Question Regarding Charismatic Catholicism

[guanophore]

Here’s a question, because this is an experience in the Pentecostal church that I’ve often run into. If we are assembled together and we are praying in tongues but in our prayer languages is that still considered disorderly?

Rather than the kind of tongue that is meant to be prophetic and interpreted, sometimes Catholics will join their private prayer language together. I have been at many Charismatic Masses where time is left for this during the consecration. It is a very different sense of worship, very peaceful, flowing, and reverent, unlike some of the raucous medley one might see in a Pentecostal gathering.

Overall I think you will find Catholics much more sensitive and aware - not so out of control.

This is not to say that people have not misused their gifts or gotten out of order, but most of the time it is orderly.

I am not sure what country you are in but there are some documents from the American National Service Committee.

I was just on a retreat this weekend with a charismatic Catholic group called Saint Paul’s Outreach. The Mass we had on Sunday was as beautiful any, and really no different.

Since this was my first full exposure to the Charismatic Renewal, I found it interesting. They told us how silent prayer was rare in biblical times. The praise and worship sessions we had were mostly singing and praying out loud.

We also got in groups and prayed over each other extemporaneously. They also mentioned something called “Baptism in the Spirit” (but nothing about it indicated it was sacramental baptism; just a name, perhaps?)

In all, I liked it. I think Charismatics have a sort of “unconventional orthodoxy” about them; they preach the Gospel of Christ without resorting to cliches and hackneyed methods of evangelization.

Good for you for being open minded Jack. “Baptism” in the Greek means to dip or submerge, so the Baptism in the Spirit is a way of saying you are dunked. As Catholics we receive the seal of the HS in Baptism, usually as infants, and are confirmed and again sealed when we are of age to take responsibility for our own faith. But there are many "infillings’ or dunkings that can occur.