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“Charismatic
Renewal Turning 40”
Thousands to Mark Anniversary and Join Vigil of Pentecost ZE06050701
ROME, MAY 7, 2006 (Zenit.org).- More than 10,000 members of
communities of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal will observe the vigil of
Pentecost with Benedict XVI.
The celebration, organized in conjunction with the Pontifical Council for the
Laity, coincides with the 40th anniversary of the renewal, and is one of a
series of events organized by the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal
Services (ICCRS).
According to Oreste Pesare, director of the ICCRS office in the Vatican, the
events "will certainly make the imminent celebration of Pentecost richer
and more fruitful."
Communities of the renewal will also participate in the Mass on Pentecost
Sunday in the Vatican, presided over by the Pope.
Afterward, renewal members will gather in Marino, 14 miles from Rome, "to
celebrate the Holy Spirit together in a special way. We are expecting some
10,000 participants," added Pesare.
"The meeting will be entitled 'My Soul Magnifies the Lord,' and will give
glory to God for the work carried out every day in each of the faithful through
the Holy Spirit, explained the ICCRS director.
The "unknown God"
"The Holy Spirit, considered until a few years ago as the 'unknown God,'
is the one who, with his grace, tirelessly changes the lives of thousands of
people in all corners of the world, who with renewed joy, through the
experience of 'baptism in the Spirit,' begin a new life lived, precisely, in
the Holy Spirit," Pesare told ZENIT.
"He is the one we wish to honor and glorify publicly, responding to the
appeal that both John Paul II as well as Benedict XVI made to CCR and the whole
Church: to spread the 'culture of Pentecost' and the action of the Holy Spirit
in the life of the Church and in each of the faithful," the director
added.
"This celebration, which will include moments of prayer, listening,
witness and invocation of the Spirit, will end with a celebration of prayer, a
music concert and dance which will be presented as prayer by artists of
different countries ... and all to give glory to the Holy Spirit and to thank
him for all he does every day in our lives," explained Pesare.
Father Raniero Cantalamessa, Pontifical Household preacher, and Father Tom
Forrest, one of the initiators of the charismatic experience in the Catholic
Church, will speak on grace and the power of the Holy Spirit during the
celebration in Marino.
International conference
From June 5-9 an international open conference entitled "Charismatic
Renewal: Yesterday and Today and Tomorrow" will be held in Fiuggi, Italy,
and will be attended by more than 1,000 delegates from some 70 countries.
A special congress for 300 leaders in the charismatic movement entitled
"Maturing in the Spirit" will also be held in Fiuggi, from June 9-11.
Optional pilgrimages to Assisi or San Giovanni Rotondo will also be offered.
During this congress the
"ICCRS hopes to hear the Lord in prayer, seeking his vision and plans for
CCR in the world, in the third millennium ahead of us," said Pesare.
In anticipation of the events, Pesare said "a campaign of prayer and
Eucharistic adoration has been launched at the international level on the
Internet as spiritual preparation for this intense time."
Contents
Introduction
The Catholic Charismatic
Renewal as it exists today is the outgrowth from a retreat held in February
1967 of several faculty members and students from
2The
charismatic gifts (tongues, prophecy, healing, deliverance, etc.) made their
definitive appearance in the life of the Church on Pentecost Sunday. In the book of Acts, St. Luke writes:
“When the day of Pentecost had
come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from
heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they
were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and
resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)
Why did these manifestations of the charismatic gifts,
such as tongues and prophecy, not remain a normal part of the life of
Christians throughout the centuries? Several explanations have been put
forward. In Baptism in the Holy Spirit and Christian Initiation (and a
much shorter popular version, Fanning the Flame: The Holy Spirit and
Christian Initiation) Frs. Kilian McDonnell and George Montague advance one
explanation. They assert that the “charismatic gifts” were a normal part of the
experience of the sacraments of Christian initiation and public liturgical
worship in the early Church. They also claim that the gifts fell into disuse
when large-scale conversions to Christianity occurred after Christianity became
the official religion of the
Dr. Scott Hahn, a popular biblical scholar and teacher,
suggests another explanation for the outpouring of the charismatic gifts in the
early Church and in our time. In a series of articles in New Covenant
magazine, he puts forward the argument that God has given pentecostal phenomena
in several ages — in the Old Testament, in the early Church, and today. He
claims that these manifestations have been signs of mercy and imminent judgment
first of all to those outside the covenant and then to God’s own rebellious
people. Thus he sees the manifestation of charismatic gifts within the heart of
the Catholic Church to be a great grace for a new wave of evangelization — and
a warning of imminent judgment if we do not make use of this grace.
In any case, there have been manifestations of these gifts in isolated instances
throughout the Church’s history, often in the lives of saints and their
followers in movements for Church renewal. The charismatic gifts, however, did
not again make their appearance on a widespread scale in the life of Christians
until this and the last century.
At the end of the previous century, Pope Leo XIII is said to have had a vision of
God allowing Satan to test the Church during the twentieth century; this deeply
disturbing vision prompted him to compose the prayer to St. Michael the
Some have pointed out that this manifestation of the charismatic gifts may have
been God’s answer to Pope John XXIII’s prayer
in preparation for the Second Vatican Council: “Lord, renew Your wonders in this
our day as by a new Pentecost.” The charismatic renewal spread throughout the
Catholic Church, primarily through prayer groups and “Life in the Spirit
Seminars” (designed to lead people to a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit).
In general, the Church has encouraged the Charismatic Renewal, provided it is properly grounded in Church teaching and submissive to Church authority. In the past, there have been problems regarding teaching and authority in some “covenant communities” associated with the Renewal, but these problems have been largely addressed. It is important to note that for the mainstream of the renewal, the focus has been more on personal conversion to Jesus and renewed appreciation of the Spirit’s presence than on the charismatic gifts alone. The charismatic gifts are seen as means to evangelize and to draw people into a closer relationship with Jesus.
In 1969, two years after the Renewal began, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) “affirmed the good fruits of the Renewal.”
In 1975, Pope Paul VI,
personally invited the renewal to hold its annual conference in
For further information on papal statements supporting the
charismatic renewal within the Church, we suggest the book Open the
Windows: The Popes and the Charismatic Renewal, edited by Kilian
McDonnell (Greenlawn Press).
Following
the lead of Popes Paul VI and John Paul II, the Catholic bishops of many
countries — including the
In 1997, the bishops wrote, “encourage[d] those in the Renewal...to
continue in faithful cooperation with the mission and the vision of the local
church in which they serve.”
(The
above quotes are drawn from Grace for the New Springtime,
published by the NCCB’s Ad Hoc Committee for Catholic Renewal; call
800-235-8722 for the document’s availability). It is because the Holy Spirit
Himself is the Principle of all sanctification and evangelization that the
Charismatic renewal, which emphasizes this fact, contains so much potential for
increasing the effectiveness of the apostolate.
Before answering questions from an assembly of more than 100
Bishops and Cardinals from all over the world, Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope
Benedict XVI) also referred to his meeting
with Renewal in the Spirit:
"I have had the joy and the grace to see young Christians
touched by the power of the Holy Spirit... At a time of exhaustion, when there
was talk of 'a winter of the Church,' the Holy Spirit was creating a new
spring."
… The challenge today is not to allow the faith to withdraw
into closed groups, but to have it enlighten everyone and speak to everyone. If
we go back to the Church of the first centuries, the Christians were few, but
they caught people's attention because they were not a closed group. They
carried a general challenge to all which touched all.
Today we also have a universal mission: to make present the real answer to the demand of a life that corresponds to the Creator. The Gospel is for everyone and the movements can be of great help, because they have the missionary impulse of the early times, even in the smallness of their numbers, and they can give impetus to the life of the Gospel in the world. ZENIT990617 (from Press Release – Pontifical Council for the Laity 02-03-2002) More details can be read at Cardinal Ratzinger and Ecclesial Movements
The late Pope John Paul II was very supportive of the Catholic
charismatic renewal and met dozens of times with renewal leaders to give
encouragement and guidance. John Paul II, who was pope for 26 years, addressed
Catholic charismatic groups on more than 25 occasions. He called the movement "a force for the renewal of the
Church." In 1979, he told believers: "I have always belonged to this
renewal in the Holy Spirit." (Charisma Magazine, June 14, 2005). That same year he also told charismatic
leaders meeting in
In an address to the ICCRO Council, March 14, 1992,
Pope John Paul II said, “At this
moment in the Church's history, the Charismatic Renewal can play a significant
role in promoting the much-needed defense of Christian life in societies where
secularism and materialism have weakened many people's ability to respond to
the Spirit and to discern God's loving call. More details can be read at Address to
ICCRO Council
In
1996, he wrote to Catholic Charismatics saying, ”How can we
fail to praise God for the abundant fruit which in recent decades the Renewal
in the Spirit has brought about in the lives of individuals and in communities?
Countless people have come to appreciate the importance of Sacred Scripture for
Christian living they have acquired a new sense of the value of prayer and a
profound yearning for holiness, many have returned to the sacraments, and a
great number of men and women have achieved a deeper understanding of their
baptismal call, and have committed themselves to the Church's mission with admirable
dedication.” More details can be read at To
Catholic Charismatics
While meeting with some
500,000 representatives of various movements in the Catholic Church on the Eve
of Pentecost 1998, John Paul boldly proclaimed: "Open yourselves
docilely to the gifts of the Spirit! Accept gratefully and obediently the
charisms which the Spirit never ceases to bestow on us."
In a homily in May 2004 he said, “…Thanks to the Charismatic
Movement, a multitude of Christians, men and women, young people and adults
have rediscovered Pentecost as a living reality in their daily lives. I hope
that the spirituality of Pentecost will
spread in the Church as a renewed
incentive to prayer, holiness, communion and proclamation…” (CELEBRATION OF FIRST VESPERS OF PENTECOST HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II Saturday, 29 May 2004)
Regarding the gifts of Pentecost or the Spirit, the Church
makes proper distinctions. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (
Scriptural references can be found to support many of the common expressions of Catholic Charismatics …
Intense praising of GOD,
·
“Shout joyfully
to the LORD all you lands; worship the LORD with cries of gladness; come before
HIM with joyful song” (Psalm 100 1-2)
·
“Let them
praise HIS Name in festive dance and make music with the tambourine and
lyre.” (Psalm
149”3)
·
“Proclaim the
greatness of HIS Name, loudly sing HIS praises, With music on the harp
and all stringed instruments; sing out with joy as you proclaim:” (Sirach 39:15)
·
“Shout for joy,
O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O
Israel! Be glad and exult with all your
heart, O daughter Jerusalem!” (Zephaniah 3:14)
The of raising hands in praise and worship
·
…lifting my
hands toward YOUR holy place (Ps 28:2)
·
…I will lift up my hands, calling on YOUR name. (Psalm
63:5)
·
“Lift your hands toward the sanctuary, and bless
the LORD.” (Psalm 134:2)
The clapping of hands
·
“All you
peoples, clap your hands, shout to GOD with joyful cries.” (Psalm 47:1)
Speaking in tongues
·
“The HOLY SPIRIT
fell upon all who were listening to the word…for they (the circumcised
believers who had accompanied Peter) could hear them speaking in tongues and
glorifying GOD.” (Acts
10:44-46)
·
“And when Paul
laid hands on them, the HOLY SPIRIT came upon them, and they spoke in tongues
and prophesied.” (Acts 19:6)
·
“…in the same
way, the SPIRIT too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to
pray as we ought, but the SPIRIT itself intercedes with inexpressible
groanings. And the ONE who searches
hearts knows what is the intention of the SPIRIT, because it intercedes for the
holy ones according to GOD’s will.” (Romans
·
“So, brothers,
strive eagerly to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues, but everything
must be done properly and in order.” (1
Corinthians 14:39-40)
And in general”
·
“These signs
will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they
will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any
deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick,
and they will recover” (Mk 16: 17-18).
·
“There are
different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same SPIRIT…. To each individual the
manifestation of the SPIRIT is given for some benefit. To one is given through the SPIRIT the
expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge
according to the same SPIRIT; to another faith by the same SPIRIT; to
another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment
of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation
of tongues. But one and the same
SPIRIT produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as
HE wishes.” (1 Corinthians 12:4,7-11).
·
“Come to ME,
all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
·
“When HE said
to them, “I AM”, they turned away and fell to the ground.” (John
18:6)
If we look at the Charismatic Renewal in light of what you
just read, we see that the movement of the Spirit works within the Church
according to His will and according to the cooperation of the faithful. The
Charismatic Renewal itself does not originate from a necessity to inform the
From what has been said about the charismatic gifts, namely that they are
bestowed on the Church by the Holy Spirit for the building up of Christ’s
Mystical Body, it is clear that they cannot be a source of division, but rather
serve to strengthen Christian unity. Moreover, one of the principle effects of
an intimacy with the Holy Spirit is a profound humility. As such, it is
important to distinguish between the behavior of individual persons and the
Charismatic Renewal as a whole.
Sources:
1.
An
Introduction to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal by John and Therese Boucher St. Anthony
Messenger Press
2.
Dan Offsay Information Specialist
3.
The New
American Bible
“No Need to Fear Charismatic Renewal”
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT.
26, 2003
Baptism in the Spirit
makes the Catholic Charismatic Renewal a formidable means willed by God to
revitalize Christian life, says “the preacher of the Papal Household”. Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa
made that point Thursday as a gathering of more than 1,000 delegates of
Catholic Charismatic Renewal from 73 countries drew to a close. The delegates had gathered for a spiritual
retreat and to reflect on holiness in light of John Paul II's apostolic letter
"Novo Millennio Ineunte." Father Cantalamessa was the retreat master. Taking into account Protestant, evangelical
and Pentecostal denominations, and some members of the Orthodox Church, it is
estimated that 600 million Christians have had the charismatic experience.
Given his knowledge of the
"charismatic" experience, ZENIT interviewed Father Cantalamessa just
before the conclusion of the meeting.
Q: There are those in the Church who think that "baptism in the Spirit" is an invention of the charismatics, and that a name has been given to an experience that is not "catalogued" in the Church. Could you explain, from your own experience, what baptism in the Spirit is?
Father Cantalamessa:
Baptism in the Spirit is not a human invention; it is a divine invention. It is
a renewal of baptism and of the whole of Christian life, of all the sacraments.
For me, it was also a renewal
of my religious profession, of my confirmation, and of my priestly ordination.
The whole spiritual organism is revived as when wind blows on a flame. Why has
the Lord decided to act at this time in such a strong way? We don't know. It is
the grace of a new Pentecost.
It is not about
Charismatic Renewal inventing baptism in the Spirit. In fact, many have
received baptism in the Spirit without knowing anything about Charismatic
Renewal. It is a grace; it depends on the Holy Spirit. It is a coming of the
Holy Spirit which is manifested in repentance of sins, in seeing life in a new
way, which reveals Jesus as the living Lord -- not as a personage of the past
-- and the Bible becomes a living word. The fact is, this cannot be explained.
There is a revelation with
baptism, because the Lord says that whoever believes will be baptized and
saved. We received baptism as children and the Church pronounced our act of
faith, but the time comes when we must ratify what happened at baptism. This is
an occasion to do so, not as a personal effort, but under the action of the
Holy Spirit.
One cannot say that
hundreds of millions of people are in error. In his book on the Holy Spirit,
Yves Congar, that great theologian who did not belong to Charismatic Renewal,
said that, in fact, this experience has changed profoundly the lives of many
Christians. And it is a fact. It has changed them and initiated paths of
holiness.
Q: How do you carry out your ministry as Papal Household preacher given your experience in Charismatic Renewal?
Father Cantalamessa: For
me, everything that has happened since 1977 is the fruit of my baptism in the
Spirit. I was a university professor. I was dedicated to scientific research in
the history of Christian origins. And when I accepted this experience, not
without resistance, I then had the call to leave it all and be available for
preaching.
My appointment as Papal
Household preacher also came after I experienced this "resurrection."
I see it as a great grace. After my religious vocation, Charismatic Renewal has
been the most marked grace in my life.
Q: From your point of view, do the members of Charismatic Renewal have a specific vocation in the Church?
Father Cantalamessa: Yes
and no. Charismatic Renewal, it must be said and repeated, is not an ecclesial
movement. It is a current of grace that is meant to transform the Church --
preaching, the liturgy, personal prayer, Christian life.
So it is not a
spirituality as such. The movements have a spirituality and emphasize a
particular aspect, for example, charity. First of all, Charismatic Renewal does
not have a founder. No one thinks of attributing a founder to Charismatic
Renewal because it is something that started in many places in different ways.
And it does not have a spirituality; it is Christian life lived in the Spirit.
However, it can be said
that as the people who have lived this experience are, socially, a reality --
they are people who do certain gestures, pray in a certain way -- then a social
reality can be identified whose role is simply to be available so that others
can have the same experience, and then disappear.
Cardinal Leo Jozef
Suenens, who was the great protector and supporter of Charismatic Renewal in
its beginnings, said that the final destiny of Charismatic Renewal might be to
disappear when this current of grace has spread throughout the Church.
Q: As you are about to finish preaching a retreat attended by 1,000 Charismatic delegates from all over the world, what message would you like to give believers who do not know the Renewal?
Father Cantalamessa: I
want to say to the faithful, to bishops, to priests, not to be afraid. I don't
know why there is fear. Perhaps, in some measure, because this experience began
in other Christian confessions, such as Pentecostals and Protestants.
However, the Pope is not
afraid. He has spoken of the ecclesial movements, and also of Charismatic
Renewal, as signs of a new springtime of the Church, and he often stresses the
importance of this. And Paul VI said it was an opportunity for the Church.
There is no need for fear.
There are episcopal conferences, for example in Latin America -- this is true
of Brazil -- where the hierarchy has discovered that Charismatic Renewal is not
a problem. It is part of the solution to the problem of Catholics who have left
the Church because they don't find in it a living word, a lived Bible, the
possibility of expressing the faith in a joyful manner, in a free way, and
Charismatic Renewal is a formidable means that the Lord has given the Church so
that one can live an experience of the Spirit, Pentecostal, in the Catholic
Church, without the need to leave the Church.
Nor should Charismatic
Renewal be regarded as an "island" where some emotional people get
together. It is not an island. It is a grace meant for all the baptized. The
external signs can be different, but in its essence, it is an experience meant
for all the baptized.
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