|
|
|
|
|
PUBLIC STATEMENT July 26, 2005 from Fr. Maurice
Joseph It is almost eighteen years since as a father of a young family of two, I first came into contact with the mission given to William Kamm, otherwise known as The Little Pebble. By that time, having already grown enthusiastically with the developments in the Church that were apparent since Vatican II, there remained much unease regarding the mounting unfaithfulness to Catholic Teaching and to the person of the Pope. Even more worrying was the attention in the media, both secular and Catholic, given to these dispositions as if unfaithfulness and disobedience was the norm. It was obvious to me that this could not be ignored. There were, and are still in the Church, many wonderful movements given to fraternal help and community, some of which I was a part. It was nonetheless, hard to find evidence of such groups maintaining the integrity of the Church's teaching and practice, especially in its Sacramental life? It was as if the Church had its heart but like the proverbial chicken, had lost its head. Becoming convinced of the veracity of the purported messages from Heaven given to William Kamm was to my mind an undeniable fruit of testing the spirits. The process was attractive in its simplicity. Regardless of any other details included in the messages, and despite some things even grating on the sensibilities of the modern Catholic psyche, by responding to the very requests from Heaven which had commonality with already authenticated yet commonly ignored Heavenly requests for prayer and penance as at Fatima in 1917, the troublesome parts came into sharp focus by which they could be discerned, with clarity and objectivity, for what they really were. The requests demanded testing by a straightforward process of three steps. (1) To give them the benefit of the doubt, (2) to have a disposition of good will and finally, (3) simply to do what was requested: to pray the full Rosary and to do penance. The implications of this simple process that anyone can undertake are startling. Can any who have not responded and do not maintain a continued response to these basic authentic requests, consider themselves able and entitled to hold an informed opinion on the veracity of Little Pebble's mission? The request given to the Little Pebble to found a new form of consecrated life to be known as the Order of St. Charbel, gives a model for community life not unlike others already extant, but is new in the sense of encompassing family life within its framework. As such it holds out the hope that the members would be in a position to respond to the need for community living already evident in other groups I have been involved with, but in a more integrated way. As a Catholic organization, it has the potential to be truly universal and influential in promoting God's Kingdom in the heart and mind of mankind. I remain convinced of the integrity of William Kamm and the veracity of his defence against the charges. Even from this side of the world one cannot but remain unconvinced of the process, as it has been reported in the Australian media. With few exceptions, all the information that came from the news reports reflects the case as expressed on behalf of the plaintiff. Are we to believe that the defence council kept quiet through all these proceedings? No context has been given for the famous letter; all we have are quotes extrapolated from it. Is it because we have a guilty verdict that the media are not obliged, nor were they at any stage inclined, to report the case for the defence? Then there is the flagging of the judge's statement during the pre-hearings, reported for once in the media yet missing from the copy of the court transcripts -- which based upon evidence of the witnesses to date -- that a jury would not convict. And why did the state D.D.P. over-rule the local D.D.P.'s opinion in this matter? Is it because his office believed that contrary to normal circumstances, there would in this case be enough prejudice to effect a conviction? Even with the absented reporting of the defence case, one can see that there is a glaring insufficiency of evidence to convince beyond reasonable doubt. Why then in the face of the present situation where guilt was found against William Kamm, should I remain hopeful that the anticipated fruits of the Little Pebble's mission come to pass? Firstly, the Little Pebble and his mission is Heaven's instrument, not William Kamm's. If his claims from as early as the mid 80's were true then, and they did in fact reflect Heaven's will, then we who have given our careful consent to these claims are not impressed enough by the substance (more correctly the lack of substance) of recent proceedings to turn our backs on our own well founded conviction. This is more than mere wishful thinking. Three possibilities present themselves: (1) that from the beginning it was all a grand delusion or even fraud; this is a possibility that measured against the overwhelming and undeniable fruits is unthinkable, (2) that Heaven's Will expressed through William Kamm was true but that he as it's instrument is now fallen from grace; the processes of his discrediting as outlined above are so unconvincing as to seriously doubt this possibility, (3) that he is in fact innocent of the charges and remains Heaven's instrument. However, this raises another issue: who among you who now read this have ever even considered the Little Pebble to be Heaven's instrument? For the majority of observers that is the real point. There remains a minority who consider his effect to be so potent that it has to be discredited at any cost. Why should this be so? The only adequate answer to this in truth is to read the messages. I cannot in this short statement, lay out it's entire significance. I must be satisfied in understating the case by simply saying that in order to know why the mission of Heaven given to the Little Pebble is so potent and epochal is to know why for some he must be stopped at any cost. One should take note that the accusations made against the Little Pebble are completely in accord with God's Will. It is absolutely consistent that in one such as he, diminished and diminutive as he is, even in a statement made by his own defence council, we should find resonance in the accusations and conviction found against his own Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. But why such a comparison of one so banal with one so significant? Anyone who claims to be merely Christian can understand the paradox that was attached to Christ's own Birth, Life, Death and Resurrection: out of nothing, we were given life. No event, either before or after Christ compares in significance in its effect, for He has done all that is necessary for our Eternal life, provided we cooperate with His Will. In case we forget that every breath we take either denies or embraces in our souls the stupendous significance of this event, God has in all times sent us reminders of His will in the lives of His prophets and saints. From their place in history, their lives point as types to Christ's redemptive act of love, always reminding us of our own meetings with Christ Crucified, in life and in death. I am especially reminded of Job who overwhelmed by the suffering he endured, was yet able to say: "The Lord gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." God later returned him to a state greater than his former good fortune. If this man, who in the hands of God became bereft and diminished before men, can point forward as a type to the suffering Christ, then the Little Pebble in his state of ignominy, can point to the cross too. But it does not stop there. We are asked to turn toward that same cross and willingly embrace it to the salvation of our own souls. And so a final word for families and acquaintances who remained aloof from these events until apparent denunciations and verdicts alarmed you as to the well-being of your loved ones; even for these, can you now pray with the sincerity and effort required by Our Lady at Fatima in 1917? Or do you believe that by doing so it makes you into the 'fanatic', the 'sectarian' or even the 'cult member' so unashamedly conjured by certain interests abroad? Without this response, can you even hope to discern the truth of the matter? I dare say it would not even be possible to judge one's own good will, let alone that of the family members and friends who in right conscience, directed always to what is good and true, found a sure anchor within the Order of St. Charbel. That anchor is and always will be firmly attached to the "Bark of Peter", Christ's Church on earth. Fr. Maurice Joseph, |
|
Send mail to
mwoa@shoal.net.au with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
