Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Retreat! Retreat!

This previous weekend I went to a retreat put on by the Legionnaires of Christ, which falls under the umbrella of Regnum Christi. It was a men's silent retreat in which about 10 talks were given, and some of these included many things I needed to hear. It would be accurate to say my spiritual life has been in the toilet lately.

One of the things I really liked was their Program of Life. Effectively, they break down sins into three "root" categories: Pride, Vanity, and Sensuality. The descriptions go much deeper than the names might imply. You then list a subset of those sins you seem to commit the most. Below the sins you list those good attributes that run counter to the sins (e.g.: humility is the opposite of pride) and, for each sin listed, write down a concrete action or prayer to counter your tendency toward that particular sin.

As I found out with Julie's I am Melancholic post, I seem to be plagued with pride. Specifically, self-love. So it looks like I'll have plenty of practice with humility. Strangely enough, that seems to be my least-favorite "good" attribute.

The Regnum Christi order seems to be a group I really like. Rather, I like the way they approach various issues. For example, on the Program of Life they specify that whatever you list as an "antidote" to sin must be a concrete step. This is a refreshing change to all the groups who throw a slogan at a problem and pat themselves on the back for a hard day's work ("Work smarter, not harder!"). I may join them at some point. It probably depends on how fed up I get with this whole Humility biz.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just read your "Blog" - My first attempt at reading blobs. So far, I can't even log on.

3:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, since I can't seem to log on as Rhys and have to publish this anonymously, I will simply offer you my sincerest advice. Please read my and other comments on regainnetwork.org as well as http://www.exlegionaries.com/xlegion/index.php

I discovered Regain in June, 2003, too late for it to benefit me or my family.

There is nothing wrong with the theology of Regnum Christi nor of The Legionaries of Christ but you will find a terribly lot wrong as viewed from those who have been stung personally - including me.

Archbishop Harry Flynn of St.Paul/Minneopolis, Cardinal Mahoney of Los Angeles, as well as the diocese of Columbus, Ohio has essentially banned them all from their dioceses. More are in the works - and it is not because of liberal theology - it is conservatives who have been deceived by trusting what they say and not by watching how they do it.

Prayers to you and yours.

You owe it to yourself to check iti out before you too fall prey to their tactics

4:03 PM  

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