Iccrs Leadership Formation For March-april 2009

International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services Serving the Charismatic Renewal in the Catholic Church

LEADERSHIP FORMATION Volume XXXV, Number 2

March – April 2009

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is for all the Church by Cyril John

This Issue

The necessity of Baptism in the Holy Spirit for living lives fully In his book, The Shape of the Church to

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is for all the Church Come, Fr. Karl Rahner, SJ pointed out: “If we Practising the charism of prophecy in the Charismatic Renewal The use of blessed oil during prayers

“To interpret the Renewal as a ‘movement’ among other movements is to misunderstand its nature; it is a movement of the Spirit offered to the entire Church and destined to rejuvenate every aspect of the Church’s life. The soul of the Renewal—Baptism in the Spirit—is a grace of Pentecostal refreshment offered to all Christians.”

are honest, we must admit that we are, to a terrifying extent, a spiritually lifeless Church.” What he meant was that many Christians today have not experienced the in–dwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. As a result of this, we seem to be more like a Church without Pentecost. We seem to be a powerless people without the Holy Spirit. The Church was born in the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the Holy Spirit was the sole motivating agent for the early Church. From the Acts of the Apostles and the Church history we realize that the early Church was truly Spirit– filled and Spirit–led. Healings, miracles, signs and wonders were an integral part of their life and fellowship. This leads us to the realization that all believers, without exception, need the power of the Spirit to live their lives fully and fulfill their vocation and mission in the Church. Cardinal Leon–Joseph Suenens must have been quite bold when he pointed out that “We are all average Christians, but that doesn’t mean we are normal Christians. We are abnormal Christians, handicapped children of God, because we have not allowed the Holy Spirit to do His full work in us… But if we are to live normal, full Christian lives, the power that we have received at Baptism has to come out of the freezer. We need a release of the Spirit within us.” Out of the deep freeze and onto the fire—that’s what the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (BHS) has done to millions of Catholics all over the world in the past forty two years since the Duquesne weekend. There is nothing extraordinary about the BHS for it is essentially that which happened to the 120 disciples when the Holy Spirit descended on them on the day of Pentecost.

Sadly, Baptism in the Holy Spirit is confined to a section of people only The Catholic Charismatic Renewal has certainly succeeded in ushering in a new springtime in the

Church in the past four decades. From a small group of people in a classroom in the Duquesne University in Pittsburg who had the bewildering experience in February 1967, today it has grown to be a world–wide movement that has practically influenced about 125 million people in 235 countries. However, one needs to bear in mind that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is “like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened” (Lk 13:21). We need to constantly ask ourselves: to what extent has the BHS turned out to be leaven to the whole Church? The fact remains that ‘a grace’ that was meant for all Church has been confined to only about 12% of the faithful. Just as the first Pentecost was not for any select group, the New Pentecost is meant for all. Pope Paul VI famously referred to the Renewal as “a chance for the Church and for the world”. In 1996 Cardinal Suenens wrote: “With the passing of time the phrase of Paul VI on the Renewal as ‘good fortune for the Church’ still remains a wish only partially fulfilled, because this grace was not grasped at every level of the Church or taken to its heart. To interpret the Renewal as a ‘movement’ among other movements is to misunderstand its nature; it is a movement of the Spirit offered to the entire Church and destined to rejuvenate every aspect of the Church’s life. The soul of the Renewal—Baptism in the Spirit—is a grace of Pentecostal refreshment offered to all Christians.” Commenting on this, Fr. R. Cantalamessa pointed out: “It is with infinite sadness that I see that the Charismatic Renewal has ended up confined to one part of the Church only, and regarded by the rest as something alien that they feel fully justified in keeping well clear of it.” The BHS is a grace that is meant to be transmitted into each and every sphere and activity of the Church. Praising and singing in tongues, prophesying and healing should become part of the day–to–day life in every parish community and family. Hence, we should admit in all humility that the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, in fact, has just begun! (continued on Page 3)

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“We are being called to awaken from slumber and be empowered anew by the Holy Spirit. Let us once again become passionate adorers of the Lord and powerful instruments of intercession for the Church and the world.”

March – April 2009

Leadership Formation

It is destined for the entire Church

The Operation Upper Room

Cardinal Suenens exhorted us: “To my friends in the Renewal all over the world I should like to say that the Renewal is destined for the entire Church, and that their constant preoccupation should be that the waters of the river flow into the sea in loyalty to their source.” Pope John Paul II told the ICCRS Council when he met them in 1979 shortly after becoming Pope: “I am convinced that this movement is a very important component in the total renewal of the Church”. This does not imply that everyone should formally enrol themselves as ‘members’ of the Renewal. It simply means that, like the yeast, the grace of Baptism in the Holy Spirit should permeate into the entire Church. Thereby the Catholic Charismatic Renewal will lose its separate identity and all the Church will once again become ‘a Church with the Pentecost’ re–living the Acts of the Apostles. It is a grace meant to transform existing ecclesiastical structures such as parish council, Small Christian Communities, Catholic Association and other associations and strengthen them in their faith.

The mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the twentieth century was an outcome of this renewed devotion to the Holy Spirit introduced in the Church. Once again in recent years in many countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia, National Service Committees and ministries have started promoting Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit. With this objective in view the ICCRS has launched Operation Upper Room: “Pentecost of the Nations—For a New Culture of Pentecost” as a priority project. It is an appeal to National Service Committees across the world to observe 10 days prior to the “Upper Room of Jerusalem” in one heart and in constant prayer (Acts 1:12-14) becoming “burning bushes” in adoration and intercession. I have been sensing considerable burden that the Holy Spirit is calling the whole Church to return anew to the Upper Room in prayer and expectation for a new Pentecost! As someone has rightly said, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is “a spiritual shock” for the entire Church that is meant to transmit an impulse, “a current of grace.” It should produce results that are identical to the first Pentecost about 2000 years ago: “And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). Let us pray and endeavor ceaselessly to restore the Church to her original character. With our eyes of faith let us look up and see “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev 21:1) the Spirit of God is already creating!”

Eternal Pentecost needed Blessed Elena Guerra appealed to Pope Leo XIII, “Holy Father, call the faithful to the Cenacle without delay! Imitating Saint Peter who goes ahead to make ready the Upper Room, let us all go into the Cenacle! Let us turn to the Holy Spirit so that the Holy Spirit may turn to us.” The Church must continually come back to the Cenacle, the Upper Room, to be enlightened again and become a burning bush, as it was on the day of Pentecost. For Pentecost is not a one off event. The Church needs a permanent Pentecost. More than ever, the Church and the world need the miracle of Pentecost to be continued today. Everywhere the trumpet is being sounded about the need for the people of God to return to the Upper Room in intense worship, adoration and intercession. We are being called to awaken from slumber and be empowered anew by the Holy Spirit. Let us once again become passionate adorers of the Lord and powerful instruments of intercession for the Church and the world. The Pentecost is an ongoing experience and we should start praying fervently and look forward expectantly for a New Pentecost!

ICCRS wishes...

to all the readers a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit in this Pentecost season:

“Come Holy Spirit!”

Leadership Formation

March – April 2009

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Practising the charism of prophecy in the Charismatic Renewal by María José Cantos de Ortiz

Prophecy is a message from God, a manifestation of the Spirit to be used for the general good, because those who prophesy build up, exhort and comfort the community (1 Cor. 12:7; 14:3). It can be expressed through a sentence, a vision or a text from the Bible. In the prayer groups in the CCR there are many interventions that are inspired by the Holy Spirit: sometimes, some people feel moved by the Spirit to share an experience, to say a prayer or to read a text clearly guided by God; other times, an idea, a vision or an enlightenment received is communicated to the others. When we speak of “prophecy” we are referring to communications from the Lord. These can be expressed in a simple and direct way, for example: “I am with you, do not be afraid”…, through a message in tongues and its interpretation, through a prophetic song or a vision received. In the reception of the prophecy there are two aspects involved: feeling moved by God to speak, and the enlightenment of the mind to express the message, aspects that can be consecutive or simultaneous. To feel moved or driven by God to speak can be manifested in physical signs, like the increase of the heart beats, a weight that persists, or like a soft impulse to say something. In any case, we must always take into account that no divine impulse is neither disturbing nor uncontrollable: “the prophetic spirit is to be under the prophets’ control” (1 Cor. 14:32). In its turn, the enlightenment of the mind happens through ideas, words, sentences that arise in the mind, visions or a sudden inspiration. Sometimes the person receives a complete message, but it is very common that the person receives the message as he/she expresses it. The contents of the prophecy is a message from God for that moment, and its purpose is to edify the community, to comfort giving peace and joy, to encourage, to strengthen, to correct or to exhort. Even though the prophecy is a message from God, this is given through a person who speaks when moved by the Spirit. For the same reason, discernment is required to know if it is genuine. The more the person is surrendered to God, the purer and more transparent will the message be. That is why the prophecy must be discerned by the community: “Let two prophets, or three, speak while the rest weigh their words” (1 Cor. 14:29). The criteria for discernment can be grouped considering that the message from God must have “the fragrance of Christ..., the smell of life leading to life” (2 Cor. 2,14‒16). Allan Panozza considers five criteria for the discernment of a genuine prophecy: it gives good fruit; it is according to the

Holy Scriptures; it encourages, it edifies, it exhorts, it brings peace and not fear; it gives glory to God and the prophet is under God’s anointing. Through the discernment process may the true prophecy, the false prophecy and the pseudo prophecy be distinguished. The true one has the attributes previously expressed. The false prophecy does not often appear, it usually contradicts in some of its parts what the Word of God or the teaching of the Church express; it is expressed in aggressive or condemning words; its effects are negative and its fruit is uneasiness, anguish or anxiety. There are situations which favor false prophecy such as: people who have been in touch with the occult, divisions in the group, situations of sin or the desire for extraordinary charisms. Pseudo prophecy corresponds to a message which comes from the person, be it from his/her thoughts, feelings or emotions; without being harmful it lacks the power and anointing that come from God. Lastly, there are also messages given as prophecies where what comes from God and what comes from the person who says it, is mixed. This usually happens when a person begins to prophesy. In this case the people responsible for the group or community must help so that this gift is purified in the brother or sister who manifests it. Prophecy is a gift which is very appreciated by Saint Paul “Make love your aim; but be eager, too, for spiritual gifts, and especially for prophesying” (1 Cor. 14:1). Not to despise it is an insistence which he makes in his letters (Th. 5: 19‒21), so we must appreciate it and promote it in the prayer groups giving appropriate teachings on the subject, supporting, guiding and helping the brothers and sisters who manifest to have this gift to grow, encouraging and teaching the group to welcome and express the prophecy which usually appears in moments of recollection, adoration, long silences or after singing in tongues. Finally, we must consider that there has to be some kind of authority to which the prophecy yields; in the prayer group it is the leaders who discern it, in other events as retreats or meetings, the discernment is made by a team. To sum up, as the prophecy is a message inspired by the Spirit it is a gift highly esteemed in the CCR and in the prayer groups, and it should be conveniently encouraged. When a group prays and invokes the Spirit, He acts edifying, exhorting or comforting the community placing prophetic words in simple people who open themselves to His action. However, the discernment is essential to distinguish the real prophecy from other messages which do not come from God.

“The contents of the prophecy is a message from God for that moment, and its purpose is to edify the community, to comfort giving peace and joy, to encourage, to strengthen, to correct or to exhort.”

March – April 2009

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Leadership Formation

QUESTIONS TO THE ICCRS DOCTRINAL COMMISSION ICCRS receives many questions about the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and we do our best to answer as many as we can with the help of the ICCRS Doctrinal Commission members who kindly take the time to check their references and credit their sources. The questions and answers featured in this section of the Leadership Formation each issue are selected for their relevancy and helpfulness overall for those involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. If you have a question about the CCR, please send it to [email protected] and we will do our best to answer it!

On the use of blessed oil during prayers ICCRS International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services Permission is granted to reprint an article from the ICCRS Newsletter and Formation Leadership as long as ICCRS is quoted as the source. Please keep us updated on changes to your e-mail and postal address so we may continue to bring you the latest articles and current events on the Catholic Charismatic Movement.

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The “oil of gladness” is a biblical term that people in the Charismatic Renewal have adopted to designate the blessed oil used by lay people, as distinct from the blessed oil used by priests to administer the Sacrament of the Sick. In Scripture, the oil of gladness appears in Psalm 45:7 (quoted in Hebrews 1:9), where it refers to the oil with which a king is anointed at his coronation, a sign of joy and honor. It also appears in Isaiah 61:1‒3, which proclaims that the Messiah, the anointed one, will give all God’s people the signs of the joy of his coming: “a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.” For the Israelites, anointing oils were a part of daily culture and a way of showing honor to guests (see Lk 7:46). They were often scented, and putting them on would be a sign of gladness, similar our use of perfume or cologne (see Ps 133:2). But more than that, they were a sign of special consecration by God, either of a king (1 Sam 10:1), a priest (Lev 8:12), or a prophet (1 Kg 19:16). Regarding the used of blessed oil by the laity today, there has been some confusion. On some occasions in the CCR or among other groups, the impression has been wrongly given that lay people were administering the Sacrament of the Sick. Partly to clear up this confusion, in 1997 the Vatican issued an “Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non–ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priests.” This document states: “In using sacramentals, the non–ordained faithful should ensure that these are in no way regarded as sacraments whose administration is proper and exclusive to the Bishop and to the priest. Since they are not priests, in no instance may the non–ordained perform anointings either with the Oil of the Sick or any other oil” (Art. 9, 1). After this document was published, the question arose as to whether it intended to exclude the laity from any use of blessed oil at all? This would be contrary to ancient Catholic custom. The 1964

Roman Ritual, in fact, includes a Blessing of Oil, presumably for use as a sacramental by the laity. In view of this question, Bishop Sam Jacobs, former chair of the U.S. Bishops Committee on the CCR, requested a verbal clarification from then–Cardinal Ratzinger during an ad limina visit to Rome. Bishop Jacobs writes: “The document in question was addressing the issue of the sacrament of the anointing of the sick which can be administered only by an ordained priest. Non–ordained laity are not allowed to administer this sacrament with the Oil of the Sick nor to use any blessed oil to administer this sacrament. When I was in Rome in March for the Ad Limina visit, I asked Cardinal Ratzinger about this question. He assured me, in front of the other bishops from Region V, that the document was only referring to the sacrament of the sick and not to the ancient custom of lay people using blessed oil, even when praying for the sick, as long as a clear distinction was being made between the sacrament of the sick and sacramental use of blessed oil, as is done with blessed salt, palms, ashes, etc. I asked that a clarification be made to the effect and he assured me one would be coming. I think it is necessary that people don’t extend the understanding of the authors of the document beyond their intention, which was limited and focused.” * Thus blessed oil can be used for informal anointings by the laity, as long as they are clearly distinguished from the sacramental anointing that only a priest can perform. And there is no reason why this blessed oil used by the laity cannot be called the “oil of gladness,” adopting the biblical term. Blessed oil is a sacramental, a sacred sign that resembles the sacraments and prepares us to receive the grace of the sacraments. As the Catechism says (1669), “Sacramentals derive from the baptismal priesthood: every baptized person is called to be a ‘blessing,’ and to bless.” As always, any specific guidelines given by your local ordinary should be followed.

* printed with permission