Fifty Years of the Catholic Charismatic Movement: 1967-2017

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I have to say, the attitude that everyone can and will show outwards signs such as speaking in tongues is almost Apostatlic Protestant. Its not rooted in the Catholic belief system. When I first was Baptized in the Holy Spirit at a Youth conference in Steubenville Ohio twenty three years ago, my spiritual director made it clear, the Holy Spirit is for everyone. Charasmatic or not. There is nothing in church teaching that suggests everyone can and will get all gifts, or that you are not going to heaven if you do not speak in tongues, This is a Pentecostal Protestant belief.
 
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This reminds me of the Dark Night of the Soul talked about by Saint John was it, or the Carmelites, brain is failing me now. Just because you dont feel God, doesn’t mean God left. God is always there.
 
As far as the Catholic Charasmatic movement in my area, I believe I am probably the only person I know of at my church who even speaks in tongues. We are a very traditional parish but that doesn’t mean God does not work through it.
 
I thought the Holy Spirit entered us at Baptism, then we grew in it with confirmation? I could be mistaken, but that was what I was taught in RCIA 23 years ago. I think we get the Holy Spirit before confirmation.
 
Also The Holy Spirit isn’t Santa. It seems almost disrespectful to give him a wish list of charisms, and expect him to deliver them like presents on Christmas morning. He is not a pizza delivery man either. You do not go online, use a credit card order what you want, and say thanks God, here is a tip. Get what I mean? The Holy Spirit deserves respect. It is God.
 
I agree with this. Not everyone is guaranteed spiritual consolations, fuzzy feelings, knowing God is with you all the time. Some of the Saints had dry periods, that didn’t mean they didn’t have faith, the opposite was true. It helped them grow in faith.
 
I do not mean the Holy Spirit is not present in the dry spells. He is always there in his believers.
 
Scripture also says that those who do not pick up their cross and follow Jesus are not worthy of him or something along those lines right? If you are not following Jesus, there is no point to any of it, and it hardly seems these things are just for you, to make you feel warm and fuzzy. Its to build up the body of Christ. If not for that, why would it have happened in the first place?
 
I had a Pentecostal friend of mine tell me we stole the Charasmatic Movement from them to try and bring in Protestants to make the church more friendly and relatable to them, I do not believe this is the case but we need to be able to answer this as well.
 
One more thought on this, as a Charasmatic that attends a Traditional Church, there are Traditionalists that resent the implication they don’t have the fullness of the Holy Spirit because they do not manifest the same gifts. They feel the movement can be almost like a cliche or private club they haven’t been invited to. We need to ensure we dont take that attitude about the whole thing as Charasmatics.
 
I was in the charismatic movement in the 70s and 80s. I found that the renewal was very good for those who had a sound knowledge of Catholic doctrine, but needed encouragement towards a personal relationship with God, to allow the Spirit to renew them.

As time went on, I met many Catholics in the life in the Spirit seminars who had no idea of Catholic doctrine. They did not have the context to understand this, or ANY renewal. Telling THESE people to rely on personal renewal left them open to other trends rampant then, and now, to be suspicious of the magisterium and Tradition.

This in no way means the charismatic renewal is bad, just that we have to exercise prudence in terms of when, where, and for whom, this would be the next priority. Campus ministry at Steubenville? Sure. Religion class at Cotton Candy Catechetics? Nope.
 
Which is why the Vatican’s Doctrinal Commission into the Charismatic Renewal states that true catholic charismatic renewal will have as well as the biblical aspects of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, will also lead to a deeper devotion to the sacraments, mass, adoration, confession, and daily prayer (as well of prayer to Our Lady who is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and was present with the Apostles in the Upper Room praying for the descent of the Holy Spirit).
 
As the first catholic charismatics said after their Vatican approved/ Papal approved/ Vatican Doctrinal Commission Approved, experience 50 years ago,

If Our Lady and the apostles in the upper room needed the Holy Spirit’s gifts to fulfill their missions,

then how much more do we need the Holy Spirit,

especially if the New Testament tells us to:

-‘desire the higher gifts,’ ‘how much more will God give the Holy Spirit to those who ask,’ ‘ask God that you may interpret tongues, pray also that God gives you the gift of prophesy,’

-‘These signs will accompany believers: they will speak in tongues, heal the sick, and cast out demons.’

-Jesus: ‘They will do the same works that I do and greater, because I will send them the Holy Spirit.’

Scripture tells us to pursue the higher gifts and leave it up to God to what He will grant for the mission we have been given. ‘Are all healers? Are all prophets? Are all miracle workers? To each the Spirit gives as the Spirit wills.’ But scripture does tell us to put love in the right place, and ask God for the higher gifts.

Fr Timothy Gallagher (world famous Jesuit speaker on the topic of discernment) stated that the dark night of the soul (spiritual dryness) should not last more than 3 weeks, that it was only special saint victim-souls who God called to live in spiritual desolation for periods of up to 40 years.
The rest of us will have the normal joys and dryness in the spiritual life ☺️
 
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MaryClare said:
I still remember that saying, there are but three things that last, faith hope and love, but the greatest of these is love. Prophecies will cease, tongues may end, Love is eternal, God is forever
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Yes, the love of God will endure forever, for God is love. Gifts of the Spirit are secondary to the initial Baptism of the Spirit.

We all need this initial Baptism of the Spirit. Without it, the Apostles would of never been able to evangelize the world, and the early church would of died.

**For everybody **
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
 
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YoungCatholicGuy said:
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a deeper devotion to the sacraments, mass, adoration, confession, and daily prayer (as well of prayer to Our Lady…
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Good. I would add a recommendation to study of the Catechism, and fidelity to the magisterium. Not that those are more important than what was mentioned, but more likely, in 2018, to be forgotten.
 
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YoungCatholicGuy said:
Which is why the Vatican’s Doctrinal Commission into the Charismatic Renewal states that true catholic charismatic renewal will have as well as the biblical aspects of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, will also lead to a deeper devotion to the sacraments, mass, adoration, confession, and daily prayer (as well of prayer to Our Lady who is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and was present with the Apostles in the Upper Room praying for the descent of the Holy Spirit).
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Exactly, of course the Holy Spirit leads us to study of the Magisterium of the Church, and the Catechism, for in scripture the Holy Spirit says, ‘My people perish because of lack of knowledge.’
We need to know the church’s teaching and truths in order to follow those truths.
 
Popes have said nice things about many things, from Islam to Marcial Maciel. Nice words from a Pope does not mean that the group is free from error.

Charismatic movement began 50 years ago, it came from Protestantism, this is a simply historical fact. People of good faith have serious reservations about this movement.

My advice is not to put Charismaticism above Church Teaching.
 
The Catholic Charismatic renewal has its root in Pentecost according to the Vatican’s Doctrinal Commission into the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.

The Vatican never said put the Catholic charismatic renewal above Church teaching. It said that alongside the Magisterium of the Church’s teachings, the sacraments, devotion to Our Lady, that Pentecost is for all christians. It is biblical.

And the Popes haven’t just said ‘nice things’ about the catholic charismatic renewal,

They have approved it as an answered prayer to Vatican ii, which was preceded by the Pope asking all catholics to pray for a New pentecost, and the Vatican sent a Doctrinal commission to investigate the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and this Vatican Doctrinal Commission, along with the last three Popes, and current Vatican, has approved the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.

Of course no organisation within the church is free from sin, we have had sinful popes, false prophets, scandal amongst the abuse crisis in the clergy, leaders of religious orders being involved in money laundering, where there are human beings there will be sin, and we are to be on the look out for false prophets and wolves in every part of life.

But the Popes/ Vatican/ Vatican II/ Vatican’s Doctrinal Commission have approved the Catholic Charismatic Renewal as being biblically rooted in Pentecost, and that The Holy Spirit’s gift at Pentecost (along with the rest of the Magisterium of the Church) is for all catholics today,

See the Vatican’s Doctrinal Commission’s statements about the Vatican approved Catholic Charismatic renewal here:
http://www.iccrs.org/en/doctrinal-commission-questions-and-answers/

See the Vatican’s Doctrinal Commission dvd exerpt about the Vatican approved Catholic Charismatic renewal here:

 
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Yes. We receive the Holy Spirit at baptism, but a greater fullness of the Spirit at confirmation.
 
Many people fear of the unknown. But why fear that which Christ wants to give us all.

As a matter of fact, you will be better able to understand and have a greater love for the Bible and the teachings of the CC one you receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
 
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