Word of Life Catholic Charismatic Renewal Center
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Word of Life Catholic Charismatic Renewal Center April 2015 “Go into the world and tell the Good News to all creation.” Mark 16:15 THE CHARISM OF INVITATION By Sister Magdalena Casas Nava, DLJC - What is the charism of Invitation? Kingdom of God? Are its effects beginning of the ministry of the We will begin with a simple beyond human ingenuity? great Apostle to the Gentiles. definition: the charism of Invitation Sometimes we would not know We can find in the Bible other is a gift or anointing of the Holy these until we have acted upon the stories of invitations directed Spirit to request from others their inspiration. Let us further towards the building up of the presence or participation in comment on these criteria for Kingdom, and which effects are building up the Kingdom of God. discernment. long-lasting. Andrew invited his As with any charism, its For an invitation to be directed brother Simon to meet Jesus (Jn. effectiveness goes beyond human towards the building up of the 1:41-42.) Simon eventually ingenuity. Another trait of this Kingdom of God it must be focused became the first of an unbroken charism is its eminent personal on growth in charity, the increase line of popes. Philip sought character. It usually appeals to the of the holiness of the Church, Nathaniel and told him “We have individual person for a particular and/or a change in the world found the Messiah… come and mission. A man or woman may towards a more evangelical society. see” (Jn. 1:45-46). Both eventually have a natural ability for being In other words, the invitation must shed their blood for Christ. But the welcoming, inviting, or persuasive; be connected to evangelization by origin and greatest example of the but an anointing of the Holy Spirit making Christ more present to the charism of Invitation is the Lord is manifested when a person is person, helping the person grow in himself who let the first disciples inspired by the Lord to invite his or her evangelistic effective- “find him,” and told them “come another person for a particular eness, or helping the person better and see” (Jn. 1:39). purpose in the Kingdom of God. live out the Gospel values in his Being effective evangelists is not How do we know if the everyday life. a matter of technique, but rather of inspiration comes from the Lord, or Saul, after his conversion from genuine union with Christ. It is from a merely human sympathy, or being a persecutor of the church, only after “abiding with Him” that from the devil? There is need for had great difficulty convincing Christ’s disciples go out and invite discernment here. We in the fellow believers of his authenticity. others to “come and see,” then the Renewal tend to attribute to the It was not until Barnabas, Lord may touch and change them Lord any inspiration or idea that presumably inspired by the Holy also. It is, in the end, Christ crosses our minds, and many times Spirit, went to Tarsus to find him himself who invites, now through it could be true, but the and bring him to Antioch, where his disciples. discernment or the origin of any both taught the community for a Excerpted from Pentecost Today, inspiration is not completed until year. (See Acts 11:25-26.) The January-March 2012, Vol. 37, further examination. Is it directed invitation of Barnabas was the No.1. Used with permission towards the building up of the Centering in Renewal history “Summer school brought in By Jack Heintzel The worldwide Charismatic priests, nuns, and lay people Renewal now includes an from all over the world. And so 2015 events estimated 700 million people we held prayer meetings; The Word of Life Center wants around the world, of which an crowds attended and hundreds to make you aware of these estimated 160 million are were baptized in the Holy coming events: Catholics. The Renewal has its Spirit. They took the Holy • Women’s Retreat– April 10th origins in the events of January Spirit back to their home to 12th at Riverside Inn, CS. 1, 1901. On that day a young countries. It was a wild and • Prayer Brunch – Aug. 22nd at girl began speaking in tongues wonderful summer. There were St. Joseph / BOL Community. after the prayer and invocation no Life in the Spirit Seminars • Day of Renewal – Oct. 17th at of the Holy Spirit by a lay (they hadn’t been written yet). St. Joseph / BOL Community. evangelist of Methodist We just laid hands on everyone extraction. This took place in and prayed right away and Prayer and fasting Topeka, Kansas; from there the amazing things happened. The Executive Committee movement grew and gradually Given our youth and continues to encourage all spread to the established inexperience, it is all the more supporters to pray and fast churches in the Protestant and evident that it was God’s work, regularly for the needs of the Orthodox traditions, and lastly not ours.” Center. We have set to the Roman Catholic Church. Wednesday of each week as a In the late 1960s many hippies recommended day to pray and Although customs and termin- were having their “Summer of fast. There are many needs to ology were grafted onto the Love” in San Francisco, and the be met, and we need God’s help Catholic Charismatic Renewal Beatles were being sought out to do so. from these Pentecostal sources, by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, to the Catholic Church had its own attract through them the youth Prison ministry part to play in the January 1, of the West to Hinduism and the • SCI Cambridge Springs: 1901 beginning. On that New Age. At the same time, Life in the Spirit on April 18th morning, in Rome, before the Holy Spirit was at work, with follow-up on May 23rd . young Agnes Ozman started treating His own young people • SCI Albion: speaking in tongues in Topeka, to a wild summer of rejoicing Life in the Spirit Days on Pope Leo XIII ushered in the and Charismatic Renewal at May 2nd and Nov. 14th plus new century by solemnly Catholic Notre Dame. continuing bi-weekly prayer invoking the Holy Spirit over meetings. all of Christendom. The Holy Spirit came full circle when the Charismatic Renewal The Renewal was eventually landed back in the Catholic Healing Mass sparked in the Catholic Church Church in Rome in 1970, led by The Son of God prayer group in 1967, not by any intervention lay and religious Catholics. invites everyone to a healing st of the pope or clergy, but at the Ed. note: since 1970 our popes Mass on Tuesday, April 21 at level of the laity at a students’ have encouraged the Renewal 6:30 PM. It will be held in Holy th retreat at Pittsburgh’s Duquesne and brought it into the main- Rosary church, E. 28 St. and University in February of that stream of the Church. East Avenue. Doors will open year. From there the flame ------------------- early for your convenience. Fr. went almost simultaneously to Excerpted, with modifications, David Poulson will preside. Notre Dame University. from an article “The Charis- Music will be provided by the Dorothy Ranaghan, writer and matic Renewal and the Catholic St. Joseph / Bread of Life music witness of the beginnings, Church” by Alessandra Nucci ministry. For more information describes what happened: in Catholic World Report, May call Patty (823-3968) or Gerry 18, 2013. (452-2499) 2 Joy or happiness By Agnes Helsley Raising the standard The month of February with its I think of Joni Eareckson Tada, a In 21 Unbreakable Laws of Life extremely cold temperatures quadriplegic for fifty years. She provided me time to spend is a shining example of a joy- In A Book of Saints, Anne wrapped in an afghan with a good filled Christian. I have heard it Gordon tells the story of Father book. This book had been on my said that when God wants to use Maximillian Kolbe, who was a book shelf for several years but I someone, it may be necessary to prisoner at Auschwitz in August had never read it cover to cover, break that person and then use 1941. A prisoner escaped from 459 pages, a worthy project for him or her for His glory. He the camp, and in reprisal, the cold winter evenings. allows the pain for a purpose, just Nazis ordered that ten prisoners The book is a compilation of as the shame and the pain of His had to die by starvation. “virtues” – actually the nine fruits Son’s death on the Cross was Father Kolbe offered to take the of the Spirit. Space does not necessary for the purpose of our place of one of the condemned permit an overall discussion. But redemption. Take us, Lord, once men. The Nazis kept Kolbe in the “joy” won my greater attention by more to Calvary, that we may find starvation bunker for two weeks the fact that happiness comes joy in your sacrifice. Keep us and then put him to death by from good happenings, but joy centered in the joy of our lethal injection on August 14, lies within despite what happens salvation. 1941. to us. A great number of people ____________________ Thirty years later, a survivor of expect happiness should be result Auschwitz described the effect of of being a Christian and expect to Kolbe’s action: “It was an be protected from unpleasant On seeking forgiveness enormous shock to the whole happenings.