"Oh, how the mighty have fallen..." (revisited)

Mary Beth Bonnaci joins the ranks of those shocked by the disgrace of Father John Bertolucci, who was found to have been guilty of sexual abuse of young boys many years ago. She is also reminded of a similar fate having befallen Father Kenneth Roberts.

I remember the first Mass I attended at the chapel at Franciscan University of Steubenville. At the end of the Gloria, the guitarists banged out a climactic fanfare, as some of those assembled began speaking in tongues. I turned around and started looking for the nearest exit.

Alas, in recent years, the faith of many has been shaken. They desperately seek out signs and wonders. "Oh look, the Blessed Mother is appearing over at..." I heard that often enough. Many such "visions" are eventually disproved, their advocates exposed as charlatans. I've been there. I've seen it myself.

In his 2nd century Treatise Against Heresies, Irenaeus warned against the misuse of alleged "gifts of the Spirit." In matters of faith, there is a danger in getting all caught up in the purely experiential. Man is a reasoning animal, and Catholicism is, by its nature, a cognitive way of life -- lived through the heart, but received through the head. Small wonder, then, that some traditional Catholics have long taken a dim view of the Charismatic movement. It all sounds wonderful, until the rubber meets the road.

That's when we all risk looking pretty silly.