Do you know charismatic catholics?

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Do you know charismatic catholics? And

Can you identify with their calling and spiritual understanding?
 
I myself would identify as one. And I can very much identify with what they desire- the Holy Spirit is the most underrated member of the Trinity and very powerful.
 
I used to be one but never really identified with the spirituality; I was too shy and inhibited.
 
I belong, to some degree, to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. I attended the whole series of Life in the Spirit Seminars in my parish, and received the prayers known as “baptism in the Holy Spirit” by other members of the movement, including priests and deacons, after the priest made a speech clarifying that this is in no way a sacrament or a “second baptism” but a prayer that aims at “stirring” the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we received in Baptism and Confirmation.

The formation was very solid. Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa wrote some very good books about it, and he has been for a while the Preacher of the Papal Household. So, one would say he’s a reputable source.

The praise & worship meetings are very nice. There are solidly Catholic songs and yes, there’s clapping and tambourines, but there’s also “gentle” songs, and even times of silence and contemplation. There are prayers, reflections, and activities to bring the “love in action” of the Holy Spirit to others.

Healing masses are not much different than a regular mass, except for the prayer of the priest over individuals who wish to be prayer upon, or the exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament that may follow it.

Some individuals truly possess charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit. I used to laugh at the idea, but as St. John says, once you see it with your own eyes, and you experience it, you know it is the truth. Some have gifts of healing, some do “speak in tongues”, some do speak prophetically, some “rest in the spirit”, and so forth.

Also the Charismatic movement is very active in the area of prayers of deliverance. Although professional medical counseling and a good sacramental life are the first steps for people who believe the devil is tormenting them, and exorcism is a rare practice, prayers of deliverance are a very legitimate ministry and sometimes the power of God reveals itself mightily.

The cultural element is important. Some places are louder than others. Other places are more quiet. Charismatic is a desire to let the Holy Spirit take control. It is not synonymous with “loud and happy-clappy” 😉 In fact, there is an emphasis on contemplation and the practice of interior silence and frequent Adoration.

I was shocked when I started attending the Seminars and eventually became more involved. All my previous ideas were thrown out of the window. Except the “talking in tongues”. That is always a little odd. Like being in a foreign country. But while I used to think it was just mindless babbling, I heard some accounts that made me change my mind. For example, one of the members was “praying in tongues” and it sounded as usual, unintelligible, and another parishioner (not a member of the movement, just someone who happened to be at the chapel) asked the lady how she knew his native language and thanked her for her recommendations because they clarified a difficult situation he was praying for. As the Scripture says, “the finger of God is here”.
 
Yes this is being a member in The family of God. As Scott Hahn teaches on.
This is actually the fun part of being a christian.
 
“fun”?

what about taking up your cross and following Jesus?
 
I cant identify with it all. Went to a Catholic day retreat that was supposed to be about Jesus it was basically a protestant retreat with the music and small groups throughout…the laying on of hands for the Holy Spirit by the Priest in the sanctuary where ppl would be falling down…speaking in gibberish…even eating a meal in front of the exposed monstrance to “eat with Jesus.” I left early.
 
Lovinglight said:
it was basically a protestant retreat with the music and small groups throughout…the laying on of hands for the Holy Spirit by the Priest in the sanctuary where ppl would be falling down…speaking in gibberish…even eating a meal in front of the exposed monstrance to “eat with Jesus.”
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Ok, the “eating a meal” in the church building is awkward.

Now, you do realize that the only thing wrong with Protestantism is its heresies? They were Catholics before they were Protestant. A lot of Protestant things look Catholic and vice versa, because they are Catholic.

Also I would not make fun of the people falling down, unless you had the openness to the Holy Spirit (as opposed to a mocking or rebellious attitude) and went to the priest to be prayed on. I went to mass with a missionary priest who was a member of the Charismatic Renewal. When he laid hands on me, I “felt” something push me on my knees. I once saw a lady insist on dragging her husband (6 foot football-player guy) to be prayed on. When the priest prayed on her, nothing. When he prayed on the husband, he went back like a ripe pear falling from a tree, and the two “catchers” almost didn’t get him on time. He was flat on the floor for quite a few minutes. He later witnessed at the amazing peace he experienced after “waking up”.

The speaking in tongues (“gibberish”, as you kindly refer to it) is weird. In many cases, it is the attempt of people of good faith to be open to the Holy Spirit who may wish to give them the charism of tongues. In other cases it is the real deal. I mentioned one story of a gentleman who actually understood what was being spoken, because God was speaking to him through the “gibberish”.
 
Such a prayer experience (Baptism in the Holy Spirit) lit my tepid faith on fire. I do not regularly participate, and I know of some who may become overly attracted/addicted to it. That speaks only of those persons and not of the CCR. As I see it, its function is to help establish a strong, abiding connection with the Holy Spirit, and to nourish it when needed in the future. I have never uttered a single syllable in a “tongue” as that is not my charism. However, we are called to know and use our charisms (see Matthew 25:14-30). Note that the preacher to the Papal household is a charismatic - so yes, this is real.

Abuses do not render it meaningless, nor do they indicate falsehood. If that is your standard, then Christianity itself is false. Best not to go there.

If it is not your spirituality, then engage in something else. But to badmouth it risks blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Do YOU really want to go there?
 
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I forced myself to be submissive to the Holy Spirit and all of my fear evaporated. You might just be amazed at how your charism plays out.
 
I’d go to a charismatic service just to have the experience in a non-judgmental way, but like most things in the Church, if your own parish isn’t promoting it, it’s not easy to find where the group is meeting, holding Mass, etc.

The charismatics who hung around our church in the 70s were kind of weird…then again, everything in the 70s was weird. It seemed like maybe charismatics grew dissatisfied with the regular OF Mass after a while and wanted to introduce charismatic elements into it, which to me is not proper or fair to those who are a bit more reserved about their Mass participation.
 
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Key word: serve. I would say that sometimes I really enjoy my walk with the lord, but other times it’s pretty crappy… But then again that’s just me
 
Yes sometimes it is fun to be chosen And serve. and sometime not so much
 
Yes, my husband is one.

I identify with their desire to pay attention to the movement of the Holy Spirit, although having had a lot of Benedictine influence in my life, my spirituality and personality lean more towards contemplative prayer. We both recognize the good graces and the power of the Holy Spirit in both of those forms.
 
The Companions of the Cross are a society of priests who have “charismatic” as one of their four pillars. I’ve known them for years, especially with them being assigned to my current parish. The neat thing about the Companions is that they heavily encourage what one would call “traditional” devotions and practices.

I would definitely say that I’m a “charismatic Catholic” in the same vein as them.
 
Speaking as a charismatic…

It is VERY important to realize that “charismatic” doesn’t tell us much about a group of Christians. It doesn’t tell us whether they’re orthodox, whether they’re morally solid, or whether they’re spiritually mature. So if you’ve run into immature or unorthodox charismatic groups, don’t think that your limited experience applies to every charismatic group!
 
Indeed, one can scarcely be called Catholic if one does not both know and employ one’s own charisms of the Holy Spirit.
 
I’ve met maybe two or three but have never been to a catholic charismatic service. When I was an Anglican (in a very Anglo-Catholic area), I went to an Anglican charismatic service at the invitation of a friend. It left me cold and wondering how people may feel if they weren’t ‘touched’ by the Holy Spirit. There was almost an elitist feel to it. And that was probably the very human element in it coming through because to be truly charismatic is to know that the Holy Spirit doesn’t just manifest itself in the speaking of tongues or of spiritual ecstasy which throws one on the floor but in many different ways including the quiet gifts of discernment, wisdom, knowledge, etc.
 
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