po18guy
Well-known member
One of the main points of the Sacrament of Confirmation is that we receive and be sealed with the Holy Spirit and His gifts (charisms). CCC paragraphs 799-801 speak of the charisms, and Saint Paul writes of them. Some non-Catholic ecclesial communities teach cessationism, or the ceasing of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the post-Apostolic age. The Catholic Church does not. Rather, it teaches that the faithful are to receive the gifts with gratitude. Our charisms are intended to be used by us for the building up of the Church. Do we know what our charisms are? Some are quite obvious, while others can be rather quiet. Read the catechism sections on the Holy Spirit, Confirmation and the charisms. You will be amazed.
Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of the talents, can easily be applied to the charisms that we received from the Holy Spirit at our Confirmation. The Master has given each of us gifts (“talents”) and has departed from us for a time. When He returns, He will expect to see the increase that we have obtained for Him by the use of our charisms (“talents”). Some of us have more than one gift, but even the most modest gift is expected to be used for God’s glory in the building up of the Church. We are called to discern what our gifts are and to put them to use. In the parable, the servant with 5 talents put them to work and gained 5 more for his Master. So also did he who had 2 talents. But the slothful servant did nothing with his single talent, offering it alone back to the Master. He made no attempt to use it - he even hid it by burying it. Do we want to give that response when the Master returns? Consider what was done with that lazy servant.
One of these gifts is that of tongues, which is widely misunderstood. Yet, those who speak tongues may need building up in themselves, as Paul indicates. Normally, one who interprets (another gift) should be present, but this is not a requirement if the person speaking is the one who needs building up. The Lord knows the condition of their spirit, not us. Should we be envious of them, or disdainful of them, because they have a gift that we do not? I do not grieve the Holy Spirit for His choice of gifts, either in myself, or in others, as all are for God’s glory. I think that we need to be very cautious here when speaking of the charisms, as we do not want to ascribe their use to some worldly spirit. While prayer outside of mass is intended to be substantially private, the use of the charisms should be primarily public - think of the Pentecost in Acts 2 here. Do we also think that those displaying the charisms are drunk? If so, we are just as wrong as those whom Peter addressed.
Yet, all such gifts, in accord with 1 John 4:1 and other passages, are subject to discernment by the Church. The Church carefully discerned the charisms and the charismatic movement back in the 1960s, when they were re-emphasized after having been substantially forgotten for some time. Is not the Holy Spirit known as the forgotten member of the Trinity? The ignoring of His gifts is one of the prime reasons for this lamentable fact. The charismatic movement seeks to reverse that course, yet does so via obedience to God and His Church.
Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of the talents, can easily be applied to the charisms that we received from the Holy Spirit at our Confirmation. The Master has given each of us gifts (“talents”) and has departed from us for a time. When He returns, He will expect to see the increase that we have obtained for Him by the use of our charisms (“talents”). Some of us have more than one gift, but even the most modest gift is expected to be used for God’s glory in the building up of the Church. We are called to discern what our gifts are and to put them to use. In the parable, the servant with 5 talents put them to work and gained 5 more for his Master. So also did he who had 2 talents. But the slothful servant did nothing with his single talent, offering it alone back to the Master. He made no attempt to use it - he even hid it by burying it. Do we want to give that response when the Master returns? Consider what was done with that lazy servant.
One of these gifts is that of tongues, which is widely misunderstood. Yet, those who speak tongues may need building up in themselves, as Paul indicates. Normally, one who interprets (another gift) should be present, but this is not a requirement if the person speaking is the one who needs building up. The Lord knows the condition of their spirit, not us. Should we be envious of them, or disdainful of them, because they have a gift that we do not? I do not grieve the Holy Spirit for His choice of gifts, either in myself, or in others, as all are for God’s glory. I think that we need to be very cautious here when speaking of the charisms, as we do not want to ascribe their use to some worldly spirit. While prayer outside of mass is intended to be substantially private, the use of the charisms should be primarily public - think of the Pentecost in Acts 2 here. Do we also think that those displaying the charisms are drunk? If so, we are just as wrong as those whom Peter addressed.
Yet, all such gifts, in accord with 1 John 4:1 and other passages, are subject to discernment by the Church. The Church carefully discerned the charisms and the charismatic movement back in the 1960s, when they were re-emphasized after having been substantially forgotten for some time. Is not the Holy Spirit known as the forgotten member of the Trinity? The ignoring of His gifts is one of the prime reasons for this lamentable fact. The charismatic movement seeks to reverse that course, yet does so via obedience to God and His Church.
It’s a big step backwards (in my honest and humble opinion)
