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The
Psychological mechanisms of mental conditioning inside the Neocatechumenate
Community
The
organization called The Neocatechumenal Way has given rise to doubts,
perplexities, and opposing opinions within the Catholic Church for many
years. Some people, whether they are lay or ecclesiastical, see the Way as
being a blessing of the Spirit. Other individuals, of likewise importance,
consider the Way to be dangerous in doctrine and methodology; they have
compared it to a sect, having come to call it "a church within the Church".
The
Neocatechumenate insist their intention is to return to a way of being of
the Church that's similar to the first Christian communities. The Way
defends itself from accusations of being a sect by saying that they are
being persecuted. The Neocatechumenate insist that whoever follows this path
will be able to bring about very radical choices and, therefore, that person
will be subject to persecution just like everyone who seriously follows
Jesus in his or her daily life.
Since I
used to be in a Neocatechumenate community for many years, I'd like to write
about some of my reflections. I want to make my small contribution to help
people understand the psychological make-up of those who subscribe to the
"Way". Another motivation for me to write down my experiences comes from a
book I read by American psychiatrist, Jerry Bergman. The title of the book
was Jehovah's Witnesses and Mental Health (1996) and in it I came across
vivid analogies between the Neocatechumenal Way and the Jehovah's
Witnesses.
Before I
begin, I'd like to take this opportunity to clear up the meaning of the
word, "sect". For some scholars, this word seems to come from the Latin,
secta, past participle of the verb sequor, which means, "to
follow". Therefore, a sect would be a group and the doctrines it teaches
that a person follows. Other scholars contend that sect comes from the
Latin, sectus which is the past participle of "to cut". "Sect", then
would be a group that has cut itself off from the major body.
Whatever
the correct etymology is, the term, sect, has taken on a deeply negative
connotation in the world today. It connotes closed mindedness and a greatly
limited participation with the "outside" world, meaning with those who don't
belong to the sect and don't share the same ideas and activities.
The limited
amount of space I have here prevents me from giving an in-depth account of
all the types of sectarians there are. That would be useful so as to see
whether the Neocatechumenate are an example. But I hope what I have to say
here will be a valid cause for reflection.
The problem
with psychological conditioning inside a sect is that it is still the
subject of debate among scholars. According to Frank (1974), the mental
processes used to draw a person into a sect are very similar to those used
in psychotherapy where one of the results is the reassuring relationship
that develops between psychotherapist and patient. In the sectarian
organization, together with the others (brothers and sisters of the
community and the catechists), the follower feels better and is able to face
life's problems with more serenity and confidence. The other people in the
organization, in fact, often become the unconscious projection of the
reassuring father/parent figure.
Sectarian
organizations have always been accused of (what is commonly called)
"brain-washing", but today the term, "thought-reform", coined by Lifton
(1961), is preferred. The person who becomes part of a sectarian group
modifies his or her behavior. The change comes about so subtly that the
subject himself hardly ever perceives it. Quite a different story for those
who are close to the subject and notice the changes, sometimes even radical
changes. Thus, we have the term go conversion". But is it really a true
conversion?
Now, for
those of you who are not familiar with the Neocatechumenal Way, a brief
synthesis is necessary as to what happens to the people who belong to it
over the course of many years (sometimes twenty or more years, depending on
a person's "spirit of conversion"). Whoever reaches the end of the Way, will
be able to affirm that he has understood what baptism is or, even better, he
will have rediscovered it.
Very often,
the person who joins the Way is either a relative or a friend of someone who
already belongs. This member talks about the Way with such enthusiasm that
it borders on pedantry; he feels compelled by some "missionary' duty to
share the "wonders" of the Way with other brothers and sisters. Whoever then
decides to get in touch with the movement has to participate in fifteen
catechesis which in general are held in the parish every other week. After
completing them, the member is obliged to participate in a convivence
(meaning, a time of living together) which starts on a Friday evening and
finishes Sunday afternoon; from this the community will be formed.
The
convivence is a crescendo of feelings and new experiences. The experience
(especially for who has never been a person of faith) triggers something in
the person to become very deeply and incisively involved. It stirs and
awakens something present in every human: the need for what's holy and for
meaning in one's life. Unfortunately, the sectarian organizations profit
from these needs.
The
convivence starts off with a very suggestive rite called, "skylight". The
room is left completely dark for a few minutes. Then a presbyter enters the
room holding a lit Easter candle that rips through the disturbing darkness.
On a Saturday, after a long catechesis on how the Hebrews prepared for
Passover and how that then paved the way for Christian Easter, the
Eucharistic celebration follows the ways set out by the Neocatechumenate for
any Saturday evening celebration: an altar decorated with flowers set in the
middle of the church with the brothers and sisters of the newly-formed
community and catechists circled round it (obviously, the catechists are
there only during the convivence ).
During the
Prayer of the Faithful, anyone can pray out loud, freely, expressing
whatever feelings he or she has. Even before the presbyter's homily, anyone
"can share with his fellow brothers and sisters what the Lord has
communicated to him in the readings and how his life has changed because of
the Way". Opening up oneself to the others is a very important element of
the program. By revealing oneself under the light of what's read in the
Scriptures, an existential interpretation is given to one's own life. It
also prepares the Neocatechumen to open up to his brothers and sisters of
the community things that have been the most hidden and unconfessable
principles, facts, and episodes in one's life.
This
apparent liberation becomes, however, a double-edged sword. On the one hand,
if the "brother' feels "liberated/released" and accepted it's because the
catechists continuously repeat, "God loves you as you are". On the other
hand, the person realizes that every lay person there like himself knows
each and every little nook and cranny in his life and this creates an
ambiguous dependence. Lay people are not held to the secret of the
confessional like a priest is, so as one can easily imagine, they are armed
with gossip and rumors that are certainly not edifying. The Neocatechumenal
celebration ends with a final dance based on the one David did around the
Ark of the Covenant of God.
The
community follows a biweekly rhythm made up of activities to prepare for
celebrations, celebration of the Word, and Saturday evening's Eucharistic
celebration. Usually after two years, one gets to the first scrutiny, but
mostly it depends on how receptive the members of the community have been to
what the catechists have been teaching. The first scrutiny is the member's
first powerful and moving experience. It's at this step the follower starts
to unveil the depths of his heart. In fact, at this &I stage", there is a
strong call to "test oneself in the treasures". This would be to rid oneself
of those things one is most attached to, for example, money. The catechists,
as a matter of fact, "invite" you to donate something personal, something
you are particularly attached to (it doesn't necessarily have to be money.
It can be jewelry or other things ... ) to someone who would never know who
donated it nor where it came from.
But, during
this rite, there's a moment which can sometimes take on dramatic heights for
the person who experiences it. It's when every "brother' and "sister" has to
say, in front of the whole community and the catechists, what his personal
cross is. This moment is marked by very powerful emotions because to make
one's cross known -often confessing with tears and with great internal
resistance- has a cathartic and liberating effect. Many people will lie at
this point because they are ashamed or embarrassed. It's the first powerful
stage in the Way and many people quit. But the catechists reassure the ones
who stay, "not everybody gets asked to be salt and light. The Lord has
invited you."
An
apparently stronger "I" is thus created. One takes on an identity of the
saved one who's a bit special -to be the one who is called on a mission for
the church that not everyone is given the chance to be called for. Subtly,
the strait jacket begins to tighten. It tightens even more for those people
who have an "I" that's weak and without much grounding. These people, after
a few years, are unable to find anything outside the Way nor anybody other
than his "brothers and sisters" in his community.
One year
after the first scrutiny, in general, one faces the "shemà" (listen Israel).
Here they drive home the idea that a sign is necessary and that would be
doing away with valuables. But the real turning point comes with the second
scrutiny when the Precatechumen must make some big, serious decisions about
his or her life in regards to being called to be the salt and light. The
conviction that salvation lies only in the Way is emphasized even more;
outside the Way one would be outside the Church. Often the catechists
repeatedly tell the ones who have tried to quit that, "outside the Way
you'll be with the dead because this is the road the Lord has chosen for
you."
Similar
notions are repeated at other occasions and for other reasons. On page 20 of
"The Orientations for the Catechist Teams for the Second Baptismal Scrutiny"
(one of the "holy texts" of the Neocatechumenal Way) Kiko Arguello states,
"I saw a parish priest who spent his whole life battling against us and who
hated us. It only took one night when he was struck with a tachycardia
strong enough that he started taking his life seriously and he completely
changed." Therefore, for Mr. Arguello, that priest had to have a
providential tachycardia in order to accept the Way! Many stories like this
one are frequently told among the people in the community and especially by
the catechists So, this influences the people even more to see the Way as
the only, or at least, the best that the church has to offer.
The second
scrutiny is characterized by the renouncing of one's so-called "idols". Once
the community has passed this stage, they are requested to turn over ten
percent of their earnings. This is done in the same way all the collections
are done among the Neocatechumenate. Out of contempt and scorn, the
contributions are put in a bag that is called "the garbage" -giving a
negative symbol of money.
Next, the
Way has the "initiation to prayer". After the appropriate catechesis, the
catechumen discovers or re-discovers the beauty of prayer and begins to pray
with the Liturgy of the Hours. Couples who "walk" the Way together become
more focused on the membership of their children. Since children, as the
catechists teach, might be another example of our "idols", they might be
left at home at night with the baby-sitter, or grandparent, or someone else
if the parents - in a moment of pity - decide to spare the children from the
long-windedness of the evening celebrations!
Another
step is the Redditio, where the Creed and the Traditio are
given. After this, the Neocatechumen tells the story of his or her whole
life in front of the entire assembly - often times interspersed with the
most untimely details of how much the Way has changed his life ... and then
he recites the Creed. The Way ends with "election" and the renewal of
baptism.
Such a
brief account has made me have to give only the gist of the Way and to leave
a considerable amount of things out. But I would, however, like to offer a
few considerations. Throughout the Way, there is a subtle and imperceptible
control over what the individual does by his taking part in the community.
In fact, in the beginning, the commitment is relatively light -one must
attend the two weekly celebrations and take part in their preparations when
necessary. In doing this, the person ever so slowly takes on a language, a
way of doing things that is nearer in harmony with the spirit of the Way.
Everything in his or her life changes in relation to the Way - which is the
only thing that can bring satisfaction to one's life.
Information
is kept secret, The texts the catechists use aren't published. Once, a
parish priest was first told there were no reference texts, then he was
told, "but even you, too, must convert.. you still haven't reached that
phase of the way, yet"!
By carrying
out the duties of the Way (which the catechists tag as being "time given to
God"), the person is aided in not having to think anymore. When he conveys
any kind of doubt or perplexity to a fellow "brother' or even to a
catechist, he is told that this is Satan who wants to lead him away from
God. Most of the time, when someone has temptations of these kinds, he or
she is told to speak about it with the catechists. The catechists slowly
begin to run your life. A person's past sins are used to condition, or
worse, to denigrate him or her. After many years, one becomes deeply
convinced that the catechists are never wrong!
But one of
the most serious things is the control over a person's emotions through the
use of guilt and fear. In the first catechesis, they talk about the
baptismal pool which one most submerge into in order to look at one's sins
in the face. One catechist has said, "you must go down into the sewers in
order to rise up again with Christ". Another catechist said, "the community
begins to grow when you begin to argue with each other and hurl all the
putridity you have inside out of you." All of this is very different from
what the Church teaches about conversion ("metanoia"). The Church
reminds us above all that we are saved by the love of God and that he makes
us feel the joy of his mercy even in the midst of our miseries.
However,
the laying on of guilt (which is quite different from humbly recognizing
oneself as being a sinner) is one of the most important methods in
controlling a person's feelings and emotions. Humility is badly interpreted
when the person rejects him or herself - which then leads to alienation.
This in turn creates a personality which tends to hold up an ideal that's
out of reach and so the person ends up feeling guilty for not being able to
live up to that ideal.
The members
of the community become inculcated that they are part of a privileged elite
in the church; they are destined to bring salvation to the people they work
with, to their families, or even in missionary work abroad which we see in
the case of "itinerant catechists". As is written elsewhere, the people
often hear the catechists' typical phrases, "The Lord has chosen you and has
invited you and no one else". This and other similar phrases let the people
believe that they have been "specially elected". This unconsciously
satisfies their own frustrated sense of self.
Another
thing that characterizes the Neocatechumenate is their zeal in carrying out
what the catechists (and most of all, the founder of the Way) tell them to
do. In the communities, in fact, the celebrations don't take place in a
church, but rather in a room. The altar has to be a table and the paten, the
chalice, the cross, the lectern, and whatever else is used, absolutely must
be signed "Kiko"! Everything borders on the maniacal! Once, a bride who was
in a parish that wasn't Neocatechumenal insisted that the ceremony be
conducted in the style "inspired" by Kiko, with his cross, altar, chalice,
paten, songs, etc...
Whoever has
been accustomed to this manner for years finds it incredibly difficult to
separate one's relationship with God from this style and to live one's
faith, still in the Church, but in a whole other way! It creates a
psychological dependence that makes the person end up controlling others and
demonizing everybody, too, including bishops and presbyters, who doesn't
share the Way with them. One catechist once said, "It's good that we have
bishops and priests who don't believe because this strengthens us in our
journey; it's a sign that we are on the right path."
Many
Neocatechumenate seem to have lost their critical and logical abilities -
faculties which make a true Christian. The Scriptures say the true Christian
is one who makes sense of his faith! It's true that many people criticize
the Way, but they don't have courage any more to leave it because they
identify the Way with the Church. Perhaps they don't know or they don't want
to know that the Church is a place that's much more spacious and free than
the church Kiko and his catechists present!
A euphoric
and self-aggrandizing atmosphere is created inside the community which
reaches its culmination at the Passover Vigil. The vigil is celebrated
throughout the night and young children are baptized. As time goes on and
these children grow up, they will be subject to a religious formation that
is very debatable.
Speaking of
children, it was written before that, in general, the Neocatechumenate are
very proliferous because they are very pro-life. However, since children
mustn't be idols, they are left in the care of grandparents or baby-sitters
until late at night because God comes before all things and God is
identified with the Way. In the second scrutiny, when they are asked to
dispose of the idols in their lives, who knows if anybody in the
Neocatechumenate ever once suspected that one of their idols just might be
the Way itself! Many forget that a way must be a means to arrive to God and
not an end in itself.
I'd like to
wrap up these reflections on the Way by summing up the following:
-
Kiko
and his catechists have reigning authority. Something one of the
catechists once said is telling, "Even priests should become part of the
way and convert!"
-
People
who follow the Way consider themselves to be predeterminately chosen to
become the salt and light of the Church and for the world.
-
Members
of the Way are promised salvation by accepting the Way as a style of
life that's unique and dearly for a privileged few. Something often said
by the catechists is, "If you take on this way, you will have the spirit
of Jesus Christ. We feel that it's been true for us in our lives."
-
The
community exerts a huge amount of pressure on its members. The members
are subject to iron-handed discipline in the Way , as the catechists
say, "it will bring you to the point of having to make a radical choice
in your life."
-
It
creates an attitude of segregation against those who do not take part in
the Way. People who are excluded even include Christians who are part of
the Church, people who are active in other catholic movements, and even
the despised Catholics who go to Sunday Mass. Personally, I have seen
many people who are richer in mercy than most Neocatechumenate!
-
Followers of Kiko focus on missionary activities even if they have large
families.
-
After
the second scrutiny, members must turn over ten percent of their monthly
earnings, but on top of that there are even other collections for other
purposes to contribute to! No year-end budget is ever produced from all
the fund-raising. The catechists justify this with the evangelical
teaching, "don't let the right hand know what the left hand is doing."
So then, I have to ask myself, why is that the Church justifiably has
every parish and ecclesial body have a finance council? Contributions,
income and expenses are made clear across the board.
-
Often
without even realizing it, the Neocatechumenate take on a language, a
particular jargon that makes them standout and distinguishes them from
others.
-
Generally, the Neocatechumenate react quite violently when someone
criticizes the Way. They try to avoid the subject, or as is especially
the case with the catechists, they resort to dialectics (the sign of the
better sophist). Once I was really struck by how a person from the Way
reacted to a man who said he didn't believe in it. At first the follower
of the Way calmly gave his own personal life's testimony; even though he
was vulgar in his criticism of the pope and bishops, he didn't get angry
until the moment the man criticized the Way. Hardly loving one's enemy
in the dimension of the cross!
-
The
Neocatechumenate often feel persecuted and they demonize (as I wrote
earlier) those who don't belong even if those people should still be
considered their brothers in Christ. Sects typically demonize those who
don't think like they do because they need to create an external enemy
(a scapegoat) upon which they can target all their individual fears and
anxieties.
To grow in
the faith is to grow in love not to busy oneself for years with a lot
activities, preparations, celebrations, passing through different stages or
anything else. Many Neocatechumenate have the illusion that it carrying out
deeds", "doing things", and "being active" for many years converts you.
People should be told, however, about a document that was published by the
Holy See in 1986 by the Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. It was
titled, The Phenomena of Sects or New Religious Movements: A Pastoral
Challenge." On page three, talking about the intolerance present in sects,
"a similar spirit can be encountered in congregations of people who belong
to churches or ecclesiastical communities."
Now, a few
questions that still have no answers: Why are the texts by Kiko so
rigorously held secret? Why don't the Neocatechumenate make their
income-contributions public? Have they never considered that the criticisms
made against them, both doctrinal and methodological, just might have been
made out of love for the truth and not made by the persecutive devils that
have a grudge against them? Seeing how familiar they are with the Word,
haven't they ever reflected upon that verse from Hosea that says, "faithful
love is what pleases me not sacrifice. Knowledge of God, not burnt
offerings." (Hosea 6:6)
http://www.reocities.com/Athens/Delphi/6919/E_DM002.htm
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