PENTECOSTToday - nsc-chariscenter.org · Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa challenges the Char-ismatic Renewal to have “eyes to see” what the Lord is doing in this new springtime. Spiritual

Chairman’s Corner 2

From the Director 14

Ministry Update 15

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PENTECOSTTodayPublication of the National Service Committee of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal

PENTECOSTTodayJanuary/February/March 2002 Volume 27, Number 1

In the midst of the storm .............................3NSC Executive Director Walter Matthews re-flects on recent national events and suggestsways which the Lord seems to be inviting us torespond.

The new springtime .....................................4Cardinal Ivan Dias shares his insights on howthe Charismatic Renewal can embody PopeJohn Paul II’s call to holiness and communion inNovo Millennio Ineunte.

“Do you not perceive it?” ............................6Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa challenges the Char-ismatic Renewal to have “eyes to see” what theLord is doing in this new springtime.

Spiritual FormationForgiveness ..................................................7While the secular world discovers the joy of for-giveness, Christians are called to acknowledgeits power in our lives. Dorothy Ranaghan of-fers some insights on this vital aspect of spiri-tual growth.

Stirring the vision into flame ................. 9Deacon Bill Brennan writes that the con-nection between baptism in the Holy Spiritand sacramental baptism can provide lead-ers with a clear vision for the CharismaticRenewal.

Newsbriefs ............................................ 11

Faith-sharing, sponsors and small groupsin the New LSS ..................................... 12The New Life in the Spirit Seminars use faith-sharing with sponsors, small groups and wit-nessing to help participants recognize theHoly Spirit’s action in their lives.

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LEADERS FOCUS

2 PENTECOST Today January/February/March 2002

PENTECOSTTodayExecutive DirectorWalter Matthews

Editorial BoardFr. Art Cooney, OFM Cap.Dr. Michele GreischarVirginia King

EditorRon Ryan

Production ManagerJean Beers

For Your InformationThis is a publication of the NationalService Committee of the CatholicCharismatic Renewal of the UnitedStates, Inc. The mission of the NSC isto stir into flame the grace of Pentecostwithin and beyond the church, tobroaden and deepen the understand-ing that baptism in the Holy Spirit is theChristian inheritance of all, and tostrengthen the Catholic CharismaticRenewal.

The National Service Committee-Chariscenter USA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Contributions todefray the cost of this publication aregratefully accepted and are tax deduct-ible to the extent allowed by law. Pleasemail to:

NSC-Chariscenter USAPO Box 628Locust Grove, VA 22508-0628Tel. (540) 972-0225www.nsc-chariscenter.org

National Service Committeemembers:

Fr. Patsy Iaquinta (Chairman)Dcn. William BrennanJosephine CachiaFr. Art Cooney, OFM Cap.Dr. Michele GreischarRosbel HernandezVirginia KingAggie NeckMark NehrbasRudy Pruden

© 2002, National Service Committee ofthe Catholic Charismatic Renewal of theUnited States, Inc. Not to be reproducedwithout permission.

A limited amount of advertising spaceis available. For information call JeanBeers, (360) 331-4860.

Advertisements for events not spon-sored by the National Service Commit-tee do not imply endorsement by theNSC/Chariscenter USA.

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Fr. Patsy Iaquinta is chairman of the NationalService Committee. He is pastor of Sacred HeartParish in Bluefield, West Virginia.

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Chairman� sCorner

by Fr. Patsy Iaquinta 2001

We’re all in thistogetherby Fr. Patsy Iaquinta

W e have been called to holiness, tobe like Jesus, to be the imageof God. The Baltimore

Catechism’s question, “Why were youmade?…to know, love and serve God…” can-not be understood in the narrow, invidualisticsense. Jesus invites all of us into the life of theTrinity, the community of persons, the com-munion of God. Through our baptism weshare in the communion with all the baptized,and there is only one baptism in which weparticipate. There is only one bread, one cup.The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us:“The ultimate purpose of mission is noneother than to make men [sic] share in thecommunion between the Father and the Sonin their Spirit of love.”

To be like Jesus moves us from his hidden lifeof thirty-plus years to the gospel stories of hispublic life. He spent the night in prayer be-fore choosing disciples. John 17 lets us listenin on his private prayer to our Father; the syn-optic accounts of the Garden of Gethsemanedescribe Jesus praying alone. I tend to believethat Jesus did this throughout his life, evenbefore he began public ministry. If all holdstrue to form, it was surely this private prayerthat lead Jesus to public ministry.

In Luke 4 as Jesus begins his public life, wefind him going to the synagogue “accordingto his custom.” Jesus obviously shares his re-lationship with the Father with all. His pri-vate prayer and devotion is different from hiscommunal life. As Jesus shares this commun-ion and as he gathers others around him, thesepersons become bonded in love. They are sovastly different, yet share the one Spirit. Themission of the church (Jesus and his body)moves from prayer to service. Until we un-

derstand the depth of the communal natureof baptism and Eucharist, there will alwaysbe division in the body.

Even in the early community, people wantedto do their personal, private thing. Paul writesto the Corinthians: “Whenever someone says,‘I belong to Paul’ and another, ‘I belong toApollos,’ are you not merely human?” (1 Cor.3:4). The body of Christ becomes divided.Paul further says, “For anyone who eats anddrinks without discerning the body, eats anddrinks judgment on himself ” (11:29). All thatwe say and do affects every member of thebody of Christ. We truly are one body, indi-vidual members with a variety of gifts, butone body. God’s gifts, given through us, areto be used for the common good.

Can we really comprehend the Chris-tian truth that we are responsible forone another?

In our society we have placed such an over-emphasis on individual rights that, to a greatextent, we have lost the sense of community—that we are all in this kingdom together. In-ternational tragedies call us to realize that weare one global community. Can we really com-prehend the Christian truth that we are re-sponsible for one another? Are our individualwhims and wants satisfied at the expense ofthe basic needs of brothers and sisters? Whenone eats and another is hungry, do we not eatand drink condemnation?

To be like Jesus is more than offering prayersto our Father. It also includes welcomingstrangers to become a part of who we are (bap-tism and the RCIA process). It includes giv-ing food and drink to the hungry (Eucharist,in the fullest sense, is off the table and out tothe street). It includes visiting the lonely andimprisoned (reconciliation). To be like Jesusis to instruct and counsel, to correct and for-give, to comfort and heal. We are to love theworld so much that we are willing to die forothers to bring them the message and minis-try of Jesus. ◆

January/February/March 2002 PENTECOST Today 3

In the midstof the stormby Walter Matthews

T he headline of the Houston Chronicle of Sunday, June 10, 2001, was meant to be descriptive, but perhaps it was also sadly prophetic. “Rain of Terror” it declared. Tropical Storm Allison had

hit the Houston area on Friday, June 8, with a vengeance.

In this issue we had in-tended to tell the story ofhow the Lord had turnedthe “rain of terror” into a“reign of glory.” For, in themidst of water, storm andchaos, the 2001 NationalCatholic Charismatic Re-newal Conference washeld. It will be long-re-membered as the Confer-ence that “endured.”

It will also be rememberedby those who attended asthe Conference where, in

spite of the rain and flood,the Lord was present intangible ways. While,sadly, lives were lost in thewake of the floods andpower outages, other liveswere being transformed,changed and renewed.

One of the volunteerworkers shared the storyabout her husband whohad been away from thechurch for thirty-fiveyears. He was drafted intohelping with transporting

participants. His wholelife was touched by whathe experienced. He hasreturned to the churchand was asked by his pas-tor to share his story at hisparish’s Sunday Mass.

There are many more sto-ries to tell. We had in-tended to share them inthis issue with the articlesfrom talks given by Car-dinal Ivan Dias, Fr.Raniero Cantalamessaand Deacon Bill Brennan.

T hen came the horrific events of September 11, an even more devastating and frightening “terror.” It has engendered many heart-warming stories of heroic action in planes, in the World

Trade Center and on the ground.

What perspective can bebrought to the presentmoment from what wasexperienced and what wasproclaimed in Houston?

First, be at peace. TheLord is in charge. Fear—the natural response to theterrorists’ acts—is useless.Asleep in the boat, Jesuswas awakened by the ter-rified disciples. Havingcalmed the storm, hechastised them, “Where isyour faith?” (Lk. 8:25).

“Peace is what I leave withyou; it is my own peacethat I give you. I do notgive it as the world does.Do not be worried andupset; do not be afraid”(Jn. 14:27).

Second, recognize that weare in a battle—not somuch a battle or war againstterrorism, but against prin-cipalities and powers.Whatever leads people tofly planes into populatedbuildings is not of God.Such hatred does not comefrom a loving God.

“For we are not fightingagainst human beings,but against the wickedspiritual forces in theheavenly world, the rul-ers and authorities, andcosmic powers of thedark age” (Eph. 6:12).

Who can defeat such anenemy? “Only the per-son who believes thatJesus is the Son of God”(1Jn. 5:5). And howshall such an enemy bedefeated? By prayer, bylove and by faith.

See Storm p. 13

Prayer for the NationOur Father and our God,

We praise you for your goodness to ournation, giving us blessings far beyondwhat we deserve.

Yet we know all is not right with America.We deeply need a moral and spiritualrenewal to help us meet the manyproblems we face.

Convict us of sin.Help us to turn to you in repentance andfaith. Set our feet on the path of yourrighteousness and peace.

We pray today for our nation’s leaders.Give them the wisdom to know what isright, and the courage to do it.

You have said, “Blessed is the nationwhose God is the LORD.” May this be anew era for America as we humbleourselves and acknowledge you alone asour Savior and LORD.

We pray this in your holy name. Amen.

Composed by Rev. Billy Graham for the50th Anniversary of the National Day ofPrayer last May.

© 2001 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

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This quest for holiness means that all the trea-sures which the Lord has given to his churchmust be beautified. They are like gems in thecrown of the church. The more they are madeto shine, the more the crown shines. We haveso many precious treasures. I would like tomention three main ones.

The first treasure is the most blessed Eucha-rist—God himself present, body, blood, souland divinity in our midst. This should be thecenter of our spiritual life because Christ isthe source of all sanctity. In our Renewal, ifwe want to be really filled with the Holy Spirit,we must not only go to the word of God, butto see that the word of God and our prayerlife lead us to God himself.

The second treasure is the blessed VirginMary. I want to tell you three phrases whichSt. Louis de Montfort, a great lover of Mary,had to say. And these are coming true as apart of the New Springtime. “As Jesus camethe first time through the mediation of Mary,so he will come the last time through Mary.”Mary will prepare the way for Jesus’ secondcoming. He also said, “Mary is the compasswhich points always to Jesus.” And the thirdstatement is, “Mary is the magnet that attractsthe Holy Spirit.” We pay attention to this be-cause all of us want to be Spirit-filled andSpirit-led.

The third treasure is our Holy Father, the Pope.I thank God for having kept his magisterium,

Oby Cardinal Ivan Dias

Our Holy Father notes in the apostolic letter,Novo Millennio Ineunte, two important wordsfor the new springtime. The first is that Godis renewing his universal call to holiness. Andthe second is that what the world needs to-day is a spirituality of communion.

The Holy Father says: “The gift of holiness isoffered to all the baptized. But the gift in turnbecomes a task which must shape the wholeof Christian life: ‘This is the will of God, yoursanctification’ (1 Thes. 4:3). The time hascome to re-propose wholeheartedly to every-one this high standard of ordinary Christianliving: the whole life of the Christian com-munity and of Christian families must leadin this direction” (no. 30, 31).©

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The new springtime:The new springtime:The new springtime:The new springtime:The new springtime:The new springtime:The new springtime:The new springtime:The new springtime:The new springtime:The world needs

a spirituality of communionwhere unity blossoms

amidst diversity

where all sectors ofChristian communitybecome more actively

involved in proclaimingthe good newsof Jesus Christ.

The world needsa spirituality of communion

where unity blossomsamidst diversity

where all sectors ofChristian communitybecome more actively

involved in proclaimingthe good newsof Jesus Christ.


someone who speaks with authority in his nameand gives his teachings. I suppose you know thisstory but I will repeat it.

There was a battle ship on the high seas, on avery dark night. As it was sailing on the sea,the watchman noticed a light that was com-ing straight towards the ship. So he raised thealarm. The captain came up immediately andsaw this light coming in his direction and in-dicated to the signal officer to send a signal,“I am the captain. Alter your course ten de-grees starboard.” The reply came, “I’m only asecond officer. Alter your course ten degreesstarboard.” So the captain was angry and toldhis signal officer to send another message. “I’ma battleship, so change your course ten de-grees starboard immediately.” And promptlythe reply came, “I am the lighthouse.”

Let us thank God that he has kept his light-house in our midst, the one who can tell uswhen we are right and when we are wrong,and what is our direction.

I always think of ourselves as light bulbs,because we are supposed to be the light ofthe world. But as you know, every bulb haswires inside that are inter-connected. Andthen they are connected to the transformerand the generator. As Catholics, we musthave all these wires well placed, united withthe transformer which is the church andthrough the transformer to the divine gen-erator which is God himself.

Yesterday (in the aftermath of tropical stormAllison in Houston) we learned how a big city

in the largest country in the world can re-main powerless when the electricity goes out.But I think the Lord is telling us, precisely inview of this new springtime, “See what theworld has come to when you have switchedoff the power of God the Holy Spirit.”

Finally, my dear brothers and sisters, thechurch tells us that the new millennium mustbe a millennium of communion. The worldneeds a spirituality of communion. What doesthat mean? It is a communion where unityblossoms amidst diversity; a communionwhere all sectors of Christian community—bishops, clergy, religious, lay faithful—be-come more actively involved together in pro-claiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Fi-nally, a communion where charisms and in-stitution blend together harmoniously for thegreater glory of God.

We cannot live separately as communities ofpersons for ourselves. We must live for God,for the Father who is Father of all—the goodand the naughty, the just and the wicked. Wemust enlarge our hearts to make them as largeas the heart of God himself. That is a chal-lenge for us. If we keep our hearts tightened,the new springtime will be aborted.

Today the Lord has quickened many lay pio-neers, associations, communities, movementslike Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and hasput them by the side of the bishops, priests,

deacons and the religious, to proclaim to-gether and forcefully the good news of JesusChrist. Let us all take stock of our responsi-bility and say “yes” to this call to communion.

I have a dream that the church in this nation,which is so vibrant and so blessed by God inso many ways, will respond generously toGod’s universal call to holiness and maintaina harmonious blend between charismatic andinstitutional dimensions, both of which areco-essential in the church of Jesus Christ. Ipray with expectant faith and with the helpof God’s Holy Spirit that this dream will cometrue and will enter into a new Pentecost inthe United States of America and will makeit a light to the nations and the glory of God’sholy people. God bless America! ◆

This article was adapted from Cardinal Dias’homily at the closing session of the 2001 Na-tional Catholic Charismatic Renewal Confer-ence in Houston. The audio recording of thehomily is available for $8 (includes shipping)from Resurrection Tapes, 2719 E. 42nd, Min-neapolis, MN 55406 or www.resevents.com.

Cardinal Ivan Dias has served as archbishopof Mumbai (Bombay), India, since 1997. He

previously worked in thediplomatic service of theHoly See and with theVatican Secretariat ofState in Rome, where hewas first involved in theCatholic Charismtic Re-newal in the 1970s.

We must enlargeour hearts to make

them as largeas the heart

of God himself.

We must enlargeour hearts to make

them as largeas the heart

of God himself.

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by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

“Do not remember the former things, norconsider the things of old. Behold, I am do-ing a new thing; now it springs forth, do younot perceive it?” (Is. 43:19). The “new thing”Isaiah had in mind was the new exodus, thecoming back from the exile in Babylon. Butthese events—the exodus from Egypt and thereturn from Babylon—were “new” in a rela-tive and provisional sense. One day therewould be an absolutely “new” thing, afterwhich there could not be other new things:the “new and eternal covenant” that God wasgoing to make in the fullness of time, in“those days” (see Jer. 31:31-33).

The kingdom of God preached by Jesus isthe absolutely new thing on earth. Through-out all his life, and especially at the begin-ning of his public ministry, Jesus seems to beproclaiming those words of Isaiah: “Do notremember the former things... Behold, I amdoing a new thing; now it springs forth, doyou not perceive it?” After Easter this “newthing” has a proper name. It is no longer anevent but a person: Jesus, the risen Lord!

But this newness has a special quality in it-self: it never becomes old, outdated. It is aperennially new newness. The earthly Jesus

was subject to the passing of time: 12 yearsold, 20 years old, 33 years old; he could growold. The risen Jesus, no, he lives “accordingto the Spirit.” It is the Holy Spirit who makesJesus always new. The Holy Spirit does notmake new things (new sacraments, new rev-elations); he makes things new!

The special contribution of the Char-ismatic Renewal could well be keep-ing alive the wonder of being in thepresence of God.

In his letter Novo Millennio Ineunte thePope speaks of a “new springtime” andlaunches the church into the new millen-nium with the bold cry, “Put out into thedeep!” But then he dedicates the centralpart of his letter to “starting afresh fromChrist” (n. 29). He invites us to contem-plate “the face of Christ”—the face of sor-row, the face of glory, the Son’s face.

If the new springtime is already here, what,then, depends on us? The answer is: to be-come aware of it. We have a beautiful wordin Italian to say this: accorgersi, which meansto perceive with the heart, to bring somethinganew into the heart (ad-cor), to become at-tentive. In English you say to realize, to makesomething real, to conceive as real.

“Do you not perceive it?” To be able to per-ceive, this is the problem. To help othersto do the same is the task. The same wastrue when Jesus first preached the kingdom,“Blessed are the eyes that see...” (Lk.10:23). The only problem with the light iswhether or not there are eyes to see; theonly problem with music is whether or notthere are ears to listen.

Now the prerogative of the Charismatic Re-newal in its beginnings was precisely this senseof amazement, astonishment at seeing Godacting among his people. The same as on theday of Pentecost: “Each one wasbewildered...they were amazed andastonished...and said to one another, ‘Whatis this?’” (Acts 2:6-12). You have a specialword in English to express this feeling stirredby the presence of God, a word which I can-

See Perceive page 13

The CharismaticRenewal and thenew springtimeof the church

Do you notperceive it?”

“


▼

FORGIVENESSby Dorothy Garrity Ranaghan

Computers have changed the way wespeak and act. Keeping up with thechanges is a constant challenge, as

I discovered a few years ago while tryingto arrange for a summer course in typingfor our youngest daughter. My attempt toregister her for the class had me gigglingas I heard this response to my request: “I’msorry, we don’t offer a ‘typing’ class in thesummer anymore; however, we do offer a‘keyboarding’ class—will that do?” “Thatwill be even better,” I said, and meant it.As one who helped with the daunting taskof typing my husband’s long doctoral dis-sertation in the dark ages before homecomputers were commonplace, I remem-ber all too well the tedious consequences of making evena small mistake. Typing and typewriters involved carbonpaper for preserving our originals, and various forms of“white out” to correct our imperfections. Though an im-provement over parchment, quill pens and ink eradica-tors, typing tools were nonetheless best used by thosewhose skill neared perfection.

Computers were invented for the “far from perfect” restof us. With simplicity, the backspace (delete) key strokeeliminates our goofs, and the edit (undo) ability enablesus to restore wholeness to a document as we reconsiderand remove potentially damaging lines, paragraphs, evenwhole pages. The mercy in these “new-fangled” mechani-cal restoration tools reminds me of the power of forgive-ness and reconciliation. Typos may have been messy andinconvenient, but they never hurt anyone. My many sins,however, deeply offend God my Father and my brothersand sisters. The damage and its consequences would bepermanent were it not for the mercy of God who taughtus about the delete key of forgiveness and who recon-ciled us to himself with the “undo” power of Jesus’ deathand resurrection.

There is one little hitch in this merciful forgiveness busi-ness. We can only ask our Father to “forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who trespass against us.”Ouch. Our pride and our sensitivities rebelagainst that option. But forgiving thosewho have offended us is the key to per-sonal freedom and joy and to any possibil-ity of unity in the body of Christ. Yet Chris-tians often ignore this truth and wonderwhy they feel weighed down. Our own sinscontribute to our heaviness. If our angerflares, we see clearly that we have madeeveryone in the room uncomfortable. Wecan’t just go away and later ask God to for-give us. There is a social reality at work,and we need to ask forgiveness of all whobore the consequence of our sin. The words“I’m sorry” may stick in our throats, but

in saying them we restore order, peace and joy, and we liftthe oppressive atmosphere.

Heavier still is the burden of failing to forgive thosewho have offended us or those we love. I once read“to forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover

that the prisoner was you” (Lewis Smedes). Feeling bur-dened or bound up? Forgive. The world is catching on tothis truth. Recently while surfing the internet, I discov-ered “The Apology Room of the Forgiveness Web.” It isan anonymous forum where one can post a notice “con-fessing” those things for which one is truly sorry. It existsbecause the realization has dawned upon many in the aca-demic, psychological and political worlds that forgivenesshelps individuals, families and communities to restorehealthy emotions, rebuild relationships, and establishmore peaceful communities. There is an entire “forgive-ness movement” spearheaded by the work of Elaine Glusacand Robert Enright of the University of Wisconsin-Madi-son. They publish on the subject “a scientific approach toforgiveness.” There is a Stanford Forgiveness Training Pro-gram in health and healing, and there are forgivenessgroups for addiction recovery and for families of victimsof murder, rape and incest. There are even global andworldwide alliances of forgiveness.

Forgiving those whohave offended us isthe key to personalfreedom and joy and toany possibility of unityin the body of Christ.

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SpiritualFormation


Forgiveness

Dorothy Garrity Ranaghanis a founding member ofthe People of Praise Com-munity. A former memberof the National ServiceCommittee and formereditor of the ChariscenterUSA Newsletter, Dorothycurrently does writing and

retreat work. She and her husband, Kevin,live in South Bend, Indiana, and have sixchildren and seven grandchildren.

We who call ourselves Christian should “getwith it.” Forgiveness is “in,” yet the reality ofChristian forgiveness involves much morethan just “feeling” better. The profound truthof forgiveness is not simply a psychologicaltool for feeling whole, although feeling rightis a good benefit. Forgiveness actually restoresthe unity that is broken with God and oth-ers. It is possible because of the unity of Christwith his Father, and because Christ lives in us.Forgiveness is the work of Christ in us andthrough us now, which is what gives it its power.

W e who seek to build the kingdom of God in this world—that kingdom of peace and joy and love all

long for—have seen the power of this tool offorgiveness. We need to exercise it more of-ten by being “kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God inChrist also has forgiven” us (Eph. 4:32).When we are deeply hurt, forgiving the one

who hurt us may not “feel” better right away;but the wound has been sealed, and resent-ment cannot breed infection within us. It is acleansing, a deletion, an “undo” that lets thehealing start. Like the initial attempt to learnto use a computer, learning to receive and tooffer forgiveness may seem more difficult thanrewarding. Yet both skills are well worth learn-ing—even if the effort requires “seventy timesseven” times each day. ◆

TEACHING OUTLINEA. Computer analogy (forgive-

ness/delete key; reconcilia-tion/undo key)

B. We will be forgiven as we for-give others.

C. Forgiveness is the key to joyand unity.

C. Forgiveness is necessarybecause sin has a socialdimension.

D. The secular world has dis-covered the benefits offorgiveness.

E. The power in forgiveness isnot in our own feelings, but inthe power of Christ within uswho forgives and restoresunity with his Father.

F. We need to exercise forgive-ness early and often.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONSIf the sacrament of penance takesaway my sin, why should I alsoseek to be forgiven by anyone butGod?

What are the similarities and dif-ferences between a therapeuticunderstanding of forgiveness andthe Christian understanding?

How is Christ involved when weseek or accept forgiveness?

CorrectionWe apologize for the error that ap-peared in the Statement of Ac-countability in the October/No-vember/December 2001 issue ofPentecost Today, page 13. Thelast line that began “Excess”should have read “Excess of Pub-lic Support and Revenue OverExpenses.”

New Life in the Spirit Seminars Team Manual:Catholic Edition 2000Now in its 4th printing, this newly revised seminarhas been enthusiastically received and imple-mented across the US. The dynamism of the originalformat is preserved in the updated seminar whichincorporates a Catholic understanding of thesacraments of initiation and baptism in the Spirit.Order a manual today and plan a New Life in theSpirit Seminar for your parish. $9.95 plus s/h

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SpiritualFormation

Open WOpen WOpen WOpen WOpen Wednesdaednesdaednesdaednesdaednesdayyyyy“Open Wednesday” facilitates

parents to prepare childrenfor the Sunday Mass Readings.

http://welcome.to/openwedThere are links

to art and craft projectspertaining to the Readings


by Deacon Bill Brennan

I ’m an average, ordinary guy who, on May4, 1973, had a most extraordinary en-counter with the risen Christ and the fireand the power of the Holy Spirit, which

turned me around, upside down, inside out.It put a fire in my heart which burns to thisday. I’m an average ordinary guy whose lifecompletely changed.

God has done something truly spectacular inour lives by giving us the grace of baptism inthe Holy Spirit. If your experience was any-thing like mine, everything inyour life changed. Everythingcame alive. Prayer came alive.Scripture came alive. Thechurch came alive. And themost amazing thing to me per-sonally was that Jesus camealive in ways that I had neverknown before. Over time, Ibegan to discover that what had really comealive was my sacramental baptism.

You are probably familiar with Prov. 29:18:“Without a vision, the people perish.” God isinviting us to stir into flame the vision of theCharismatic Renewal. What we are experi-encing in this Renewal is not just to make usfeel good at a conference or prayer meeting.It is not just so we can raise our hands andsing joyful songs when we gather with otherswho have had the same experience. God hasgiven us this gift to bring to life the grace ofour baptism, so that we can get on with do-ing what we were baptized to do.

There are two scriptures which we need tohold in our hearts because they are key to thevision of “doing what we were baptized to do.”Luke 7:18-23 tells the story of John theBaptist’s disciples questioning whether Jesus

is “the one who is to come.” John is not onehundred percent sure that Jesus is the mes-siah. Jesus replies: “Go and report to Johnwhat you have seen and what you have heard.The blind see, the lame walk, lepers arecleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised tolife and the poor have the good news pro-claimed to them.” Jesus came to proclaim thegood news of the Father’s kingdom. All themiracles, the signs and wonders were there toauthenticate Jesus as the messiah. The thingsthat they were seeing and hearing were the

things that would happenwhen the messiah came. Thiswas the evidence that Johnthe Baptist was waiting for.

The second scripture that Iwant to bring to your atten-tion is John 14:12: “Amen,amen I say to you, the person

who believes in me will do the works that Ido and even greater.” This is one of the mostincredible promises made in the whole gos-pel, and it is so filled with implications for usthat many of us treat it as if it is too good tobe true. But it is not just a pious thought.Jesus is really serious.

Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit for the pur-pose of fulfilling this promise, to empower usto do what Jesus did. I would say to anybodyin ministry: if you view your ministry as ajob, you will burn out. If you view your min-istry as a blank spot on a roster that needs tobe filled, a dirty job but somebody has to doit, you will become disillusioned. You willprobably die on the vine. But if you see yourministry as doing the works of Jesus, youwill see the glory of God. You will see thepower of the Holy Spirit manifested as Godreaches out through you and touches thepeople you are serving.

We have received the same commission thatthe first disciples received, to go and to dowhat Jesus was doing, and to recognize that itisn’t we who do it—it is Jesus. If we ever getconfused and think that it is we who are do-ing it, we are in trouble. Sooner or later wewill fall. It is Jesus who does it. We simplylend him our hands and our feet. The churchtells us that this goes back to our baptism.We were baptized to be his instruments.

A t Vatican II, the church said, “It is the obligation of every baptized believer to reveal the new man and new woman who has come alive

in baptism and the power of the Holy Spirit”(Ad Gentes, n. 11). This is an obligation, nota wish or a pious thought. The word used for“power” is from the same root as our word“dynamite.” It is a power that explodes. It is apower that makes things happen. Change oc-curs. That is the kind of power that we havebeen given through the grace of baptism inthe Holy Spirit.

The church affirms that charismatic gifts arean integral part of this Christian life. In Lu-men Gentium, n. 12, we read, “Thesecharisms, whether they be the most outstand-ing or the more simple and widely diffused,are to be received with thanksgiving and con-solation, for they are exceedingly suitable anduseful for the needs of the church.”

In the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity weread, “From the reception of these charismsor gifts, including those which are less dra-matic, there arises for each believer the rightand duty to use them in the church and inthe world” (n. 3). If we are baptized believ-ers, and if we are not using our charisms inthe church and in the world, then we are notdoing what is our right and our duty.

Stirring the vision into flame

God has given us thisgift to bring to life thegrace of our baptism,so that we can get onwith doing what wewere baptized to do.

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LEADERS FOCUS


I believe with all my heart that God hasgiven us the gift of baptism in the HolySpirit so that we can be a teachable mo-ment for the church. Part of that teach-

able moment is to be the evidence that thepower of the Holy Spirit is not just theoreti-cal. It is not just something we declare to betrue, a statement of faith. It is, as Pope PaulVI called it, “that certain lived experience ofPentecost.” It is the lived experience of theHoly Spirit, alive and burning like fire within

us. We are empowered to do what Jesus does.That is the vision we need to be sharing. ◆

This article was adapted from Deacon BillBrennan’s presentation at the Day for Clergy andLeaders at the 2001 National Catholic Charis-matic Renewal Conference in Houston. The au-dio recording of the presentation is available for$8 (includes shipping) from Resurrection Tapes,2719 E. 42nd, Minneapolis, MN 55406 orwww.resevents.com.

Deacon Bill Brennan is a member of the Na-tional Service Committee and serves as liaison

for the Charismatic Re-newal in the Diocese ofStockton, California.

Day of Prayerand Fasting

Friday, February 8

At the January 2001 meeting ofnational leadership groups in Al-exandria, Louisiana, under theleadership of Bishop SamJacobs, Chairman of the Bish-ops’ Ad Hoc Committee on theCatholic Charismatic Renewal, itwas decided to establish the Fri-day before Ash Wednesday, Feb-ruary 8, as a Day of Prayer andFasting. (See Pentecost Today,April/May/June 2001, p. 11.)

In light of the events of Septem-ber 11, the Day of Prayer andFasting takes on a special poi-gnancy. The original purpose wasto pray for the Catholic Charis-matic Renewal in the UnitedStates and, more especially, forthe church in the US, that it be-come inflamed with the fire ofPentecost.

By choosing one day to proclaima fast we can strengthen the unityin the Renewal and communionin the church. Our fast acknowl-edges the “weaknesses of thepast” and calls us forward in hu-mil i ty and “ in hope” (NovoMillennio Ineunte, n. 58).

LEADERS FOCUS


NEWSBRIEFS

Internationalcolloquium on healingconvenes in RomeThe Pontifical Council for theLaity in cooperation with the In-ternational Catholic CharismaticRenewal Services (ICCRS) con-vened an international collo-quium entitled Prayer for Heal-ing and the Charismatic Renewalin the Catholic Church, Novem-ber 10-13, at the Sanctuary ofOur Lady of Divine Love inRome. About one hundredtwenty participants fromthroughout the world gathered todiscuss the experience of healingin the Catholic Charismatic Re-newal and in the church today.

Speakers included both churchauthorities and experts in certainfields (e.g. Scripture) as well asthose from the Charismatic Re-newal with experience in the heal-ing ministry. There was a generalaffirmation of the importance ofprayer for healing as a constitu-ent part of the new evangeliza-tion, the proclamation of theGospel, and of the loving care ofGod for his people.

The colloquium also discussedthe Vatican document Instructionon Prayers for Healing, issued lastyear by the Congregation of theDoctrine of Faith. ArchbishopTarcisio Bertone, the Secretary ofthe Congregation of the Doctrineof Faith, was present to give abackground to the document andan orientation to its doctrinalpoints and disciplinary norms.

The Instruction asserts in partthat, “prayer for the restorationof health is…part of the church’sexperience in every age includingour own…These healings aresigns of his (Jesus’) messianicmission…It is licit for every mem-ber of the faithful to pray to God

for healing.” Archbishop Bertonestated unequivocally that one ofthe reasons for the Instructionwas to counter a certain rational-ization affecting some Catholiccommunities, leading to a neglectof prayer for healing and visitingthe sick. Such rationalizing has re-moved the possibility of God’sintervention in human life byhealing of illness through prayerand the intercession of the saintsand Mary.

The colloquium was led by Car-dinal James Francis Stafford, thePresident of the Pontifical Coun-cil for the Laity. Eleven bishopsand over thirty priests werepresent. Twenty of the partici-pants were from the US, includ-ing Bishop Sam Jacobs of Alex-andria, Louisiana, Chairman ofthe US Bishops’ Committee onthe Catholic Charismatic Re-newal, and Walter Matthews, Ex-ecutive Director of the NationalService Committee of the Catho-lic Charismatic Renewal.

In brief:The Comité Nacional de ServicioHispano (CNSH, the HispanicNSC in the US) held its secondnational conference in late Octo-ber in Chicago. Two thousandpeople attended. The CNSH willconvene a conference within the2002 National Catholic Charis-matic Renewal Conference inPittsburgh, September 13-15.

In late September the Associationof Diocesan Liaisons convenedtheir annual theological sympo-sium in Albuquerque. “The Re-newal at 35—Bridging Memoryand Vision” addressed aspects ofthe Renewal including the HolySpirit in the Gospel of John, heal-ing the roots of religious culture,and reclaiming the prophetic di-mension of the Renewal. ◆

FINANCIAL UPDATE

Due in part to the economic downturn last year and com-pounded by the events of September 11 (which promptedan outpouring of generosity to those working directly withvictims and families of the terrorist attacks) donations tothe National Service Committee were significantly downfrom last year. As of this writing, income was $100,000below expenses.

This shortfall depleted the Service Committee’s cash re-serves, and we have been living month to month.

In late November we launched a new initiative called Fan-ning the Flame Partners to help motivate our higher-enddonors to give more generously. The results of this effortwill not be known until after the first of the new year.

If you have not been asked and you can make a pledge of$300, $500 or $1000 a year or more for five years, wewould like to hear from you.

However, even with this effort, we need everyone’ssupport. If the readers of Pentecost Today each send$10, $15 or $25 and, if prayer groups across the countrycould take up a collection and send $50, $100 or more,we could close the gap resulting from the economic down-turn.

We need your help. We beg for it.

Here is what one of our top donors wrote to us recently:

Several years ago we felt that the Holy Spirit was asking us to re-prioritize our charitable giving and to di-rect a much larger portion of our tithe to support thework of the National Service Committee. We aredeeply grateful for the blessing of charismatic renewalfor our own lives and appreciate the dedication of theNSC in fostering this gift in the Catholic Church.

If you share a common vision with the NSC for spiri-tual renewal in the church, we challenge you toprayer fully consider how you can increase your fi-nancial support so this important work of the HolySpirit can continue.

Thank you for your support.p

LEADERS FOCUS


The New Life in theSpirit SeminarsTeam Manual:Catholic Edition2000 sells at $9.95.

A bulk discount of30% is available forpurchase of fivecopies or more(shipping and hand-ling extra). For moreinformation, callChariscenter USA at1-800-338-2445.

New Life in the Spirit SeminarsCatholic Edition 2000

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Faith-sharing, sponsors and small groupsin the New Life in the Spirit Seminars

The New Life in the Spirit Seminars: Catholic Edi-tion 2000 is grounded in the gospel message andGod’s ongoing invitation to receive the Spirit.

Teachings about the Christian life and the sacramentsof initiation build on this invitation, but the realpower to accept God in new ways often hinges onthe team’s ability to share their faith and to offerpersonal examples of God’s presence. Jan’s conver-sion at a Marian shrine, Connie’s healing at a prayermeeting, or John’s baptism in the Spirit while read-ing Psalm 23 are effective because we know Jan, wesee Connie every week, and we admire John’s abilityto listen. Their lives become prophetic.

Faith-sharing is an important tool, a prism for God’spresence. As Sr. Nancy Keller and Sr. Justin Wirthwrite in Faith Sharing in Small Groups, faith-sharingcan be defined as “telling another person how Godis working in my life, what a Scripture passage meansto me, how God has answered prayer or taught me aspiritual truth.” Faith-sharing demonstrates practi-cal applications of the gospel without emphasis onpersonal conclusions. Faith-sharing is like connec-tive tissue, or glue, that links our daily lives and theactions of God’s Holy Spirit. The Spirit awakens faithas we talk about God’s activity among us. Faith-shar-ing gives ordinary people hope about God’s lovingtouch in everyday life.

The seminar provides three deliberate opportunities forfaith-sharing: the witnesses given after each talk, aparticipant’s one-to-one relationship with a sponsor,and the weekly small sharing groups. The weekly wit-nesses are an opportunity for the whole group to hear

about the long-term effects of God’s interven-tion in a person’s life. The relationship with asponsor provides for one-to-one faith-sharingon a more intimate basis.

Historically, the 1979 edition of the seminartalked about greeters (sponsors) as bridges be-tween the prayer group and the participants.The new manual stresses the idea of sponsorsas friends and spiritual companions on the jour-ney of faith (see pages 25-28). The word spon-sor comes from the church’s experience with

the sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation andEucharist). The sponsor accompanies a person during

his or her sacramental preparations. In much the sameway, when a person completes the missing pieces oftheir spiritual formation through the Life in the SpiritSeminars they often need a guide to help them exploreand describe ways that God can work in daily life.

The sponsor’s role is one of the keys to effectiveevangelization and spiritual growth. A sponsoroffers support and encourages sharing as a par-

ticipant explores his or her response to the gospel mes-sage. Some of this happens naturally in the small groups,through informal conversations and through phonecalls. The sponsor is not a personal counselor, teacher,or even a spiritual director; but a listening friend. Allthat is required is a confidence in God’s presence and awillingness to affirm the participant’s religious experi-ences. Sponsoring is almost like being a personal guideon a treasure hunt who has a bit more experience inspotting God’s hand in daily life. Advice is not usuallyhelpful, just encouragement. The sponsor can alsooffer individual, spontaneous prayer as a naturaloutcome of faith-sharing. Prayer leads Christians“little by little to acquire a contemplative view ofreality, enabling them to recognize God in everymoment and in every thing; to contemplate God inevery person; to seek his will in all that happens”(Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia in America, n. 79).

The third setting for faith-sharing is the small group.This weekly gathering provides an introduction to thechurch as a large community made up of small com-munities. Pope John Paul II emphasizes this vision ofchurch in his exhortation, Ecclesia in America. He says:“It seems timely therefore to form ecclessial communi-ties and groups of a size that allow for true human rela-tionships. This will make it possible to live commun-ion more intensely…In such a human context it willbe easier to gather to hear the word of God, to reflecton the range of human problems in the light of thisword and gradually to make responsible decisions in-spired by the all-embracing love of Christ” (n. 41). Forpractical ways to promote faith-sharing—rather thandiscussion—in small groups, see Faith Sharing in SmallGroups. It also goes without saying that a good experi-ence with a small group will awaken the desire to par-ticipate in a wide variety of large and small communitygatherings after the seminar. ◆

Newly Revised Booklet!Faith Sharing in SmallGroups: The Vision andthe Tools, is available for$4.95 (a 20% discountuntil March 31; $5.95thereafter) throughChariscenter USA plusshipping and handling.

LEADERS FOCUS


not pronounce well but which I understandwell, maybe the shortest word in English whenpronounced: the word is awe.

I was very much impressed by the account leftby one of the students present at the Duquesneweekend back in 1967: “Fear of the Lordwelled up within us; a fearful awe kept us fromlooking up. He was personally present and wefeared being loved too much…This holy fearwas somehow the same as love.” St. Gregoryof Nyssa calls this “the awareness of a pres-ence.” In those early days, this awareness filledthe meetings, the prayers, the songs, every-thing. “The Lord is present in his sanctuary,let us praise the Lord. The Lord is present inhis people gathered here, let us rejoice in theLord.” We could feel that the Lord was reallythere; what we sang was what we experienced.

Will we be able to renew the miracle? Or willGod have to raise up new people, new cur-rents with the same kind of charism, new“waves” of the Spirit? Remember the wordsof Jesus, “If these keep silent the stones willcry out” (Lk. 19:40).

The greatest danger is for us to become ac-customed to God, to fall from awe into rou-

Third, read the fifth chapter of Paul’s FirstLetter to the Thessalonians. There we read,“All of you are people who belong to thelight…we do not belong to the night or tothe darkness…encourage one another andhelp one another…”

This was true in Houston. It has been truein New York City and in the Washington,D.C. area. May it continue to be truethroughout our world.

Fourth, intercede for our nation and for ourleaders. I find the prayer for the 50th Anni-versary of the National Day of Prayer—written by the Rev. Billy Graham prior tothe events of September 11—prophetic andchallenging. (See side bar on page 3.)

Finally, let us seize this moment. There is ahunger in the land for God in a way thatthere has not been for years. Men and

women are searching for answers. We havethe answer in Jesus Christ who is the way,the truth and the life, and we have a key toopening and deepening a personal relation-ship to Jesus Christ in the grace of baptismin the Holy Spirit. The fire within is notjust for ourselves or for those who are inour circle, our family or our prayer group.

The theme of the 2001 National CatholicCharismatic Renewal Conference was TheNew Springtime: Do You Not Perceive It? Inthe rains that nearly flooded us out, we sawsigns of God’s powerful action. In the ashesof the World Trade Center, the damage ofthe Pentagon and the disintegrated planecrashed in the field in Pennsylvania, we arechallenged to see more deeply. We are sad-dened at the terrible loss and angered bythe madness of such acts, but as Christians,we hear the voice of our Lord challengingus to repentance and to witness.

tine. The special contribution of the Charis-matic Renewal in view of the new springtimecould well be in this field: keeping alive thewonder of a sense of being in the presence of

We cannot rely on our past charis-matic expertise, on our own enthusi-asm or willingness. We need a real,not an artificial, springtime.

God and his manifestations (in the sacra-ments, the charisms, the lives of persons). Itis a prophetic contribution. What was themain task of the prophets in Israel, if not thisone? They obliged the people to live amidst“a devouring fire and everlasting flames” (Is.33:14). Their favorite exclamation was, “Be-hold!” John the Baptist, the greatest of proph-ets, would exclaim, “Behold, the Lamb ofGod…among you stands someone you do notknow” (Jn. 1:26, 29). The same exclamationshould resound every time we get up to speak.

Where shall we find the resources to achievethis task? To whom shall we go for strength?We cannot rely on our past charismatic ex-pertise, on our own enthusiasm or willing-ness. We need a real, not an artificial, spring-time. Faith is the answer—expectant faith.

Marveling is the mother of faith and herdaughter at the same time; she generates faithand is generated by faith. We can pray withPsalm 119:18, “Open my eyes so that I cansee the marvels of your law.” Open our eyesso that we can see the marvel of marvels, yourSon Jesus Christ!

Sociologists speak of the “nascent state”—themoment of birthing. This is the magic mo-ment when a relationship first appears andblossoms, as in a new social grouping, an in-stitution, a religious order, a love between twopersons. It is usually the moment of greateststrength, novelty, hope, joy, charm. Pentecostwas the church in its nascent state! The Char-ismatic Renewal has had its nascent state andmany among us remember it. But then weremember the words of Isaiah, “Do not re-member the former things...” Our hope is thatin faith there is room for a new nascent state,a new budding, a state always newly emerg-ing, a reawakening of faith. “Is there anythingimpossible to God?” ◆

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa is preacher to thepapal household.

Storm from p. 3

Perceive from p. 6

As Deacon Bill Brennan proclaimed inHouston, “It is the lived experience of theHoly Spirit, alive and burning like firewithin us” that will enable us “to do whatJesus does.”

And then, maybe then, the dream of Car-dinal Dias will come true:

…that the church in this nation, whichis so vibrant and so blessed by God inso many ways, will respond generouslyto God’s universal call to holiness…andthat (we) will enter into a new Pentecost in the United States of America,and will make it a light to the nationsand the glory of God’s holy people.God bless America! ◆

Walter Matthews is the Executive Director ofthe National Service Committee.


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From theDirector

by Walter Matthews

Although the 2001 National CatholicCharismatic Renewal Conference was disrupted by the forces of nature (as

described elsewhere in this issue) and, as aresult, the Conference was shortened, it wasnonetheless powerful and challenging.

In his remarks Cardinal Dias of Mumbai(Bombay), who had come to Houston spe-cifically to experience for the first time theCatholic Charismatic Renewal in the US,told us of his experience before the tombof Pope John XXIII prior to his coming.When he prayed for us he said he heard theLord tell him to tell us that there is a newspringtime in the US and that we, theCatholic Charismatic Renewal, are its firstfruits. Praise God.

As those who are more seasonally knowl-edgeable than I know, springtime is a timeof planting and, as Sr. Nancy Kellar is fondof reminding us, of harvesting the winterwheat. Amidst the difficulties of theeconomy even before September 11 andcertainly since, the National Service Com-mittee with its Council is hard at workplanting and harvesting.

At the NSC’s recent meeting with the NSCCouncil, working groups were formed insix areas. We firmly believe that now is notthe time to hold back, to rest or to hide,but rather a time to “put out into the deep”as our Holy Father has encouraged us.

The working groups were and are more thandiscussion groups or advisory groups. The work-ing groups will continue to operate betweenmeetings to foster a number of areas following

the mission of the NSC “to strengthen theCatholic Charismatic Renewal.”

The six areas are:◆ future National Conferences◆ praise and worship◆ leadership initiative◆ intercessory network◆ healing and deliverance◆ prayer group restoration.

Each working group was led by a NSC Coun-cil member with a National Service Commit-tee member as a link to the NSC as a whole.Each group was tasked to define the need inthe area chosen, assess the available resourcesof people, existing programs and money, andproject how we, the NSC and NSC Council,might respond.

“It is fatal to forget that ‘withoutChrist we can do nothing.’”

Pope John Paul II

Each working group then reported to thewhole body, received input and questions ofclarification, and was then tasked to refinethe need. The results are under review by theNational Service Committee, but a greatamount of energy, enthusiasm and a sense ofdirection emerged. In future issues we will givemore background to each group and discussthe plans that have been proposed.

I do, however, want to highlight one area, andthat is the formation of an Intercessory Net-work. While such networks exist in some dio-ceses and for some ministries, we have neverattempted to draw folks into such a networkon a national level. We would all agree thatprayer is a necessity. As Pope John Paul II

states in Novo Millennio Ineunte, “It isimportant…that what we propose, with thehelp of God, should be profoundly rooted incontemplation and prayer” (n. 15). He fur-ther states:

If in the planning that awaits us we com-mit ourselves more confidently to a pas-toral activity that gives personal and com-munal prayer its proper place, we shall beobserving an essential principle of theChristian view of life: the primacy of grace.

There is a temptation which perenniallybesets every spiritual journey and pasto-ral work: that of thinking that the resultsdepend on our ability to act and to plan.God of course asks us really to cooperatewith his grace, and therefore invites us toinvest all our resources of intelligence andenergy in serving the cause of the king-dom. But it is fatal to forget that “withoutChrist we can do nothing” (n. 38).

If we are to “put out into the deep,” we shouldbe covered with prayer. Intercessors whowould want to be part of such a networkshould write to our office by mail or e-mail.Finally, while in this issue of Pentecost Todaywe reflect on the Lord’s actions and words tous in Houston last June, we are already in themidst of planning for the 2002 NationalCatholic Charismatic Renewal Conference.We will gather in Pittsburgh September 13-15 with the theme Go Forth in the Spirit! Char-ismatic Renewal Jubilee 35. We look forwardto seeing you there as we continue to put outinto the deep for a catch and foster a newspringtime in the church. ◆

Working—and praying—for the new springtime


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MinistryUpdate

by Aggie Neck

In the span of a four-month period, our faith has been tested, and as I see it, ithas come forth like gold purified in the fire, like silver in the crucible. It is indifficult times we prove that we believe what we say. This issue’s column willtake a look at how the Charismatic Renewal, its leadership, and its people were

Renewal in the midst of tragedy

there for each other and for others.

National Conference, Houston,June 8-10, 2001It started off like any other conference—people gathering to hear teachings, to praiseGod and to enjoy the fellowship of otherbrothers and sisters in the Renewal. As we allleft the convention center on Friday night, itwas raining very hard. We laughed as we scur-ried to our cars. Little did we know what thenext day would bring!

The relentless rain flooded buildings in thedowntown area as well as homes and high-ways. Electricity was off in many areas. Welearned that many people had lost theirhomes, and some had lost their lives.

What happened that morning was a momentof grace. People gathered in the conventioncenter, in hotels and in homes where they werestranded and isolated. We began to praise theLord for his sovereign majesty and prayed forthe city of Houston and its people. We prayedfor God’s mercy and assistance. It was as ifwe shifted into emergency mode and knewthat prayer was the answer. God led the waythrough many people working under ananointing of the Holy Spirit.

The conference did continue in a modifiedform that afternoon and the next morning.However, the real miracle of it all was seeingthe people of God undaunted in their joy,their praise and their ability to function inthe midst of difficult times. For me, it was a

moment of “holy pride” in the Renewal andthe people of God.

ReflectionsThese reflections are from the evaluations sub-mitted at the National Conference in Houston.

“This Conference signified a strengtheningof leadership within the Charismatic Re-newal. It was a demonstration of a faith-filled people and time, and it tested theCharismatic Renewal in the United Statesas pastored by the NSC.”

“We must not forget the messages we learnedfrom God to enable us to clarify our vision—not only asking God to bless our plans, butbeing willing to be part of God’s plan, tostretch ourselves to the point of risk.”

New York, September 11 th

The following was written by Josephine Cachia,a member of the National Service Committeefrom Brooklyn. She entitles it “Loving Comfort.”

This experience is beyond process. Only Godin his mercy can fully absorb this horribleevent. Looking back to the Regional Leaders’Gathering sponsored by the National ServiceCommittee on the weekend of September 7-9th at Bishop Molloy’s Retreat House inQueens, New York, I feel privileged to haveserved as the coordinator for the event. Wewere lifted up in prayer, praise and worship.We were inspired with good, solid teachings

and blessed with sincere and loving fellow-ship. I believe it was a key event to prepare usfor what was going to happen.

While driving to work at the Charismatic Re-newal Office on Tuesday, September 11th, I wasreflecting on the great weekend experience whenI noticed the sky filling with smoke. I turned onthe radio and the rest is history.

Our office is just a few blocks away from boththe Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges and justacross the street from St. James CathedralBasilica. As people were coming away fromthe World Trade Center area, they walked overthe bridges and passed our way. Some madetheir way into the church to pray, while oth-ers were in a hurry to get home. We were ableto minister in the street, forming prayer circlesfor those still in harm’s way, hugging thosewho were frightened and in apparent shock.People came streaming into the office to usethe phone to call family members.

It was a heart-breaking day and we are still inshock. So many lives changed in an instanton that tragic day. May God and his faithfulpeople continue to comfort and support allthose who are suffering the effects of this ter-rible tragedy.

“Our soul waits for the Lord,who is our help and

our shield,For in him our hearts rejoice;

in his holy name we trust.May your kindness, O Lord,

be upon uswho have put our hope in you.”

Psalm 33:20-22

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PENTECOSTTodayPO Box 628 ◆ Locust Grove, VA ◆ 22508-0628

Go Forth in the Spirit: Charismatic Renewal Jubilee 35

website: www.nsc-----chariscenter.orgphone: 1-866-NSC-CONF (1-866-672-2663)

The 35th Anniversary of

the Catholic Charismatic

Renewal is upon us! The

celebrations of our 25th

(1992) and 30th (1997)

anniversaries were

anointed times of great

blessing and joy! The

Bishops� Committee,

Association of Diocesan

Liaisons, Ethnic Commit-

tees on Charismatic

Renewal and others are

joining with the National

Service Committee to

plan a momentous event

in 2002 to thank the Lord

for 35 years. Call or visit

our website to receive

your invitation for our 35th

Anniversary Conference.

General sessionsGeneral sessionsGeneral sessionsGeneral sessionsGeneral sessions

Friday: holiness

Saturday: power

Sunday: faithfulness

SpeakSpeakSpeakSpeakSpeakererererersssss

Bishop Sam Jacobs

Ralph Martin

Aggie Neck

Bishop Stanislaw Rylko

(from the Vatican)

Fr. Mario Casteneda

Laurette Felix

Bishop Donald Wuerl

Jim Beckman

and others

DaDaDaDaDavid Lavid Lavid Lavid Lavid Lawrence Conwrence Conwrence Conwrence Conwrence Convvvvvention Centention Centention Centention Centention CenterererererPittsburghPittsburghPittsburghPittsburghPittsburgh

SeptSeptSeptSeptSeptember 1ember 1ember 1ember 1ember 13�15, 20023�15, 20023�15, 20023�15, 20023�15, 2002

Go Forth in the Spirit!

35 YEARS○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Celebrate!Celebrate!

Documents

PENTECOSTToday - nsc-chariscenter.org · Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa challenges the Char-ismatic Renewal to have “eyes to see” what the Lord is doing in this new springtime. Spiritual