The Boldness of the Renewal

by Matteo Calisi

During the audience with the Italian Leaders of the Renewal, in April 1998, the Holy Father, John Paul II said: "The Catholic charismatic movement is one of the many fruits of the Second Vatican Council. How can we not give thanks for the precious spiritual fruits that the Renewal has produced in the life of the Church and in the lives of so many people?
          How many lay faithful – men, women, young people, adults and the elderly – have been able to experience in their own lives the amazing power of the Spirit and His gifts! How many people have rediscovered faith, the joy of prayer, the power and beauty of the Word of God, translating all this into generous service in the Church’s mission!".          

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        In the light of this encouraging message by Pope John Paul II, how can the Renewal continue to be as Paul VI even prophetically expressed, this "chance for the Church and the world"?  Extraordinary Event of the Spirit--I consider the Renewal as the extraordinary event of the Spirit of this century, an extraordinary event that will be destined to characterize the future of the Church itself. This movement, so little studied by specialists, is the biggest growing missionary movement in the world. It has a significant ecumenical dimension which, during this century, has grown from zero to over 500,000 million in little more than 90 years. By the year 2025 it is estimated that 1 billion, 100 million charismatics and Pentecostals will be diffused throughout the world. It is becoming the biggest movement of reawakening and renewal in the history of Christianity.

          In some respects the Renewal has been a "spiritual shock" for the Church. No one would have been able to foresee or plan an explosion of spirituality, at the end of the 20th century, with millions and millions of men and women who are hungry for spiritual enlightenment.

          The Renewal and Jesus --The Renewal re-establishes the Primacy of God in the life of the Church and the believers. Above all, the living Presence of Jesus is proclaimed as Lord (c.f. Acts 2,36 and 1 Cor 12,3). Jesus, talking about the action of the Spirit, says in St. John, "He will be my witness" (Jn 15,26). Furthermore, the Renewal re-establishes the power of evangelization accompanied by charisms and an ardent prayer of worship (cf. Acts 29,31).

          Therefore, the Charismatic Renewal calls on Christians once again to open themselves up to an outpouring of the Spirit of God in our present day when we pray for a new "Baptism in the Holy Spirit" (cf. Acts 1,5).  It is precisely this "Baptism in the Holy Spirit" which causes persons to put God in first place. Jesus said: first "receive the Holy Spirit and", then, "you will be my witnesses (cf. Acts 1,8)… because "cut from me you can do nothing" (Jn 15,5). In fact, it is impossible to build the Church without the Lord: charisms, gifts and ministries come from God-- from the Spirit! (c.f. 1 Cor 12,4-11) For this reason Paul says, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body" (1 Cor 12,13) the Body of Christ, the Church. Such an outpouring of the Spirit causes people to have a strong desire for God.

An insatiable desire for God

Yes, people are hungry for the knowledge of spiritual things, are hungry for prayer, are hungry for the Church, are hungry for Saints, are hungry for good Pastors. People have an insatiable hunger for the divine! The Renewal presents itself as a contemporary movement in "search of God." It is a contemporary movement like those which occurred in the past during the great reform movements of the Church such as with the mendicant friars of the medieval era, the movement of Francis of Assisi, and others.

The boldness of the Renewal is that of proclaiming that man can experience God. While the Scripture says that it is right to experience God, the Renewal goes further to affirm that it is "God who wants to experience us" (cf. Jn 4,23). To the extent that He lives in us, He makes us temples of His Holy Spirit, place of His Most Holy Presence.

          Paul reminds us in the Apostle : God makes our "body a living temple of the Holy Spirit… holy temple of God" (c.f.: 1 Cor 3,16,17). This is the astonishing reality! Therefore, it is logical and natural that the outpouring of the Spirit of God generates tremendous fruit--charisms and gifts of the Spirit, so that God who has found access to us can use us as channels of the "Gifts of God" (cf. 1 Cor 12,7; Jn 4,10).

          In short, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal is this outpouring of the supernatural to a society that has proclaimed the "death of God" and to a Church threatened to lose its mystic by secularization.

© 2000 ICCRS Newsletter, Vatican City . Used with permission.