CHARISMATIC HYSTERIA

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robertaf:
Hi Church

Hi Misericordie

I really meant to give that smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_28_100.gifto you,too.
I have been in many discussion and chat groups over the past
11 years. I most often join in groups discussing the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. As you must imagine, I have been treated very badly by Catholics who do not understand or like us.

You, however, are one of the kindest, most generous and also the most open minded people I have met.

You have firm opinions but you always go back to the respectful and it would seem, affectionat and loving Catholic. You ask questions, even like the one you just asked.

I wish I could join in on this. I actually taught Church History. I am or should be very familiar with the heresys. My problem?
I just finished lung cancer surgery and 7 weeks of radiation and it has (prayerfully) temporarily, interferred with my short term memory and I have horrible problems pulling up information I should know easily.

I will leave this to folks who can.

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Roberta, thank you so much for your kind words. Your post here actually really touched my heart. I do know you are full of the Love of God, and It shows. May you continue to keep being where you find God is leading you to holiness. I sincerely hope and pray that you may be restored to health, and the peace that God gives. I must say (outside of the Liturgical/Mass issue) that I too know many wonderful and holy charismatic CATHOLICS. I see many who do not smoke nor drink, nor curse, and dress very modestly, the ones who are serious about GOD. I know many who are not caught up in a this-worldliness type of mentality, but who live totally for the lord, and His Blessed Mother. Please note, I do not attack the conscience or method of life of any charismatic. My problem has been with some ways SOME charismatics deviate from the liturgical norms of the Mass. That being said, again, I know many HOLY charismatics who sincerely love God, and try to avoid sin and all worldliness, and for this I applaud:clapping: .
May you continue to improve in your health my dear sister in Christ. You will be in my prayers, and I ask that you please pray for me too (at this point in my life, I really need it)and for my parents. Also, that I may find a good job, I was layed off from teaching back in April, do to the lack of enrollement(tuition) at my former Catholic Parrochial School.
 
Bless your heart. I surely will pray for you and thank you for your sweet words and your prayers.

The week after I was able to come home from the hospital, I was terminated from my job as well. I had taken a jon at a Tribal Casino 10 months before. That was because I had been laid off from the county, following the California budget problems. The casino is a law unto itself. No job protection whatsoever. It was required to be employed by them for a full year to get medical leave. I developed pnuemonia a week before my surgery. The casino gave me 2 weeks to come back to work.

Well, God is still in control, isn’t He. I have to work. I am paying Cobra insurance for me and my husband at $650.00 per month. need a job with insurance. My husband is 74, a 5 way heart bi-pass patient. He is diabetic and has glaucoma. Many medical bills. I cannot let the insurance drop.

God will be our provider, my Dear. He is in control and I put my entire trust in Him. He knows we both need work.

I promise to offer my Communions for you.

Thank you for being the beautiful Child of God that you are.
 
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robertaf:
Bless your heart. I surely will pray for you and thank you for your sweet words and your prayers.

The week after I was able to come home from the hospital, I was terminated from my job as well. I had taken a jon at a Tribal Casino 10 months before. That was because I had been laid off from the county, following the California budget problems. The casino is a law unto itself. No job protection whatsoever. It was required to be employed by them for a full year to get medical leave. I developed pnuemonia a week before my surgery. The casino gave me 2 weeks to come back to work.

Well, God is still in control, isn’t He. I have to work. I am paying Cobra insurance for me and my husband at $650.00 per month. need a job with insurance. My husband is 74, a 5 way heart bi-pass patient. He is diabetic and has glaucoma. Many medical bills. I cannot let the insurance drop.

God will be our provider, my Dear. He is in control and I put my entire trust in Him. He knows we both need work.

I promise to offer my Communions for you.

Thank you for being the beautiful Child of God that you are.
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You know Roberta, that I heard, I think it was Padre Pio, who wrote that it is becuase God loves His true children, that He allows them to go through trials. I know the Lord will help you and your husband get through these difficult trials. Keep hanging on to your strong faith, and Love of Our Lord, and know that us Christains will suffer much in this world and be rejected by many, just as Christ was, but the reward in Heaven will be great for those who persevere.
You previously mentioned how in the past you have been treated very badly by some, just for being charismatic. Roberta, I apologize to you on behalf of anyone who has offended you in that manner. Yes, at times us humans can be so hurting to other’s and to their inner peace. No, any name calling, personal put down etc, from any Catholic, to any other human being is never to be tolerated.
May the peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the maternal protection of His Blessed Mother be near to you and yours always,
misericordie.
 
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misericordie:
I invite (with all do respect, for the sake of theological discussion) all here to compare and contrast the old gnostic heresy, together with the montanist heresy, and many similarities(speaking in tongues, etc., having a the claim that the Holy Ghost gives all revelation to only a few, etc.,) with certain aspects of the present day “renewal movement.”
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It is best to refrain from labeling our fellow Catholics as heretics (i.e. -the charismatic ones) since most are as orthodox in the faith as any Catholic. However this post brings up valid danger. One must not elevate ones own private revelation, be it of a charismatic nature of not, above scripture or the magesterium.

I am not familiar enough with the Charismatic Renewal to know if this happens, but I have seen it happen in Pentacostal/AOG circles (except for the magesterium part). Experiences and revelations are not authoritative evidence of truth or doctrine.

Those of us not involved with the Charismatic Renewal are not in a position to judge when one crosses th line. That is best done by those of you who are faithful to the Church within the CR and your priests.

Fire can warm or fire can burn. May God bless all of you and your apostolate.
 
Misericordie, I was dismayed earlier when you posted about the priest dancing at the alter. I have never seen anything like that in 25 years of renewal. Now I have seen them sway a little to the music as they come in in procession, but once they got to the alter and mass began it was ALL business.

I truly apologize for any offences caused by others to you during these times of celebration of life that God has given to the Church.
A Chraismatic Mass done in the right way is a wonderful experience. Too, I have never been to many where there were electric guitars. Although we have a young man that will play during the confernece, you would never know it was an electric guitar unless you look at him. Also, we have a drummer, but he plays with the utmost respect for where he is and what he is doing but I don’t rember him playing during the mass, only during the praise of meetings.

One of the things that I feel sets Catholic Chraismatics apart from Pentecostals, is the propiety and order within things are done. It has always been my experience that order is a key element in all of the worship and meeting. That propity is a keymark. Because God is a God of order, not chaos, and in his order is freedom.
When we reside within the guidelines set down by the Church then we can truly experience the freedom of Christ.

Do you have links to certain articles on the topics you have suggested?

Pani Rose
 
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misericordie:
I invite (with all do respect, for the sake of theological discussion) all here to compare and contrast the old gnostic heresy, together with the montanist heresy, and many similarities(speaking in tongues, etc., having a the claim that the Holy Ghost gives all revelation to only a few, etc.,) with certain aspects of the present day “renewal movement.”
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Yes, please do. You’ll quickly find that the similarities are few and only on the surface.

Montanists were ascetic hermits who rejected the authority of the Church in favor of a “special divine revelation” they claimed they received personally. They did not speak as in prophecies “The Lord says to you…” but as though they themselves were God “I say to you…” They also rejected the trinity. We do none of that. They were anti-intellectuals: we have many fine intellectuals and theologians in our movement. **Furthermore, the Montanist heresy was a HERESY, whereas the Charismatic Renewal has the blessings and support of the Holy See. ** That’s a preatty gigantic difference.

We are unlike Montanists in many ways. We are not ascetics, we do not believe we have “superior knowledge”, we believe in the trinity and the complete authority of the Church over us, we know that the Holy Spirit can and does speak to ANYONE, we are in FULL obedience with the Holy See, and we are not anti-intellectuals at ALL. (Fr. Paul Hinnebusch was a member of our community: I challenge you to find anything the least bit unorthodox or anti-intellectual about that holy man, now deceased.) frpaulhinnebusch.org/

For a link to the fraternity of Catholic Covenant communities, go here: www.catholicfraternity.net 👍
 
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yves:
robertag and Makerteacher,

Thank you very much for your kindness and patience, for sharing and explaining. You actually eased my anxiety with my own discomfort, if that makes any sense!

Please continue to pray for our Church. I thank God that we have people like you.

God bless you.
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You just made my day! You’re very welcome. I am pleased I could be of some help in relieving your anxiety. If you are ever in Dallas, come by for a prayer meeting visit! Sundays at 4 PM at the convent of Our Lady of Charity in south Dallas.
 
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misericordie:
I must say (outside of the Liturgical/Mass issue) that I too know many wonderful and holy charismatic CATHOLICS. I see many who do not smoke nor drink, nor curse, and dress very modestly, the ones who are serious about GOD. I know many who are not caught up in a this-worldliness type of mentality, but who live totally for the lord, and His Blessed Mother. Please note, I do not attack the conscience or method of life of any charismatic. My problem has been with some ways SOME charismatics deviate from the liturgical norms of the Mass. That being said, again, I know many HOLY charismatics who sincerely love God, and try to avoid sin and all worldliness, and for this I applaud:clapping: .
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Thanks for this post, Misericordie. I really appreciate it. I too am concerned about violations of the GIRM, and assure you again that, in my Community at least, the liturgical norms are closely followed. You are correct that abuses, when they arise, must be addressed.

I sometimes wish we had another label besides “charismatic”, because for many people that conjures up an image of hysteria, as the title of this thread reveals; but we are not about chaos and emotionalism at all. So I appreciate you acknowledging that there are fruits in the people who call themselves by this label.

God bless you.

Roberta: your name has been added to our Catholic Covenant Community prayer list. God bless you too!
 
“Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net” (Luke 5:5)

Lord these your sevants have toiled looking for employment, Jesus you are so very faithful to us in providing for our needs. As you say in your Word Lord, “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4), let their profession of faith be as that of Father Abraham when he said Abraham and justified our faith. “No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:5). Grant unto them Lord that their needs be met according to your Word as Peter’s net was filled with so many fish they could hardly haul them into the boat. May their labor be fruitful as they search through the doors you have opened for them. Thankyou Jesus for as the prophet Jeremiah wrote, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Amen
And my God will meet all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19
 
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Makerteacher:
Yes, please do. You’ll quickly find that the similarities are few and only on the surface.

Montanists were ascetic hermits who rejected the authority of the Church in favor of a “special divine revelation” they claimed they received personally. They did not speak as in prophecies “The Lord says to you…” but as though they themselves were God “I say to you…” They also rejected the trinity. We do none of that. They were anti-intellectuals: we have many fine intellectuals and theologians in our movement. **Furthermore, the Montanist heresy was a HERESY, whereas the Charismatic Renewal has the blessings and support of the Holy See. **That’s a preatty gigantic difference.

We are unlike Montanists in many ways. We are not ascetics, we do not believe we have “superior knowledge”, we believe in the trinity and the complete authority of the Church over us, we know that the Holy Spirit can and does speak to ANYONE, we are in FULL obedience with the Holy See, and we are not anti-intellectuals at ALL. (Fr. Paul Hinnebusch was a member of our community: I challenge you to find anything the least bit unorthodox or anti-intellectual about that holy man, now deceased.) frpaulhinnebusch.org/

For a link to the fraternity of Catholic Covenant communities, go here: www.catholicfraternity.net 👍
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You ask me if I can find anyhing negative in Fr. Hiinebush, as if you seem to imply that Father’s thoughts on the charismatic renewal etc. were declared ex-cathedra, or dogma. lets’ not forget that onlt what is OFFICIAL Church teaching and the deposit of faith, is to be given much weight, and all dogmatic pronouncements. The charismatic movement is just that, a renewal movement, far from dogmatic and infallible. I am sure any intellectual charismatic CATHOLIC knows that there are many liturgical deviences in many charismatic MASSES. To deny this is as if denying that the world is round, and simply not true. Let us not forget that we as Catholics are concerned with VERITAS(truth), not emotion and feeling.
 
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pnewton:
It is best to refrain from labeling our fellow Catholics as heretics (i.e. -the charismatic ones) since most are as orthodox in the faith as any Catholic. However this post brings up valid danger. One must not elevate ones own private revelation, be it of a charismatic nature of not, above scripture or the magesterium.

I am not familiar enough with the Charismatic Renewal to know if this happens, but I have seen it happen in Pentacostal/AOG circles (except for the magesterium part). Experiences and revelations are not authoritative evidence of truth or doctrine.

Those of us not involved with the Charismatic Renewal are not in a position to judge when one crosses th line. That is best done by those of you who are faithful to the Church within the CR and your priests.

Fire can warm or fire can burn. May God bless all of you and your apostolate.
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Again let me make it clear: I never label any specific person a heretic UNLESS the Church has already done so. However, we can talk IN GENERAL about some instances where certain groups in the Church and WITHIN THE MASS, have through certain elements of liturgical abuse, proposed heretical tendencies, or give RISE to them. My family’s previous parish for example, has a charismatic prayer group who DESPISED all prayer to Mary, and any Saint, and frequently invited pentecostal “ministers” to preach to them who further expressed anti-catholic ideas, such as calling a statue of Mary which was in the corner, a “satanic idol.” Clearly, that person was expressing a heretical anti-catholic bias which many members of the prayer group took as their own ideas and began to beleive what the pentecostal praechers were saying. It is amazing that they had to “learn” the Bible, and Jesus Christ, through the pentecostal preachers, rather than a CATHOLIC priest, or official Church Teachings:nope: . This is what I mean here when I use the words that the Church has used in its 2000 year history: heretic, gnostic, apostasy, anathema, etc.
 
Good Morning Church
Good Morning misericordie

I have experienced something quite similar to what you described in your families church. I am going to try not to be too specific because the situation is being corrected at this time.
In one of our Catholic parishes’ Charismatic Prayer groups, a Charismatic Priest from mmm off the continant was invited to speak. I rarely go to this prayer meeting simply because the leader has “ceased being Catholic”, in his teaching. In fact, this is the first time in over a year.
The Priest went on and on about how much he loved traveling to this prayer group and that, “spreading the Good News”. Then the zinger. He said if he hadn’t become part of the Charismatic Renewal the only thing he would have for the rest of his life was celebrating Mass. I happened to be sitting right next to our Deacon, I do not know who gasped the loudest, me or him. I think I was the first to get up and leave.
This poor man has become a Priest for life and does not know that the greatest prayer, the greatest gift to the Church is the Holy Mass. If he has that and the Sacraments, he has it all.
You are right, the Charismatic Renewal is a Renewal movement in the Church. It is far from perfect.
It should always make us more Catholic. We do not need Protestants to teach at prayer meetings. I know as a fact, most are anti-Catholic to one degree or another. We do not need our Catholics going out to non Catholic Charismatic or Pentecostal churches and bringing back vernacular they hear or sometimes even what appears to be gimmicks.
We need good Catholic folks who understand that the Catholic Charismatic Renewal is Catholic to the core and will always bring us closer to the Sacraments and to the entire Mystical Body of Christ and that means the Blessed Mother and all the Saints.
The other thing we need is Parish Priests who are willing to share their pastoral gifts with the Prayer groups. I keep pounding away at this because every time I have seen a Charismatic Prayer group go astray, it is when the Priest has turned his back on them and neglected a ligitimate part of his parish. He is the Spiritual head of his Parish and it is his duty to give all of the groups a shepherds care, especially when teaching is happening. It is especially true of the Charismatics, simply because the gifts need to be discerned with care (one of the pastoral gifts) and because it does tend to be controversial.

These are some of the things I have experienced.

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misericordie:
You ask me if I can find anyhing negative in Fr. Hiinebush, as if you seem to imply that Father’s thoughts on the charismatic renewal etc. were declared ex-cathedra, or dogma. lets’ not forget that onlt what is OFFICIAL Church teaching and the deposit of faith, is to be given much weight, and all dogmatic pronouncements. The charismatic movement is just that, a renewal movement, far from dogmatic and infallible. I am sure any intellectual charismatic CATHOLIC knows that there are many liturgical deviences in many charismatic MASSES. To deny this is as if denying that the world is round, and simply not true. Let us not forget that we as Catholics are concerned with VERITAS(truth), not emotion and feeling.
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My purpose in connecting you to Fr. Paul Hinnebusch was to point out that we Charismnatics can be quite intellectual (not all of us are as BRIGHT as he was), while the Montanists rejected learning of any kind and in fact preached agaionst intellectual pursuits completely. In other words, we are NOT LIKE MONTANISTS. I also love connecting people to this holy man’s site because there are so many gloriously Catholic articles there. Spend some time reading, I think you’ll end up loving what he had to say!

I do not believe that any of the charismatics here have ever tried to say that the Renewal is dogmatic or infallible. In fact we have repeatedly pointed out that we know it is NOT for everyone, and that that is perfectly alright. It’s no more perfect than any other movement which involves mankind. Certainly it has its flaws and abuses, which are being and should always be addressed. While there are deviances in some of the Masses you have been to, there have been NO deviances at the ones I have attended. That should give you hope! In my personal community here, we all go to the Masses in our normal parishes every Sunday (some of us go every day) and then meet IN ADDITION to Mass for a preayer meeting.

And yes, we Catholic Charismatics are concerned with Truth. I personally am also concerned with emotion and feeling, perhaps because I am a Mom and a teacher and I know from numerous brain studies how connected emotion is with learning. A child who is upset over a playground bully incident literally CANNOT learn about Truth in her Catholics religion class. The emotion must be dealt with and resolved before learning can take place.

I think, Misericordie, that you and I are closer in theology than it might have seemed at first. 😛 I am considered pretty “right wing” by other Catholics, meaning I am strict in my adherence to the traditions of the Faith, I go to daily Mass, I am devoted to obeying the teachings of the Magisterium and have had to change some things in my heart because they disagreed with the Church, I do Eucharistic Adoration, we pray as a family, etc etc.

To deny that we are creatures with emotions is not truth. To allow emotion to rule us is also not truth. The balance between reason and heart is where I prefer to live. 👍
 
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Makerteacher:
My purpose in connecting you to Fr. Paul Hinnebusch was to point out that we Charismnatics can be quite intellectual (not all of us are as BRIGHT as he was), while the Montanists rejected learning of any kind and in fact preached agaionst intellectual pursuits completely. In other words, we are NOT LIKE MONTANISTS. I also love connecting people to this holy man’s site because there are so many gloriously Catholic articles there. Spend some time reading, I think you’ll end up loving what he had to say!

I do not believe that any of the charismatics here have ever tried to say that the Renewal is dogmatic or infallible. In fact we have repeatedly pointed out that we know it is NOT for everyone, and that that is perfectly alright. It’s no more perfect than any other movement which involves mankind. Certainly it has its flaws and abuses, which are being and should always be addressed. While there are deviances in some of the Masses you have been to, there have been NO deviances at the ones I have attended. That should give you hope! In my personal community here, we all go to the Masses in our normal parishes every Sunday (some of us go every day) and then meet IN ADDITION to Mass for a preayer meeting.

And yes, we Catholic Charismatics are concerned with Truth. I personally am also concerned with emotion and feeling, perhaps because I am a Mom and a teacher and I know from numerous brain studies how connected emotion is with learning. A child who is upset over a playground bully incident literally CANNOT learn about Truth in her Catholics religion class. The emotion must be dealt with and resolved before learning can take place.

I think, Misericordie, that you and I are closer in theology than it might have seemed at first. 😛 I am considered pretty “right wing” by other Catholics, meaning I am strict in my adherence to the traditions of the Faith, I go to daily Mass, I am devoted to obeying the teachings of the Magisterium and have had to change some things in my heart because they disagreed with the Church, I do Eucharistic Adoration, we pray as a family, etc etc.

To deny that we are creatures with emotions is not truth. To allow emotion to rule us is also not truth. The balance between reason and heart is where I prefer to live. 👍
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I actually agree with most of what you write here. Yes, to allow emotions(feelings to rule us is wrong) to control us IN MASS. I too taught for one whole year at a Catholic Parrochial School in ALL grade levels at the School: grades 1-8. I was hired by the pastor to teach (getting the same exact benefits and pay) religion to the school. Hence, I do agree that emotion IN THIS SETTING must be dealt with. I previously meant to mean adults in a MASS setting who worship SOLELY out of emotion.
Thanks, and God bless you.
 
If Father Hardon claimed that “the gift of tongues” is from the devil, I would like to have documentation of that fact. Give us facts, not fiction. Father Hardon was a well-respected priest. I can’t imagine such a statement coming from his mouth.

The “gift of tongues” is available to every person on this earth - Catholic or otherwise, lest we sin by our religious pride. The language of worship of the one true God lays dormant in each soul. God created human beings to worship him…read your Bible.

I like to make this allegory: The gift of tongues is like a huge record which exists in the deepest recesses of our soul…the soul of everyone created by God. The only thing that is required of us is to put the needle to the record to hear the sounds and language of worship that is inspired by the Holy Spirit. A truly beautiful spiritual phenomenon.

Some people are gifted with unknown tongues, some with languages that are still in use. What makes you think the language of God is English? What makes you think that the language of Heaven is English? Again, a show of religious pride and narrow thinking.

The gift of tongues has given me a powerful prayer language which has enriched my faith life immensely. It is not a gift given to certain individuals or an elite class of believers - it is given to anyone showing a strong desire to receive this GIFT - and knowing how to put the needle to THEIR WORSHIP RECORD.

Read the books written by Fr. Robert DeGrandis, S.S.J., on the gift of tongues and other charisms of the Holy Spirit. Truly inspirational!
 
Arlene I love your anology. Thanks! 👍

The Charismatic Renewal is changing South Africa - here is one way

28/09/2002
Spiritual warfare in Africa
Kristina Cooper

The Catholic Church in Uganda is experiencing a revival: there are stories everywhere of healings and miraculous conversions. The editor of Good News, the British magazine of the Charismatic Renewal, went to see for herself.

THE scene before me is parish life but not as I know it in the West. Under the trees women cook and wash while a mad, violent young man with his hands tied thrashes around in the dust, screaming. Fr Gerard Mwonge has been priest of this parish of Christ the King in Butema, a rural area in northern Uganda, since 1997. He used to be the diocesan archivist and still looks the part: he is hesitant and bespectacled, certainly not the stereotype of a healer and exorcist. But such is his reputation that crowds arrive in his parish every day seeking help. “They often spend weeks here”, he explains. “They sleep in the church at night and look for healing.”

Fr Gerard has stumbled into this ministry almost in spite of himself. His background and education – he trained for the priesthood in Rome and was for years a desk man – did not predispose him to Catholic Charismatic Renewal, with its exuberant worship and charisms. He saw it as superficial and emotional and for years he spoke against it.

But then his bishop sent him to a witchcraft-infested area deep in the country to begin a new parish. He had no funds, no experience and the task seemed overwhelming. The day he arrived a man and his family camped out in his office for three days, tormented by evil spirits and seeking deliverance. He realised then he needed help and that charismatic renewal – with its understanding about the role and power of the Holy Spirit and of deliverance from evil spirits – could provide it. He began attending retreats and seminars to learn about the baptism of the Spirit and the charisms. In the process he was healed of high blood pressure for which he had been on medication for years and a peptic ulcer which had been disturbing him since 1980. “I spent six years in Europe”, he recalls. “I went to many doctors who used many machines and medicines but I didn’t get better. But with a simple prayer I was healed.”

Fr Gerard was prayed over by Fr Joseph Bill, an Indian priest who said he should start giving monthly retreats in his parish, preaching the Gospel and praying over people. “The Lord will heal them”, he promised. Inspired by Fr Bill’s words and impressed by his own cure, in 1998 Fr Gerard began leading healing retreats on the last weekend of every month. “At first I didn’t believe that people would be healed”, he remembers. “But I started to see wonderful results and people came back to thank me.”

They still come – Muslims, Protestants as well as Catholics, even witch doctors – from miles around. Friday is officially the day for praying over the sick, but they arrive every day, walking, perhaps for days, or on the back of motor scooters, pick-up trucks and the odd ambulance sent from the local hospital. Who could turn them away because it is not Friday?

Clergy training is ill-equipped for dealing with this demand. “We learnt nothing about how to deal with evil spirits in seminary”, recalls Fr Gerard. His curate, Fr George, did an academic paper on the influence of witchcraft on Christianity but never imagined that one day he would actually be in the frontline of spiritual warfare. “I interviewed many witch doctors for my paper and they told me all kinds of things, but I didn’t believe them”, he told me. “At seminary we were taught theoretically about the existence of evil spirits but they never taught us how to deal with them in a pastoral situation. We have learned what we know through our own experience.”

The rest of the article is here…too long to post
thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi?tablet-00668
 
Pani Rose:
The Charismatic Renewal is changing South Africa - here is one way

28/09/2002
Spiritual warfare in Africa
Kristina Cooper

The Catholic Church in Uganda is experiencing a revival: there are stories everywhere of healings and miraculous conversions. The editor of Good News, the British magazine of the Charismatic Renewal, went to see for herself.

The rest of the article is here…too long to post
thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi?tablet-00668
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Wow, great article, thanks for sharing that! 👍
 
Good Afternoon Church

Wow that was great! I have heard some awesome things about miracles in Africa. We once had a pastor from Portugal. He spent 10 years in voodoo Africa before coming to the States. He told me stories that would curl your hair about tree limbs flying through the air at him, people trying to murder him and having curses put on him. He knew nothing whatsoever about the Charismatic Renewal. He thought his own Christian powers were limited. Then he said, one day, he was praying in front of a statue of our Lady of Fatima. There was a bouquet of plastic roses in front of her he had brought from home. He said he had just asked if he had gifts from on high to fight these things with and the plastic roses turned to real ones before his eyes. He said from then on, He learned and used his gifts.

At a prayer meeting we had two missionary Priests from Africa. They were travelling around the area giving talks and testimonies about what the Lord was doing in the Charismatic Renewal there. Like in the article, when the folks heard these two priest were there for healing ministry and evangelization, they came from everywhere in droves. They said that satan was continually present in the area with witchcraft and voodoo. However, all the more the Holy Spirit weilded His power.
They told us the most astounding story about a man who was brought to them for prayer. They said his legs had literally rotted and had to be surgically amputated above the knees. The poor soul suffered horribly from infections in the bone and stumps. He begged for prayer. The two priests prayed over him during a huge prayer service and in front of their and everyone elses eyes this man grew two new healthy legs and feet. They said every non Catholic was converted who was there and those who came after hearing this story.

Praise God for what He is doing in Africa. May this revival spread all over the World.
 
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