The Catholic Charismatic Movement celebrates its 50th anniversary, a time of maturity

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal traces its origins to the Duquesne retreat, held in Pittsburgh (United States), from February 17 to 19, 1967. From that moment on, people began to speak of Catholic "Pentecostals", Catholic Pentecostal Movement or Catholic Neo-Pentecostalism; but both the term "movement" and the adjective "Pentecostal" were soon abandoned, and the new reality was designated with the name of "Pentecostal". Renewal in the Spirit, o Christian renewal in the Spirit.

However, the name that has prevailed in most of the countries has been that of Charismatic Renewalwhich has spread rapidly and is now present in more than 200 countries. It is estimated that some 120 million Catholics around the world have experienced with its help the grace of a new Pentecost and a renewal of their lives.

This movement began to spread throughout Spain in 1973, and little by little it spread throughout the national territory. At present there are about 600 groups in our country.

A life-changing reality

On the day Pope Paul VI first received the representatives of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, in 1975, the Lauds hymn of the breviary included a phrase of St. Ambrose that read: "Laeti bibamus sobriam profusionem Spiritus."i.e, "let us drink with joy of the sober abundance of the Spirit".spirit". Recalling this, the Pope told those present that these words could be the program of the Charismatic Renewal: to revive in the Church that era of enthusiasm and spiritual fervor that made the faith of the first Christians so vibrant and strong.

Baptism in the Spirit has, in fact, been revealed as a simple but effective means to carry out this program.

There are endless testimonials from people who have had the experience. It is a life-changing grace. At the International Congress of Pneumatology, held at the Vatican in 1981 on the occasion of the XVI centenary of the Ecumenical Council of Constantinople, speaking about the Charismatic Renewal and baptism in the Spirit, the theologian Yves Congar said: "One thing is certain: it is a reality that changes people's lives."

It was Pope Montini who appointed the Belgian Cardinal Leo Josef Suenens - one of the moderators of the Second Vatican Council - as his representative in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, with which he felt deeply identified and which he guided and supported in its beginnings with his writings and his presence.

St. John Paul II said on October 30, 1998: "The Catholic Charismatic Renewal has helped many Christians to rediscover the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, in the life of the Church and in the world; and this rediscovery has awakened in them a faith in Christ overflowing with joy, a great love for the Church and a generous dedication to her evangelizing mission."

Benedict XVI stated: "We can affirm that one of the elements and positive aspects of the communities of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal is the prominence that the charisms or gifts of the Holy Spirit assume in them, and their merit is to have recalled their relevance in the Church"..

Pope Francis spoke this way a few days ago, in this last month of June: "Fifty years of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, a current of grace of the Spirit. And why a stream of grace? Because it has neither founder, nor statutes nor governing bodies. Of course, in this current multiple expressions have been born which, certainly, are human works inspired by the Spirit, with different charisms and all at the service of the Church. But the current cannot be dammed, nor can the Holy Spirit be enclosed in a cage"..

What spirituality?

We see, therefore, how the Roman Pontiffs praise this spiritual reality that has just celebrated its golden jubilee in the Church. But what does charismatic spirituality really consist of? Is it something specific to a group or can all members of the Church drink from it?

In the Acts of the Apostles, the phenomenon of baptism in the Spirit appears as something habitual in the life of the Christian communities (cf. Acts 1:5; 11:15-16; etc.), in such a way that this practice was also taken up by numerous Fathers of the Church in the first centuries of Christianity.

The Charismatic Renewal groups begin with a seminar of initiation to the life in the Spirit, which usually lasts seven weeks, and within which, during a day of retreat, the baptism in the Spirit takes place, in which a priest and then several brothers impose their hands on each of those who receive the baptism. outpouring of the Spirit.

This is a most beautiful experience in which you experience in a new way the love of God for every human being, not so much as a rational discourse but as an experience that definitively marks your life. You understand that your whole history has been woven by the Holy Spirit, who at no time abandoned you, but without your knowing it, led you to an encounter with the Risen Christ.

Because, ultimately, Christ is in the Charismatic Renewal the center of everything, and the Spirit is invoked to lead us to Jesus, who continues to be a present character that intervenes in your life and transforms it.

Pillars on which the Charismatic Renewal is based

If we had to choose the "pillars" on which the Charismatic Renewal is based, or the themes on which it has the greatest impact, they would be the following:

• Gratuity. It is essential to remember that God the Father loved us before the creation of the world; therefore, before we could do any work to please him. Salvation is not won by human works, but is accepted as a free gift that we do not deserve. Of course, this does not annul the Catholic doctrine of merit, but it helps us to flee from any kind of spiritual voluntarism that could make us believe that we "deserve" Heaven or salvation. Christ is the only Savior of man, and He freely offers that grace to all who acknowledge Him as Lord. Sanctifying grace is free but not "cheap", since it cost all the Blood of Christ, which leads us to be constantly grateful for our redemption and to live in constant gratitude, fleeing from complaining and useless victimhood.
• Praise. If anything characterizes the groups of the Renewal it is the joy of praise, which is strong, joyful, anointed by the Spirit, since with our songs, our gestures and with our whole being we want to bless the God who calls us to life to be the praise of his glory. It is very characteristic of all charismatic groups to want to manifest unashamedly the joy of salvation, as Mary did in the Magnificat, exulting with joy in the Lord. It is said that they are noisy groups, in which hands are raised and the Lord is blessed with loud voices, although there are also moments of silent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, in which adoration becomes a way of life.
• Spiritual poverty. God calls people of all kinds to participate in charismatic groups, but he rejoices in a special way in those who apparently do not possess great human qualities, but are full of divine gifts; for we must not forget how, in Paul's preaching, the Apostle reminded us that the foolishness of this world has been chosen by God to confound the wise and the powerful.
• Gifts and charisms. Perhaps this dimension is the one that most "clashes" with the mentality of our times, since gifts such as those described by the Apostle Paul in the Letter to the Corinthians are not infrequent in charismatic communities: the gift of tongues, of healing, of prophecy and so many others that are given for the edification of the community. They are not gifts or charisms that place those who receive them above others. Quite the contrary. They are services that help others to be closer to God.
• Sense of community. One of the manifestations of the Spirit is the clear awareness that God gives you brothers in a community, with whom to share faith and praise, in such a way that one of the pillars of the Renewal is the testimony that each brother voluntarily gives in the community of the passage of God in his life. It may seem childish, or even too sentimental, but without a doubt the Lord uses the testimony of others to confirm us in our faith. Each week the group gathers to praise and receive a teaching, and ends with a time of testimony, which is just as important as the previous one.
• Ecumenism. From the beginning, the Renewal has experienced as a strong sign of the Spirit the search for the unity of the Body of Christ, which is the Church.

In fact, Pope Francis in the last meeting, a few weeks ago, went so far as to affirm that there is a special grace in the Renewal to pray and work for the unity of Christians, because the current of grace passes through all the Christian Churches; and prayer meetings between different confessions under the sign of the Spirit are frequent. No Christian feels strange in a charismatic community, because the praise is always the same.

Two organizational models

1. Prayer groupsThey are independent of each other, without statutes or superiors, but only leaders, called servants, without juridical authority, but always subject to ecclesiastical authority. Each group elects some servers whose main functions are to meet to discern in prayer what is appropriate for the group; to propose and, if necessary, coordinate the appropriate services, such as reception, order, music, etc.. There are also regional and national servers, especially for the organization of events, assemblies, etc.
2. Alliance communities, that occur when a group of charismatics commit themselves to bylaws, vows, tithes and other structures. This model emerged in the United States from the charismatic community. The Word of Godand has been widely distributed in countries such as France, Belgium, Italy and Germany. Among the alliance communities most recognized for their development and international expansion are the People of Praisethe Emmanuel Communitythe Community of the Beatitudes and the community Servants of the Living Christ.

The Charismatic Renewal is coordinated worldwide by the ICCRS, International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Servicesor International Charismatic Renewal Services), and the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Associations, based in Vatican City.

It is necessary to add that there are many ecclesial realities that have emerged in the light of the Charismatic Renewal in these fifty years in the life of the Church, because the Lord has wanted to use this current of grace to raise up movements of holiness that crystallize in institutions, associations and other figures that do not coincide exactly with the Renewal, but that take from it numerous attitudes before the divine grace.

At no time has the Renewal wanted to become just another institution within the great richness of the Church. In the words of Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, it is a cloud that discharges on the earth the water of the Spirit that will make it fruitful, but it has no desire for institutional permanence: the cloud fulfills its task and then it can disappear when it is no longer necessary.

In any case, the charismatic dimension has never been lacking in the Church, giving rise to so many fruits of holiness in history. Charism and hierarchy are two irreplaceable and inalienable dimensions that Christ wanted for his Church, in such a way that one without the other would give rise to an institution empty of the Spirit, who alone is always the protagonist of every evangelizing action.

In the Charismatic Renewal, Christ is the center of everything, and the Spirit is invoked to lead us to Jesus, who continues to be an actual character that intervenes in your life and transforms it.

Many ecclesial realities have emerged in the light of the Charismatic Renewal in these fifty years, because the Lord has wanted to use this current of grace to raise up movements of holiness.