done to me at an early age. Of course, I had no idea it had even happened, because my parents said it was all a dream if I brought it up. Invalidation of my perceptions in those first crucial five years of life led to a lifetime of questioning my perceptions and trying to sort out what was real and what was not. Today, I have a cohesive life story, but it's taken sixty years and more to form it. Thanks for writing. I commend you for writing your story. Memoirs like ours are a painful undertaking, but I've read many that have helped me get where I am: a woman beyond surviving, one who is more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus who loves me. I pray for the same for you.

My Battle with Depression in the Legion of Christ

 

Paul Lennon says in his conversations with author of Dying to Live, 

Merica Saint John,

i read your post with interest; it is coming from a Christian perspective and features depression etc. I find that interesting. In my bio Our Father Maciel who art in bed I decribe being depressed or in 'spiritual crisis' as a result of being in a very oppressive Catholic Order, the Legion of Christ -presently under Vatican supervision. As a recovered former Legionary and now licenced professional counselor and based on my personal experience I wonder whether your depression was "endemic" or "environmental", as a result of your milieu or circumstances. I hear you questioning professionals for "over-diagnosing" you and believe there can be much truth in that. I continued to struggle with my depression through ordination as a priest and even into missionary work in Quintana Roo, Mexico. After 23 years with the order I began my clinical recovery with a former Jesuit counselor! It seems that you were able to "keep the faith" despite it all. I consider the struggle with "Divine Providence" an ongoing theme in both our lives. I wish you every success with your books. Something is telling me my story is even less "pie in the sky" than yours. Despite my shocking title, however, my bio does not focus principally on clergy sex abuse though it includes some experiences and discussion. Good luck!

Courageous Woman Overcomes Serious Mental Illness and Discovers Jesus

 (Image from Amazon)

 On the Amazon memoir discussion page I "befriended" a lovely mature woman who tells her story of growing up in a very oppressive and God-less home and environment and lapsing into major mental illness and being institutionalized. Somehow she made it though all of that and is now stable and joyful

Merica Saint John is the name of this writer who can help us all on our journey of continuing recovery and mental and spiritual health

She wrote on the discussion page:
<I am just finishing my third book in a trilogy of memoir. My first book "Dying to Live" is about recovering from severe clinical depression and other mental illness issues. My second book, "Let the Seed Fall" is about moving on from there when few professionals thought I'd ever be able to live outside an institution. It tells how I went on to become a missionary in Alaska and in Africa. My third book, "Salted by Fire" is almost ready for the publisher (hopefully this week, if God is willing). They are done as a trilogy because I didn't yet know some things about my background when I wrote the first two. All are from a Christian perspective but are not pie-in-the-sky by any means. They tell of multiple traumas and adversity but also show how God was there through it all.
Let The Seed Fall: Growing from a Seed to a Tree by God's PowerDying to Live: Emerging from the Darkness of Mental Illness into the Light of a Sound Mind. Merica Saint John>

A Simple Book on Jesus

When believing gets hard...
Believing in God
in Jesus
in the Church

A book that helped me with the Jesus Question was CH Dodd's The Founder of Christianity. We could call it "The Jesus of Luke" as Dodd bases his study on the Gospel of Luke.

This is not a book of apologetics but it is quite good "Biblical Theology and Spirituality" which made sense to me while during my latter years in the Legion of Christ and maybe it prevented me from losing 'all my faith' during the leaving process.
-
Here is a synopsis

C.H. Dodd is recognized as one of the great New Testament scholars of the twentieth century. Dr. Dodd was for many years Professor of New Testament at Cambridge University. Published by the MacMillan Company, New York, 1970. This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock.

Preface
This books is based on the author’s four lectures given in February 1954 at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Chapter 1: Introduction
A brief history of the church’s dependence upon its founder for the last nineteen centuries.

Chapter 2: The Documents
What the gospels say about the founder of Christianity and some of the problems in knowing the reality of the events chronicled.

Chapter 3: Personal Traits
The sayings of Jesus indicate an individual mind. What is the nature of that mind -- its style, its characteristics, its manner and mode?

Chapter 4: The Teacher
Jesus’ teaching is oriented in a direction which differentiates it from rabbinic Judaism. His whole approach to morals was different from that which prevailed among Jewish teachers of his time. His critics rightly divined that his teaching threatened the integrity of Judaism as a system in which religion and national solidarity were inseparable.

Chapter 5: The People of God
Violent convulsions had disturbed society for more than a century. Then Jesus came proclaiming, "The time has come, the kingdom of God is upon you!" This was interpreted as having revolutionary implications. This misunderstanding persisted to follow Jesus until the end. He was put to death as "King of the Jews."

Chapter 6: The Messiah
Jesus’ action towards his being called "Messiah," and other symbol. "Christ," or "Messiah," is here neither a personal name nor a theological term, but an index to an historical role.

Chapter 7: The Story: (I) Galilee
A chronicling of the events of Jesus life -- his childhood, his occupation (learning his father’s trade), his baptism, various human aspects of his life in the turbulent history of first-century Palestine.

Chapter 8: The Story: (II) Jerusalem
The travels of Jesus during his ministry after his baptism. He evidently left the Galilee area and probably did not return. Speculation of his various travels and confrontations is outlined leading to his final journey to Jerusalem.

Chapter 9: The Story: (III) The Sequel
An evaluation of the beliefs, ideas and speculations about Jesus after the crucifixion. Clearly something had changed his followers. There is no answer as to what actually happened, but we do know that starting from there the church embarked on the far-reaching intellectual enterprise which is the building of a Christian theology, and philosophy of life, upon the foundation thus laid, and that is an unfinished story.

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Have you been in a "High Demand Group"?

Have you tried examining how your experience with the Legion could affect your faith life?

Is the effects of the Legion similar to the effects of belonging to a cult; if you dont like the word, then
"High Pressure/Demand Group

this is a recent posting on LinkedIn

Andrea Moore-Emmett • I think the dearth of comments are due to the high number of discussions and relatively small number of people using Linkedin, or if they do use it, it is mainly for connections/networking. 

The definition of what is or what is not a cult can be pejorative, that is true. Few would argue that Heaven's Gate or Jonestown qualify. I personally defer to the work of Robert J Lifton and Margaret Thaler Singer among others including Michael Langone. Using a very, very nutshell explanation there are "three basic characteristics: totalistic or thought-reform-like practices, a shift from worship of spiritual principles to worship of the person of the guru or leader, and a combination of spiritual quest from below and exploitation, usually economic or sexual." Lifton, pg 11, Destroying The World To Save It.
There is much more to understanding what defines a cult, but for lack of space that is a good start.

Nieves Garcia's Spirituality Spanish language Blog: Aprendiendo a Amar

http://aprendiendoaamar.123miweb.es

You can find it here

Lo encuentras aqui

Conversion before Catechesis (Catholic Synod of Bishops in Rome]

This is something I have firmly believed since the start of my Theological Studies [Rome 1966!] , personal experience and pastoral life [Quintana Roo, 1971....School of Faith 1975...]

You have to convert people before you can teach them/catechize them.

This is what the Synod of Bishops is hearing

The Essentiality of the Kerygma in Preaching the Gospel (Part 1)

Marc De Leyritz of Alpha Course-France Speaks on the New Evangelization

By Junno Arocho

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 22, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Throughout the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization, particular emphasis has been given to the movements and ecclesial realities within the Church as a way of evangelizing within the parish community. Several of the founders and heads of these realities were given the opportunity to address the participating cardinals and bishops. Among them were the representatives of the Alpha Course-France.
Developed in the late 1970s in an Anglican parish in England by Reverend Nicky Gumbel, the Alpha Course was later brought into a Catholic context in the 90s upon the invitation of the late Cardinal Basil Hume, Archbishop of Westminster.
Since then, the Alpha Course has spread throughout the world in over 160 countries with over 20 million people who have participated in the ten week course. Archbishop Octavio Ruiz, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization described the course as "a tool that God has been put into our hands to do this New Evangelization." ZENIT had an opportunity to sit down with Marc de Leyritz, who along with his wife Florence addressed the Synod of Bishops last Wednesday.
Part 2 of this interview will be published on Tuesday.
ZENIT: What is Alpha?
Marc de Leyritz: Alpha is a ten week introduction to the Christian faith. It really is a parish based tool which is used for people to take time to think about the meaning of life. And this is really a nice space which is created in every community, every Christian community that wants it. It helps people, should they want, to find a living relationship with God.
It's interesting to see that today about 20 million have followed Alpha around the world. And not everybody has met Jesus as a result of it, but a very big majority of people share afterwards that they are now reading the Bible regularly, praying regularly, and many are sharing that they have had a living and life-changing encounter with Jesus.
ZENIT: Why this emphasis on the "Kerygma"? What was the inspiration that the "Kerygma" is essential to preaching the Gospel?
Marc de Leyritz: Alpha was founded in England in an Anglican parish 30 years ago. Florence and I brought it back to France and we adapted it to a Catholic setting, which is a big challenge because when you're in France, anything that comes from England is really a bad start. But, this distinction between Kerygma and catechesis is really something key, since the beginning of the Church, since the very first day. You see on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2, Peter gives a very short speech, the nucleus of the faith, which is what Kerygma means, the proclamation of the nucleus. And, he speaks probably one minute or two minutes, and the Bible says that listening to this, people's hearts were pierced and they asked, "Brother, what shall we do?" And he said, "Repent," and then they were baptized. And on that day, the first day of the Church, 3000 people were baptized. And only then, the nascent Church started to help people to grow into full disciples of Jesus Christ.
So, Pope John Paul [II], in a very foundational text called "Redemptoris Missio" which is an encyclical and in another post-Synodal exhortation called "Catechesi Tradendae", he makes this distinction. He says you cannot give catechesis before Kerygma. And he defends Kerygma as the first announcement of the Gospel which is done in an enthusiastic and vivid and burning way, through which a man or woman decides to commit their life to Jesus and recognize him as Lord. And unless this moment has happened, you cannot grow in Christian life.
So, what really was striking for Florence and I 15 years ago, is we see many people in the Catholic Church trying to learn more or less well the catechism, which means less and less to them because we are living now in a secular society. And then they go away, because people are asking, "What's in it for me?"  And the catechism, without the love of Jesus, without the friendship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the catechism doesn't mean anything; it's just a big book. Now, once people have let the Holy Spirit in their heart, they need food, spiritual food and they go into the catechism and they eat it, they drink it.
That's why we emphasize so much on the Kerygma. One of the participants of the Synod was telling, I think it was reported on ZENIT, he said it's like a football match with two parts, a first part which is the Kerygma and a second part, which is the Catechesis. And he was begging saying "Please don't play the second part before playing the first part," and even worse, "don't play the second part instead of the first part. So Alpha is really helping to play the first part fully.
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On the NET:
For more information on the Alpha Course, go to http://www.alpha.org/catholics  or contact by email at catholics@alpha.org.