Charismatic personalities and pitfalls

With the fall of popular heavyweights such as Fr. Marciel of Legion of Christ fame and Fr. Corapi the question of how charismatic people who are either con artists or simply weak can fool people for so long.  It seems even after the fact that the scandal hits people seems willing to believe anything the person in question says.  

Having been the victim of such a charismatic personality who subsequently was revealed to be a fraud I can attest to how this comes about to some degree.  This entry will not name names but I will simply write my understanding of how this phenomenon occurs.

The charismatic personality is just that.  Usually charming, polite, and quite admirable, the charismatic person is someone you want to like.  They say the right things, seem to have the proper attitudes, etc.  They hit all the right notes, and are able to put on an air of sophistication and virtue.

When a charismatic person is doing something wrong, the deception is always two parts deception on the part of the charismatic and one part willingness to be deceived on the part of the victim.  As the saying goes, it takes two to tango.

The victim at first will not hear of any criticism.  The critics are "simply out to get this wonderful person."  They are misinformed at best and at worst enemies of the truth.  The charismatic person is pure, virtuous, even special.

But the rumors keep circulating.  And the charismatic begins to act in stranger fashions.  Things that were at first open to interpretation quickly become less ambiguous.  Finally events happen that call into question the charismatic.  

Now this is where the victim must make a choice.  Having already made excuses over and over again for the charismatic even as the evidence mounts, the pattern of making excuses is deeply ingrained, almost to the point of defying reason.  Pride too enters the picture.  The victim can't admit to themselves that they have been deceived, and for so long.  

The victim must either embrace reality or continue the charade.  Either out of fear of loss of friendship or an unwillingness to admit to being deceived (or a combination of both) many will continue with the false narrative.  This is why even those charismatic personalities that are colossal liars and scoundrels still maintain a following long after the truth is revealed.

Sadly, far too many close ranks around the charismatic and vilify the ones who speak out about the truth are traitors.  Friendships are shattered (if they existed at all and were not just a ploy).  

Charisma is a gift of God.  But like all gifts they can be used for good or evil.  Charisma has the unique status of being able to uplift or ruin so many lives.  Which is why we must always be on guard, that our own pride is not invested in our perceptions of others.

Pat Archbold

sums up how I and many others feel about this moment in the history of the Church.

(H/T New Advent)

It's the little things

One of the things that puzzled me about older practices of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the confession of venial sins.  The reason for this is that it seemed so unnecessary.  Venial sins are remitted via the reception of the Eucharist.  So why would anyone waste time on such a thing?

I'm not sure when it occurred to me but I began to realize that the "habit" of receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation was important.  It struck me that if I could not confess small things I had done wrong (I stole a penny) then what were the odds I actually would confess something more serious (I killed three people).  It is hard enough to own up to something minor.  Imagine when one would have to admit to a more serious fault.

Just as small evils lead toward bigger ones if left unchecked, doing small good works, if continued, lead toward higher and nobler actions.  A person who gives often will find it easier to give during the Bishop's Appeal.  A person who offers small things during Lent will find the grace and strength to sacrifice for greater needs.  The actions we do in small things prepare our souls for larger things, both good and evil.

So what does this have to do with truth?  Like other habits, telling the truth and pursuing the truth are actions that require a foundation.  If one is inclined to tell the truth in small things, the capacity to tell the truth in greater matters is increased.  Likewise, pursuing the truth and being faithful to truth in smaller matters builds us up to confront the truth in greater matters.

One of the things that motivated me to leave the Evangelical group that I hung out with in college was the anti-Catholic rhetoric that I encountered from time to time.  It wasn't so much the ignorance of the Catholic position, but the unwillingness to be corrected.  It was as if the misunderstanding was necessarily a part of the creed of certain individuals in the group.

My thinking was that how could those who are not concerned about the truth in small matters could be trusted in their pursuit of bigger matters?  The kind of truths that make you question fundamental assumptions about humanity and the Divine.  If we cannot be bothered to be corrected about small matters what are the odds we will be willing to be corrected about the things we do wrong.  This is not to say that they were evil by any means, but that there is a blind spot in this way of thinking.

The small things we do matter.  When we tell a small lie, cheat a little on a test, or even pose online as someone we are not, we misrepresent ourselves and compromise our ability to be honest with the things that matter.  We do ourselves no favors when we compromise our integrity in small matters.

 We can only do our best.  And we must do our best.  A life of virtue is one built in small steps.  Without constant vigilance for the truth in all things we leave ourselves open to the lies we tell ourselves to make life easier.  Embrace truth.  It's good for you.

Will never see this in mainstream news

girl gets death threats from homosexual advocates.  Tolerance is not enough.

H/T Mark Shea

As the Church is embattled

more continue to stream in.  Welcome home!

H/T New Advent

Notice

Given the latest spat of childishness in the comments section I have turned on moderation.  Please feel free to comment provided that it is respectful and constructive.  I will do my best to attend to the comments and hope to lift moderation sometime in the future.

Apologies for the inconvenience.

Thanks,
The Management

George Weigel

writes a nice summary of the situation.

The winning quote:

They imagine that accusing the bishops of partisanship is going to spook them into acquiescence; they are wrong, because in this debate we are down to first principles.