I really don’t think these two should be opposed to each other, and I think it’s kind of ridiculous that they are. I think I could be counted as both a “traddie” (traditionalist) and a “charismatic”. I go to a “traditional parish” (the people in my parish that I’ve talked to all have some opposition to the Charismatic Renewal, unfortunately) but I also am an advocate of the Charismatic Renewal. As if tradition in the liturgy, and the charismatic dimension of the faith, were matters simply of opinion… There shouldn’t be this dichotomy between “traditional Catholicism” on the one hand, and charismatic spirituality on the other.
If you read 1 Corinthians, which in Chapters 12 to about 14 talks specifically about the charismatic gifts, it’s especially a discussion on the liturgy. In other parts of the letter it gives guidelines for the liturgical celebration (i.e. “the breaking of the bread” - the Eucharist). The charismatic dimension of the faith, which was hailed by Bl. John Paul the Great as co-essential with the institutional dimension to the very nature of the Church, should have its presence in the liturgy. This essentially means that we need to really be adoring God at Mass in the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s supposed to be that when someone walks into our parish, they exclaim as Paul said, that “God is really among you!”. It should be very obvious that the Holy Spirit is active and present in our liturgies. On the other hand, many charismatics have abused the liturgy. The “charismatic Mass” is often associated with liturgical abuse, or with improper liturgical music. Really, it’s very simple - do the black, say the red. Just follow the basic guidelines of the Church on the liturgy. Many traditionalists associate the charismatic dimension with guitar music, emotional liturgies, and waving and clapping. Some charismatics perhaps focus too much on the charismatic dimension and not enough on the institutional.
There is a conflict here that shouldn’t be here. I think many traditionalists simply don’t like change and have this mistaken notion that things were great before Vatican II. I think many traditionalists are indeed very Pharisaical. I think many traditionalists simply keep to tradition for the sake of keeping tradition. This is stupid.
If people would actually implement the changes made at Vatican II, I think much of this conflict would be solved.
The Charismatic movement is a very new movement from the 1960’s that was inspired by protestant Pentecostalism as such it has nothing to do with tradition and I don’t personally think it is compatible with Catholicism.
The charismatic movement is I suppose new. The charismatic dimension of the faith is not - it was with us from the beginning. Read Acts. Though the emphasis on the charismatic dimension certainly was lacking at times in the Church, the charisms themselves never ceased. To claim that it is not compatible with Catholicism is ridiculous. Read Corinthians 12. St. Thomas Aquinas has a whole book on the charisms. Read the documents of the Second Vatican Council. The charismatic movement itself is the answer to the Bl. John XXIII’s prayer for the Holy Spirit to “renew in your Church your miracles as of a second Pentecost”. Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI have all approved of this movement. Paul VI called it an important aspect of the Renewal of the entire Church, a chance for the Church and the world. John Paul II in particular has affirmed the charismatic dimension of the faith co-essential to the very nature of the church, and claimed that he was always part of this renewal in the Spirit. He also prayed in tongues regularly. Pope Benedict has had much to say about it as Cardinal Ratzinger, even asking priests not to let it pass them by. He has also said on different occasions that he wishes to invite all the faithful to experience the joys of being baptized in the Holy Spirit.
The Pentecostal movement itself was born out of the prayers of Pope Leo XIII. He had asked for a novena to be said to the Holy Spirit, in preparation for the 20th century. The day after this novena was completed, the Pentecostal movement was born in Topeka, Kansas. It’s ironic to note that a common criticism of the Pentecostals by other Protestants was that they were “too Catholic”. However, you cannot deny the incredibly fast growth of Pentecostalism, and how widespread it has become, and how many individuals have had an encounter with God through it - despite the fact that it is Protestant. The Charismatic movement, among Protestants, Catholics and even Orthodox is the fastest growing movement in the history of Christendom. In less than fifty years, about 2 billion Catholics would identify themselves as charismatic.
In any case… people, just do what the Church says.
