Catholic = Charismatic, Part III: Baptism in the Holy Spirit

As we continue our reflection on the Holy Spirit and the charismatic dimension of our Faith, we have to reflect on what is called "baptism in the Holy Spirit." This experience is considered the central grace and the most defining feature of charismatic Christianity. It is typically the entry point to life in the Spirit, to the transformation of identity and prayer, and to the release of charisms. Baptism in the Holy Spirit itself is often a simple experience, yet it is also unique to each person. For this reason, I want to approach it from a broader context to show how desperately we need this grace. The better we understand our need, the greater our desire for God's gifts will be.

What happened to the “New Springtime?"

In the 1990s, there was a growing sense of optimism and hope in the Catholic Church. The Church was recovering a sense of stability and clarity after the cultural, liturgical, and moral confusion that came in the wake of Vatican II. Much of this stability and clarity came from the leadership of Pope St. John Paul II. In his 1990 encyclical, Redemptoris Missio, John Paul began to speak of a "new springtime" that Christianity and the Church were about to experience. He wrote: “As the third millennium of the redemption draws near, God is preparing a great springtime for Christianity, and we can already see its first signs" (RM 86). Likewise, in his homily for Pentecost in 1998, he spoke of the Holy Spirit bringing “a new springtime in the Church.” This was certainly an exciting time filled with possibilities. However, in his 1994 encyclical announcing the year 2000 Jubilee, Tertio Millennio Adveniente, John Paul identified a condition for this new springtime: "[this] new springtime of Christian life . . . will be revealed by the Great Jubilee, if Christians are docile to the action of the Holy Spirit" (TMA 18).

That's a big "if!" While there have been small signs of renewal and growth in a few parts of the Church since the year 2000, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to make the case that we've been enjoying a "springtime." At this point, we are all well aware of the problems. The list sounds like a broken record: the clergy sex abuse crisis (while mostly occurring decades ago, we are still suffering its consequences), declining baptisms, marriages, and vocations to the priesthood and religious life, declining frequency of Confession/Reconciliation, declining Mass attendance, declining belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, parish closures, school closures, declining influence of Christianity and the Church in the culture and throughout the world, etc. etc. The recurring theme is "decline." Despite a few exceptional parishes, dioceses, and religious communities that are seeing slight growth or recovery, "decline" is probably the single word that best describes the state of the Church in Western countries over the last several decades. To quote the title of one bishop's recent book, it seems fair to speak of "The Springtime that Never Came." It many ways, it feels more like winter.

The solution to every problem

I realize that it's simplistic to attempt to identify a single cause for any problem, and the Church's decline over the last 60 years is no exception. However, while a problem might be complex and difficult to understand, this doesn't necessarily mean that its solution needs to be complicated. As Christians, we know that every crisis in the Church is ultimately a crisis of faith. No matter the situation, if we trust more in God, rely more on Him, surrender more to Him, and open ourselves more to His grace, things will improve. Two verses of Scripture come to mind: "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Php 4:13); ”...apart from me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:5). There is the contrast between doing things with God vs. without Him.

From a human perspective, our problems are overwhelming and their solution seems illusive and endlessly complicated. From God's perspective, however, things are much simpler. Recently, I shared a passage from a book with a few friends, and it became a theme during our retreat together. It captures what I'm trying to say here:

In the beginning you may feel you need a lot of different things but, as you progress, your needs decrease. In the end, everything is reduced to a single need: the need for God himself, for God's Spirit. Our lives are often so petty and poor because we view ourselves as the center of the world. But in praise we are torn away from ourselves and become rooted in God. Then we acquire an unimaginable capacity to receive the Holy Spirit (Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen, This Is the Day the Lord Has Made).

Every need boils down to our need for God, and the Holy Spirit in particular, since He is God’s love poured into our hearts (Rom 5:5). Historically, Pentecost was that defining moment when God poured out the Holy Spirit on the Church to empower her for the great commission Christ had just given her: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). Before ascending in to heaven, Christ had made it clear that the disciples wouldn't be able to fulfill their mission until the Holy Spirit had filled them: “But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Lk 24:49). Imagine if they hadn’t waited to receive the Holy Spirit? What would have happened? Nothing.

The same holds true for us today. As the Church, anytime we feel powerless or stuck, we need to return spiritually to the Upper Room and beg God the Father to clothe us with more "power from on high,” the Holy Spirit. In this time of “Eucharistic Revival,” let us remember that the Last Supper and Pentecost took place in the same room. That’s obviously not a coincidence! As he overshadowed Mary at the Incarnation, the Holy Spirit makes Jesus present in the Mass. He is the one who will revive our faith in the Eucharist. Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth […]. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (Jn 16:13-14).

The Holy Spirit renews, heals, convicts, strengthens, and teaches. The words of the Sequence of Pentecost Sunday, Veni Sancte Spiritus, beautifully express our need and longing for the Holy Spirit, whom the hymn presents as the solution to every problem.

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
    Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
    Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
    Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
    Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
    And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
    Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
    Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
    Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
    In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
    Give them joys that never end.
Amen. Alleluia.

Come...again, Holy Spirit?

Traditional prayers and hymns invoking the Holy Spirit always ask him to "come." Examples include the above Sequence as well as the traditional “Prayer to the Holy Spirit,” which begins, “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.” If we reflect on this language, it’s actually a bit strange. Why would we ask the Holy Spirit to come to us or to dwell in us if we have already received him? The Holy Spirit was poured about upon the first disciples at Pentecost 2000 years ago. And each of us in turn received him personally at our Baptism and Confirmation. How then can the Holy Spirit “come” if he is already here? The answer is that, until God’s plan of salvation is fully accomplished, we will always need more of the Holy Spirit. And because the Holy Spirit is God, there is always more of him to receive: “for he gives the Spirit without measure” (Jn 3:34). As the outpouring, he does not change, but as the “containers,” we do! 

The critical importance of our disposition

The Holy Spirit’s role is to make actual what Jesus made possible. The Spirit accomplishes in us the transformation that Jesus revealed by word and example and paid for on the cross. The grace of God needed to effect this transformation comes to us above all through the sacraments. However, there is a critical distinction in theology between the objective grace of a sacrament and the subjective disposition of the person receiving the sacrament. There is a famous philosophical principle that applies here: Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur [Whatever is received is received according to the mode/condition of the receiver]. This means that the subjective disposition of the recipient greatly determines how he receives something. Note that “subjective” disposition here means one’s personal disposition. It is not only one’s subjective feelings, knowledge, or awareness, but also the objective state of one’s soul, heart, mind, spirit, body, etc.

In the case of the sacraments, this means that one’s disposition can determine the efficacy or fruitfulness of the sacrament. For example, if someone has a strong desire to receive the Eucharist and his heart is filled with reverence and anticipation, the fruits of his reception will be great. In contrast, if another person approaches the Eucharist in a casual manner without praying or reflecting on what he is about to receive, the fruit will be minimal, perhaps virtually non-existent. Here I am not discussing the problem of someone receiving Communion in a state of serious sin. In that case, one is totally undisposed to receive. I am referring only to someone who is poorly disposed to receive. Such a person may not be spiritually harmed by doing so, but he will benefit very little or not at all.

We see a perfect illustration of the importance of personal disposition in Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed: 

“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Mt 13:3-8).

Notice that the seed is not the variable—it is the same in each case. Rather, the soil is what varies and determines the growth and fruitfulness of the seed. In the same way, the sacraments themselves do not change. The same grace is objectively available each time they are validly celebrated. What varies greatly is our personal disposition. All of us have experienced this distinction when it comes to praying at Mass and receiving Holy Communion. The times when we’re recollected, peaceful, and prayerful, and when the Mass is celebrated beautifully and reverently, are more spiritually fruitful than the times when we’re distracted and unprepared, or when the Mass is celebrated in an unworthy manner. In this case, we’re well aware of the relationship between our disposition and the fruitfulness of the sacrament for our spiritual well-being. But what about the other sacraments of initiation, Baptism and Confirmation, which are not repeated but received only once? What if we weren’t well disposed for these at the time we received them? Are we now doomed to bear no fruit because the soil of our heart was (to use Jesus’ imagery) rocky, thorny, or prey to birds at the time the seed of grace was planted in us? Absolutely not! It’s certainly a powerful and beautiful experience for those who are baptized and confirmed as adults and with a proper disposition toward these sacraments—they will undoubtedly bear fruit more quickly and visibly. There is nothing in such persons to impede the sacraments from having their God-intended effects immediately.

Becoming who you already are

But most of us Catholics were baptized as infants. Infants obviously aren’t capable of desiring Baptism in a conscious or explicit way. They are baptized because of their need for salvation, and the faith of their parents stands in proxy for their own. This situation is analogous to when parents came to Jesus begging him to heal their sick or demonized children—he didn’t wait for them to be mature enough to decide for themselves if they wanted to be healed. The Church baptizes us as infants with the expectation and prayer that we will later be disposed so that the grace of our Baptism can fully flourish in us. Of course, this is not to suggest that nothing happens already at the moment of Baptism. An infant may not actively desire Baptism, but neither is he closed to it (despite how much crying might occur during the celebration!). From the moment of our Baptism, we are already cleansed of original sin and born again (regenerated) by water and the Spirit (see John 3:5). By grace, we become adopted sons and daughters of the Father. But the free gift of this new identity is a reality that we must progressively become aware of and grow into throughout our lives. Fr. Stinissen writes,

In Baptism we die to sin and arise from the water as a new creation, dripping with divine life. The whole of our existence from then on is a matter of trying to realize the fullness of that one moment (This Is the Day the Lord Has Made).

In other words, the actualization of the grace of our Baptism is not automatic or inevitable. Like every grace, our conscious cooperation is needed to fully realize it. Until we arrive at a certain level of openness, desire, and faith, the grace of our Baptism remains largely dormant, in a state of potential. The “gap” between our reception of the sacrament and the full release of its grace is overcome as we personally respond to God in faith, saying, “Yes, Lord. I want you!” In Baptism we are claimed for Him, we are chosen, but we still need to respond. Each of us has our own relationship with the Lord. Yes, our father’s or mother’s or godparents’ or sibling’s or friend’s relationship with Him can inspire and encourage us, but it cannot replace our relationship with Him. The five foolish virgins in Jesus’ parable discovered this fact too late when they asked to borrow oil from the wise virgins (see Matt 25:1-13). The bridegroom responds to them, "Truly, I say to you, I do not know you” (see Mt 25:1-13). Relationship with God does not happen by accident, nor can it be borrowed or bought. 

One Baptism, two dimensions

Now we come to it: “Baptism in the Holy Spirit.” Admittedly, this use of the term “baptism” can be confusing. As noted above, the sacrament of Baptism is a once-in-a-lifetime event. The Catechism states: “Baptism imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual sign, the character, which consecrates the baptized person for Christian worship. Because of the character Baptism cannot be repeated” (CCC 1280). So then, if there is only one Baptism and it is unrepeatable, why speak of a “baptism in the Holy Spirit?” Cardinal Leo Joseph Suenens has a helpful explanation. After serving as one of the four moderators of the Second Vatican Council, Suenens became a leading voice in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. He contributed greatly to a series of theological writings called the “Malines Documents” (published 1973-1988), which became the foundational texts for the theological and pastoral understanding of the Renewal. In his book, A New Pentecost?, Suenens wrote the following about baptism in the Holy Spirit and its relationship to sacramental Baptism:

For us, as well as for the majority of Christian Churches, there is not a duality of baptisms, one in water and one in the Spirit. We believe there is but one Baptism. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not a sort of super-baptism, or a supplement to sacramental Baptism which would then become the pivot of the Christian life. […] Our one and only Baptism is at the same time both paschal and pentecostal (pp. 82-83).

Baptism is paschal in that it unites us to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (the “Paschal Mystery”). The Catechism states, “[Baptism] signifies and actually brings about death to sin and entry into the life of the Most Holy Trinity through configuration to the Paschal mystery of Christ” (CCC 1239). This is grounded in scriptural statements such as the following from St. Paul:

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Rom 6:3–5).

Baptism makes our life and death a sharing in the life and death of Christ, so that we may also share in the new life of his resurrection. This aspect of Baptism changes the meaning of our death, which should in turn transform the way we live: "he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised" (2 Co 5:15). Our old, sinful self died in Baptism so that we could be reborn and live a new life in the Spirit. After Baptism, the rest of our life is meant to be lived in radical dependence on the Holy Spirit, because that’s how Jesus lived. St. Paul says that the Holy Spirit makes us children of God, enabling us to cry out with Jesus, “Abba! Father!” (Rom 8:15). The Spirit even prays in us because “we do not know what to pray for as we ought” (Rom 8:26). We need the Holy Spirit to receive what God gives us and to do what He commands us. St. Paul even says that “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3). This is the pentecostal dimension of Baptism: responding in faith to the gift of the Spirit we've received so that he accomplish his work in us.

My point here is that what charismatics call “life in the Spirit” is not some unique or optional spirituality. It is essential to the Christian life. We cannot live out the paschal dimension of our Baptism (share in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection) unless we embrace the pentecostal dimension (welcome the Holy Spirit). Have you ever met someone who was baptized but never raised in the Faith and now is unable to say, “Jesus is Lord”? I certainly have. That’s an example of Baptism without Pentecost.

Let’s return to the term, “baptism in the Holy Spirit.” Cardinal Suenens himself thought it was unclear and wrote: “To avoid from now on all ambiguity, it would be better not to speak of ‘baptism in the Spirit’ but to look for another expression” (A New Pentecost? p. 83). In the decades that followed, however, no other expression caught on (in English, that is). The reasons for this are interesting but too long to recount fully here, so I will summarize them. First, baptism in the Holy Spirit remained the term in English simply because it had already been popularized, making difficult to change. Second, it is biblical. John the Baptist says that Jesus “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mt 3:11). Third, other proposed terms, such as outpouring and effusion, do not capture the deep connection to sacramental Baptism and Pentecost, nor do they suffice to describe the dramatic change that so many people experience through baptism in the Holy Spirit.

What is baptism in the Holy Spirit?

Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service (CHARIS) is the association recognized by the Holy See for the promotion of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. CHARIS has a doctrinal commission in Rome that published an excellent book in 2012 titled Baptism in the Holy Spirit. In the opening pages, the book provides the following definition of baptism in the Holy Spirit: 

Baptism in the Spirit is a life-transforming experience of the love of God the Father poured into one’s heart by the Holy Spirit received through a surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ. It brings alive sacramental Baptism and Confirmation, deepens communion with God and with fellow Christians, enkindles evangelistic fervor, and equips a person with charisms for service and mission (p. 15).

Notice the language: baptism in the Spirit “brings alive sacramental Baptism and Confirmation.” This indicates that it is not a second baptism, but the full activation of the sacramental Baptism and Confirmation one already received. To this point, I also appreciate Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa’s description of baptism in the Holy Spirit. He calls it “a renewal and a reactivation and actualization not only of Baptism, but of all that Christian initiation involves” (Come, Creator Spirit, p. 54).

But what about Confirmation?

Some will object, “But isn’t it the purpose of Confirmation to fully activate our Baptism?” To be fair, if candidates for Confirmation were properly prepared and well disposed, then many of them probably would experience it as a baptism in the Holy Spirit (i.e., with the manifestations and gifts of the Spirit seen at Pentecost). The Church seems to expect as much. Describing the effects of Confirmation, the Catechism says,

It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost (CCC 1302).

Given most people’s actual experience of Confirmation, I think this description would surprise them. Think about it: the Church says here that “it is evident from its celebration” that the effect of of Confirmation is the same outpouring of the Holy Spirit that the apostles received at Pentecost. I for one wish it were much more evident! Imagine what that would look like! People might feel uncomfortable… Once, while in seminary, I had a discussion with a Protestant man who was critical of Catholic Confirmation. He had recently attended one for a family friend, and he said to me, “You cannot tell me that those kids received the Holy Spirit!” When I asked why not, he responded with something like, “They just stood there looking bored.” My answer, then and now, is that the problem is their disposition, their desire and sense of expectation going into it. If you aren’t taught to expect powerful things and prepared to received them, then you probably won’t experience them. Also, it is fair to point out that the “fireworks” of manifestations are not necessary to demonstrate the presence of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, some kind of fruits are necessary. The Holy Spirit does not leave us unchanged.

A second point: even if people did experience Confirmation as a full baptism in the Holy Spirit, this sacramental outpouring of the Spirit would in no way preclude or eliminate the need for later outpourings of the Spirit. As an activation or release of the grace of sacramental Baptism, there is no reason to suppose that baptism in the Holy Spirit has to be a one-time event. There is an important scene in Acts 4 that proves this point. It is when the disciples are faced with resistance and persecution and so they gather to pray for more boldness. Remember that this takes place after Pentecost (Acts 2), after they had already been filled with the Holy Spirit. We read:

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31).

They were all filled…again. No one objected that they had already been baptized and confirmed. This is baptism in the Holy Spirit, being filled again in a powerful way that renews you in your Christian identity and empowers you to live it boldly. Who doesn’t desire that? I understand when people initially feel uneasy about theological terminology that sounds ambiguous or even inaccurate. But even if the experience of baptism in the Holy Spirit can be somewhat messy and tough to pin down theologically, the actual fruits of it are astonishing. People are radically changed. They are set on fire. It’s a simple before-and-after that speaks for itself. God’s ways are not our ways. An excessive desire for clarity and control can be an obstacle to God acting in and through us, especially in new ways (or at least ways that are new to us). Remember that at Pentecost St. Peter had to assure the naysayers that the disciples weren’t drunk! Messy? Yes. Beautiful? Absolutely. Fruitful? “There were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). Not bad!

Why now?

Someone could reasonably object, “If baptism in the Holy Spirit is a real grace of God that activates the graces of our Baptism and Confirmation, then why is it such a recent phenomenon? Why wasn’t it happening earlier in the Church?”

First, I think it was happening—a lot, in fact. While it wasn't called baptism in the Holy Spirit, I think we see it in the conversion stories of many saints and in their mystical experiences. These point to reality of the Holy Spirit being poured out in powerful ways both within the context of celebrating the sacraments and outside of that context. Second, Cardinal Cantalamessa and others make a strong historical argument that a “desynchronization” developed between authentic repentance and conversion and the sacraments, especially Baptism. In the early Church, people mostly came to faith through conversion as adults and then received Baptism with great desire and expectation. Eventually, the “desynchronization” between conversion and Baptism became common because of the legalization of Christianity (it became politically advantageous to be Christian) and because of infant Baptism. Infant Baptism itself was not an obstacle to sincere conversion and faith as long as one grew up in an environment of genuine faith. Outside of that environment, however, the value of the sacrament diminished and became an empty ritual to many. Finally, Cantalamessa argues that, in God’s wisdom, baptism in the Holy Spirit came in a time when we human beings had reached an unprecedented level of pride and self-reliance, even in the Church (the 20th century). It is God's antidote to our lack of trust and desire for control. Cantalamessa writes:

We could say, by paraphrasing a famous saying of the Apostle Paul: Because Christians, with all their organization, were not able to transmit the power of the Spirit, God was pleased to renew the believers through the foolishness of the Baptism in the Spirit. In fact theologians look for an explanation and responsible people for moderation, but simple souls touch with their hands the power of Christ in the Baptism of the Spirit.

Of course, at the end of the day, no one can completely “explain” the what, how, why, or when of any spiritual experience because it is an act of God that touches each person in a unique way. We can only show that it is consistent with Divine Revelation, Church Tradition, and the experience of the saints and other Christians throughout history. We can also point to its fruits, to stories and testimonies of how people’s lives have been transformed by the grace of baptism in the Holy Spirit.

The New Springtime still to come?

In 1997, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published a statement of affirmation and support regarding the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. The document is titled “Grace for the New Springtime.” As the title itself indicates, the document praises the Renewal as a special grace of God that is particularly suited to help bring about the “New Springtime” in the Church about which Pope Saint John Paul II spoke and for which he earnestly prayed. Here I will cite just one longer passage in the document that beautifully captures what baptism in the Holy Spirit is and expresses the bishops' explicit approval of it, as well as their strong desire to see it promoted throughout the Church:

In this statement, we want not only to affirm the good fruit of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal but also the grace which is at the heart of this Renewal, namely, baptism in the Holy Spirit, or the fuller release of the Holy Spirit, as some would prefer. As experienced in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal baptism in the Holy Spirit makes Jesus Christ known and loved as Lord and Savior, establishes or reestablishes an immediacy of relationship with all those persons of the Trinity, and through inner transformation affects the whole of the Christian's life. There is new life and a new conscious awareness of God's power and presence. It is a grace experience which touches every dimension of the Church's life: worship, preaching, teaching, ministry, evangelism, prayer and spirituality, service and community. Because of this, it is our conviction that baptism in the Holy Spirit, understood as the reawakening in Christian experience of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit given in Christian initiation, and manifested in a broad range of charisms, including those closely associated with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, is part of the normal Christian life. We encourage the whole Church to look into and embrace baptism in the Holy Spirit… (emphases added)

Returning to our opening reflection, I don’t think St. John Paul was necessarily wrong when he foretold a “new springtime” in the Church. Perhaps what has happened is that we as Catholics—and as Christians in general—have not been open to the powerful new grace of the Holy Spirit that God wants to pour out during this dramatic moment in salvation history: “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom 5:20). If baptism in the Holy Spirit really is, as the bishops themselves wrote, the “grace for the new springtime,” then the Church obviously needs to know about this grace and pray for it if she is ever going to experience that springtime. The document also directly implies that our Christian initiation should be “manifested in a broad range of charisms.” The fact that this is so often not the case means that something is wrong, that the grace of our initiation is blocked or inhibited in some way and needs to be released. The bishops go so far as to say that, “Baptism in the Holy Spirit…is part of the normal Christian life,” and they “encourage the whole Church to look into and embrace baptism in the Holy Spirit.” So then, the question is: are we ready to embrace the normal Christian life, as radical and beautiful and different as that new normal might be? 

Some practical first steps

If you desire to receive baptism in the Holy Spirit, the first thing you should do is simply ask God for this gift! You never need to be afraid of asking God for more of the Holy Spirit, whether you pray by yourself or, even better, with a group of fellow Christians. There is no risk involved in asking your heavenly Father for more of His promised Holy Spirit. Jesus himself said:

"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk 11:11–13)

While baptism in the Holy Spirit is a sovereign gift of God and not the result of any program or human effort, there are groups in the Church, often called “Life in the Spirit” seminars, which are designed to facilitate greater openness to the Holy Spirit. Importantly, as their name suggests, they also address what it means to live in the Spirit. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not about having a powerful, one-time experience or a really pleasant but fleeting feeling—it is about experiencing as much as possible the transformation that is ours through Baptism and Confirmation.

It is always preferable to imitate Our Lady and the first disciples at Pentecost by praying in community for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Praying together creates an atmosphere of faith and expectancy, and Jesus promised that, “if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Mt 18:19-20).

There are also video series available that a group could use to learn more and prepare. One series that I can recommend is The Wild Goose, which can be found for free here.¹ I recommend getting a group together at your parish or school, or going to a neighboring parish if you can’t find enough people. In general, if your life is stagnate, change things up! Go on a retreat or pilgrimage. Go to a conference like the ones at Steubenville. Find people who are filled with the Holy Spirit and moving in the spiritual gifts and spend time with them. Then you will catch fire.

In closing, I pray that your desire for the Holy Spirit will grow, and that God will grant you your desire.

Come, Holy Spirit, open our hearts to receive the grace of renewal for ourselves and for the whole Church! Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, teach us how to welcome him!

† Under the Mercy,
Fr. Christopher Trummer

Recommended Resources:

Raniero Cantalamessa
- “Baptism in the Holy Spirit."
- Come, Creator Spirit: Meditations on the Veni Creator 

International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services Doctrinal Commission, Baptism in the Holy Spirit 

Kilian McDonnell and George Montague
- Fanning the Flame: What Does Baptism in the Holy Spirit Have to Do with Christian Initiation
- Christian Initiation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Evidence from the First Eight Centuries

Randy Clark, Baptized in the Spirit: God’s Presence Resting Upon You With Power

¹ The Wild Goose is well produced and hosted by Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR, the president of Franciscan University of Steubenville. For free access to the Wild Goose series, just click on “More purchase options,” then click “Free Access” and set up a free account.

Other articles in this series:

Part I: The Reality and Importance of the Spiritual Gifts

Part II: Answering Objections to Charismatic Christianity

Part IV: The Gift of Tongues

Part V: The Gift of Healing

Part VI: The Gift of Prophecy

Part VII: Other Spiritual Gifts

Catholic = Charismatic, Part II: Answering Objections to Charismatic Christianity

Intro

In Part I of this series, I argued that supernatural gifts, signs, and wonders are ordinary and essential expressions of the Christian faith, and that the Church is not fully equipped for her mission without them. The term “charismatic” has a variety of meanings and connotations among different groups of Christians. For this reason, it’s true that not everything that people associate with being “charismatic” is easily or fully compatible with Catholic teaching. By charismatic I mean welcoming the Holy Spirit’s movement and inspiration in a way that animates one’s identity, prayer, and actions, and also finds expression through various spiritual gifts. In this sense, I’m convinced that to be Catholic—fully and consistently—one must be open to the charismatic dimension. In other words, I don’t want to say, “charismatic equals Catholic,” but I will confidently say, “Catholic equals charismatic.”

For many people, welcoming the Holy Spirit to work through them in powerful and concrete ways will be something very new. But of course, contained in the very name of the Charismatic “Renewal” is the claim that this way of living the Christian life is not new. If it were completely new, one would be right to be suspicious of it. But the truth is that it is thoroughly biblical and part of the Church’s lived experience throughout history. What is new is the rediscovery of the spiritual gifts in our time, and the recognition that they are the inheritance of every Christian, not a privileged or exceptionally holy minority.

In this second post, I want to continue the introduction of this charismatic dimension by addressing some of the most common objections, concerns, and obstacles. Here, I will focus on charismatic Christianity and the spiritual gifts in general, and in later posts dedicated to specific gifts I will address more specific objections to those (e.g., speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, deliverance). I already addressed a few of these objections in the first post, so I will try not to be redundant. In my experience, strongly held objections to spiritual gifts and other manifestations of the Holy Spirit are not so common. I think these objections are more often concerns or obstacles for people. They are ideas or assumptions that can "quench the Spirit," that is, prevent people from being open to the Holy Spirit and hesitant to pursue his gifts.

Lack of awareness: the greatest obstacle of all?

Before I go through a list of common objections and concerns, I want to quickly address this most basic of problems, which I already mentioned in Part I. Many people, I think especially many Catholics, are simply unfamiliar with charismatic Christianity and everything it involves. As I noted in Part I, it wasn’t until late in my seminary formation that I discovered a serious discussion of the spiritual gifts. Today, however, I think awareness is rapidly growing as people hunger more and more for the spiritual gifts and Church leaders continue to affirm their great importance for the life of the Church and her mission. Hopefully, these articles can contribute in some small way to this increased awareness, especially in our diocese.

Objections, Concerns, and Obstacles

“It’s wrong to desire and pray for supernatural signs”

“Signs" or “signs and wonders” are miraculous deeds that God accomplishes to manifest His power and authority. In the New Testament, signs and wonders are manifestations of the kingdom of God that Jesus is establishing on earth. These miraculous signs and wonders are attributed to Jesus himself (see Acts 2:22) and to his disciples, who work them in his name (see Acts 5:12; Rom 15:18-20; 2 Cor 12:12).

In Part I, I discussed the role of miracles in moving people to believe. I noted that, while some intellectually inclined people look down on miracles as a motive for faith, the Church herself has always affirmed the importance of miracles for demonstrating Christianity's divine origin. From a theological perspective, one cannot deny the role of miracles without throwing out most of the New Testament, especially the public ministry and resurrection of Jesus himself.

In addition to these more theological reasons about the importance of signs and wonders, we always have to look to the clear example of the apostles and the early Church. In their desire to bring more people to Christ, and in response to growing persecution, the first Christians explicitly prayed for more signs and wonders. Their prayer is recorded in Acts 4 and includes the following:

“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:29-31).

I think we should make this prayer our own in the Church today! It would be wrong to pray for and expect signs and wonders if Jesus had not promised them—but he did. We don’t have to ask God whether or not it is His will to fulfill His promises! If it’s good enough for the apostles, it’s good enough for me. Like them, we need to pray boldly and then trust.

Sometimes people worry that if they pray for a certain outcome, such as a miraculous physical healing for a sick person, this means they are trying to control or manipulate God. I constantly hear people say, “Prayer doesn’t change God, it changes you.” Obviously, it’s true that God Himself cannot change and that we cannot change Him. But whether and how God decides to intervene in certain situations is not part of God’s unchanging nature. Jesus repeatedly says that if we ask for something in faith and in his name, the Father will give it to us: “Ask, and you shall receive.” This implies that if we don’t ask, we won’t receive. God can choose to make some part of His plan conditional upon the free response of human beings, and this does not undermine His authority or power. If praying for something to happen couldn’t change the course of history, then all petitionary prayer would be merely a façade, since we would be praying for something that God was going to do anyway. Our prayer doesn't change God, nor does it need to change God. What prayer can do, however, is change reality by opening us to God’s grace and the Holy Spirit. When we allow ourselves to be transformed, we are empowered to change the world around us. And this is not some vague or New Age idea of empowerment. Jesus said that those who believe “will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mk 16:18). That is very concrete. It is not wrong to pray for the miracles that God has already promised—it is simply obedient!

“It’s presumptuous to desire particular spiritual gifts”

This objection is related to the previous one, with the emphasis being on possessing a particular gift rather than desiring to witness miracles. This is easy to refute. In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul exhorts them three times to “earnestly desire” the spiritual gifts:

“…earnestly desire the higher gifts” (1 Cor 12:31).

“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy” (1 Cor 14:1).

“…earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues” (1 Cor 14:39).

With any good thing, there is always the possibility of wanting it for the wrong reason. The most obvious example would be spiritual pride or vanity: wanting spiritual gifts in order to feel superior and to be sought out by others. However, the possibility of abuse is not necessarily a sufficient reason to avoid something altogether. With any great task, there are always risks involved. Evangelization—proclaiming the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ—is certainly no exception. I think there is a widespread myth of a safe Christianity, a risk-free way to live the Christian life and share the Gospel. We sometimes believe that we can have it both ways, that we can live our faith fully and still be respected by non-Christians. But St. Paul says, “it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe” (1 Cor 1:21). If you’re living the Christian life fully, some people are going to think you’re weird and foolish. So what?

Now, is it possible for people with mixed motivations, insufficient formation, or bad theology to do damage by trying to use spiritual gifts such as healing, deliverance, and prophecy? Absolutely, and it’s true that people claiming (sincerely, we may assume) to minister in Jesus’ name have done spiritual and emotional damage. This is a real risk that we have to take seriously and do our best to mitigate. However, not welcoming and pursuing the spiritual gifts is not a safe alternative. Everything worthwhile involves risks; the question is, “Is this action or this approach worth the risk?” In the case of the spiritual gifts, I think the answer is a resounding “Yes!” I’m convinced that there is a greater risk in not exercising the spiritual gifts. Salvation is on the line, and we desperately need the gifts in order to proclaim the Gospel as Christ modeled and commanded, that is, in St. Paul’s words, “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Cor 2:4).

Can Satan deceive people who try to pursue these gifts? Yes. But what are we going to put our faith in, the ability of Satan to deceive us, or the ability of God to protect us? Upon their return from doing ministry (which included driving out demons), Jesus commended and encouraged the 72 disciples, saying, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you” (Lk 10:19). Was this spiritual protection reserved for them? No, so let’s claim it and live knowing that we have it! We have to be cautious, yes, but without letting caution become cowardice.

“Emphasizing spiritual gifts promotes an unhealthy focus on certain individuals”

We’ve all seen how the mighty fall, and how people who put all their hope in other human beings are always let down. Don’t ministries based on personal charisms, such as healing, deliverance, and prophecy, lead inevitably to the exaltation of certain people as “special” or “anointed” in a way that others are not? And won’t this perception cause Christians to seek out other human beings instead of Christ himself? This is clearly a possibility, especially when we consider cases of Christian ministers, clergy and lay, who enjoy a kind of celebrity status and a cult of personality. This can become unhealthy and harmful. That being said, as with the risk of presumption, I think this risk too is something for us to take seriously and address when necessary, not a deal breaker for charismatic prayer and ministry. The fact that something requires greater spiritual maturity and formation implies that it will be more valuable when done well. 

Also, it is worth noting that the temptation of notoriety and praise is by no means unique to those in charismatic ministry. All of us in the Church—both those who minister or lead and those who seek their help—need to strive for humility and maintain accountability with other trusted Christians who can guide and correct us. Of course, at a minimum, submission to Church authorities is an absolute requirement. The Church’s pastors and hierarchy have the responsibility to discern the authenticity of charisms, and to promote and guide their proper exercise:

…those who have been entrusted with hierarchical gifts, carrying out the discernment and accompaniment of the charisms, must cordially receive that which the Spirit inspires within the ecclesial communion, being mindful thereof in pastoral activities and esteeming their contribution as an authentic resource for the good of all (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Iuvenescit Ecclesia, n. 20).

When divisions arise from excessive attention to individual ministers, clergy or lay, this must be immediately addressed, following St. Paul’s correction to the Corinthians, who suffered from this problem:

For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth (1 Cor 3:3–7).

Those in ministry should not leave participants feeling inadequate or “ordinary,” as if the ministers possessed something that they don’t. Rather, by their example and through their teaching and ministry, leaders should encourage and activate people in their own gifts, helping them to embrace their full inheritance as sons and daughters of God. This is similar to the witness of the saints. The Church does not canonize saints so that we can put them on a pedestal, thinking, “Wow, I’ll never be that holy!” It’s just the opposite: we are meant to look at the saints and think, “Wow, if God can do that in them, then He can do it in me, too!” We're supposed to imitate them, not just admire them (see CCC 828). The Body of Christ is meant to be a source of strength and constant encouragement, not competition. Spiritual gifts only exist for the sake of others; a spirit of comparison is therefore completely antithetical to God’s purpose in giving them. Our personal pursuit of holiness and spiritual gifts is not an alternative to concern for the Church, but a powerful way to build her up (see CCC 2003). Thus St. Paul writes, “since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church” (1 Cor 14:12). Due to sin, comparison and competition are ever-present temptations. But they can be overcome without forfeiting our desire for excellence. The only way to completely avoid all risk of competition in the spiritual life is to accept mediocrity, and that we simply cannot do.

“Charismatic prayer and spiritual gifts promote emotionalism and sensationalism”

I think this is one of the better objections. It is true that charismatic Christians emphasize personal experience of the Holy Spirit and encourage an openness to what are called “manifestations” of the Spirit. Examples of these manifestations include speaking in tongues, laughter, tears, bodily shaking, falling down, etc. Given that these expressions are by nature more spontaneous and unpredictable, charismatic prayer and ministry does have a stronger tendency to become disorderly and emotionally intense at times. This will especially be the impression for someone who’s never seen or experienced it before. I believe that this tendency toward emotional expression and release is in part a pendulum swing from a more stoic and emotionally suppressed approach to prayer. Many Christians—perhaps especially many Catholics—are taught from childhood that prayer is a time to be on your “best behavior” and to do everything “right.” Properly understood, these are not bad intentions. For example, in the context of the Mass we are gathered together to participate prayerfully, in a unified and orderly manner, in the sacred mysteries through the liturgical forms handed down to us. And by obeying Jesus’ solemn command, “Do this in memory of me,” we are able to be present at the Last Supper, Calvary, and Jesus’ empty tomb—a solemn occasion to say the least! For the Mass to be celebrated with due reverence and attention, we need to maintain a basic demeanor of propriety and even formality. I am not advocating for reimagining the Church’s liturgies to give them a more charismatic “style,” or to make them more entertaining by the standards of popular culture. When I speak of charismatic prayer, I’m referring primarily to prayer groups, times of worship, personal prayer, and ministry outside the context of Mass and other liturgies (e.g., healing services, street evangelization).

Speaking of the Mass, I think that in general we have a problem in the Catholic Church of trying to make the Mass fit every spiritual need. Of course, as Vatican II famously affirmed, the Eucharist is the center, the “source and summit” of the Church’s life (Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 10). However, if we don’t provide other opportunities for prayer, worship, and community, many people will become frustrated and disengage or else advocate manipulating the Mass in an attempt to better satisfy their unmet spiritual needs. When a parish has little to no community life, and Sunday Mass is the only event that most people attend, there’s a greater temptation to make Mass a social and entertaining experience. But this does violence to the Mass, which was never intended to be the “one-stop shop” where we live our entire life of prayer and community. Yes, again, the Mass is the center of the Christian life and the privileged place where we encounter God. But the graces we receive through the Mass are also meant to flow over into the rest of our life of prayer, service, and mission for the glory of God.

Now, in regard to emotions specifically, I think that in the Church there is a fairly widespread distrust of emotions, especially the open expression of emotions. It’s true that in the spiritual life one cannot reliably interpret what is happening on the basis of emotions alone. We cannot make the presence or absence of good feelings the measure of grace and the action of the Holy Spirit—to do so is indeed emotionalism. Numerous saints and spiritual masters (e.g., St. Ignatius of Loyola) have warned against this temptation. With this warning in mind, we also have to affirm that emotions and affectivity are essential aspects of human nature. In any human action, one should be governed by reason (logical thought). However, according to Christian anthropology, it is not somehow better for a person to be moved solely by reason. The primacy of reason does not mean that in our actions we should strive to be motivated purely by objective, calculating thought. Rather, an action is more excellent and more fully human when our passions (emotions) are engaged as well, since the proper engagement of our passions implies that we are more fully committed to the action. As St. Thomas Aquinas writes:

…when the higher part of the soul is intensely moved to anything, the lower part also follows that movement; and thus the passion that results in consequence, in the sensitive appetite, is a sign of the intensity of the will, and so indicates greater moral goodness (Summa Theologiae, I-II q.24 a.3 ad 1).

Once we admit the general importance of our emotions working in concert with our reason, we can ask a more specific question: Should we be surprised or concerned that experiencing God engages people’s emotions, even intensely at times? How could an encounter with the infinite and transcendent Creator fail to produce a variety of reactions in our finite humanity? For a specific example of this in Scripture, consider the disciples when the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost. Many marveled at how the disciples were speaking in a variety of languages, but some mocked them, saying, “They are filled with new wine.” Then Peter responded to the commotion and reassured the critics, saying, “these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day” (Acts 2:13, 15). Think about it: the first pope had to begin his first homily reassuring the audience that he and the other disciples were not drunk in the morning! As some commentators have noted, the accusation of drunkenness implies that the disciples were not only speaking other languages, but doing so in a display of joyful and exuberant emotion (it turns out that, by itself, speaking foreign languages is not a symptom of intoxication). Frankly, the scene must have been a bit wild! Now, let’s be honest, is our own suspicion of emotional expression in prayer based on real theological reasons, or simply our concern about what others think? To be clear, this is not an argument that Christian prayer, individual or communal, should be emotional or outwardly expressive all of the time or even most of the time. It is simply a reminder that, if we receive the same Holy Spirit that the first disciples received, then we should expect to see the same powerful manifestations in people at least some of the time. Even if we are not personally inclined to or comfortable with outward expressions (laughing, crying, clapping, praying in tongues, singing, etc.), we can at least recognize their legitimacy and avoid discouraging and condemning them in others.

There certainly is no biblical basis for demanding that all our prayer and worship be quiet and calm. Especially in the Psalms, we are often summoned to praise the Lord loudly with joyful shouts, clapping, dancing, and a variety of instruments:

Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! 

    Praise befits the upright. 

Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; 

    make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 

Sing to him a new song; 

    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts (Ps 33:1-3)

“Clap your hands, all peoples!

    Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” (Ps 47:1)

Praise him with trumpet sound; 

    praise him with lute and harp! 

Praise him with tambourine and dance; 

    praise him with strings and pipe! 

Praise him with sounding cymbals; 

    praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! (Ps 150:3-6).

Then there is the famous scene of David dancing with abandon before the Ark of the Lord:

And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. […] And David danced before the Lord with all his might (2 Sam 6:5, 14).

St. Paul recommended joyful expressions of faith to both the Ephesians and the Colossians:

…do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart (Eph 5:18-19).

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God (Col 3:16).

Of course, the topic of music, liturgy, and cultural developments is a huge one. I’m not advocating a liturgical free-for-all! My point here is simply that more expressive and spontaneous forms of prayer and praise are by no means foreign to our spiritual inheritance as Christians. Feelings are not everything, but sometimes our prayer can feel dry or stagnant simply because the way we're praying isn’t coming from our heart, which is blocked from expressing itself. Personally, I’ve had many moments of personal prayer with praise music that have left me weeping! It was very powerful, and something that never happened to me in prayer before.

In my experience, we have a far greater problem in the Church today of emotional suppression than emotional expression. Compare the emotional engagement at anything Church related to that of a sports game (I know the comparison isn’t completely fair, but you get the point). The 20^th century Protestant revivalist William Branham once said, “I’d rather have a little wildfire than have no fire at all!” I agree! Pastorally speaking, I would much rather guide and form people who are over zealous in some ways than try to engage people who are just going through the motions or even apathetic. 

“It’s just…weird.”

This is connected to the previous objection about emotions. For many people, charismatic expressions of prayer such as speaking or singing in tongues, prophecy, deliverance prayers, and (to a lesser degree) prayers for healing simply seem unusual or even unsettling. To be fair, it’s not surprising that people would be confused and even put off initially when they see bodily manifestations of the Holy Spirit, such as laughing, crying, shaking, and falling to the ground (known as “resting” in the Spirit). This is especially true for those seeing such things for the first time. Many of us have been raised and catechized to see prayer as something that should always be very calm, orderly, and even dispassionate. 

Of course, “weird” or “unusual” are relative terms based on one’s prior experience and expectations. What seems weird to one person will be normal to another. Also, not everything that people attribute to the Holy Spirit really comes from him. Discernment is always necessary. As St. Paul told the Thessalonians: “Do not quench the Spirit. […] test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess 5:19, 21). Here is a key for discernment: If we make our own experience of how God can operate the measure of what is possible or “normal,” then we might be quenching the Spirit both in others and in ourselves. In response to the “weird” accusation, I would say that when the transcendent and infinite God interacts with His finite creatures and pours His own divine life into them, we should expect things to happen that are, naturally speaking, very unusual. Again, this is not to make some felt or visible bodily response the measure of the Spirit’s activity—but such a response certainly is not surprising when you think about it.

“It’s too Protestant!”

The fact that the renewed emphasis on the spiritual gifts in the 20^th century began mostly in Protestant communities in no way invalidates the authenticity of this movement. If in the Old Testament God often used foreign rulers and nations to reprimand and form His chosen people, how much more can He use non-Catholic Christians, who are united to us through Baptism and who share with us the gift of the same Holy Spirit?

The Second Vatican Council stated a general principle regarding this in its Decree on Ecumenism, Redintegratio Unitatis: 

Catholics must gladly acknowledge and esteem the truly Christian endowments from our common heritage which are to be found among our separated brethren. […] anything wrought by the grace of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of our separated brethren can be a help to our own edification. Whatever is truly Christian is never contrary to what genuinely belongs to the faith; indeed, it can always bring a deeper realization of the mystery of Christ and the Church (RU, n. 4, emphasis added).

As a fascinating historical note, it appears that the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit which marked the beginning of Pentecostalism came in response to the prayer of none other than the pope himself! Blessed Elena Guerra (1835-1913) was an Italian religious sister and the founder of the Oblates of the Holy Spirit. She enjoyed extensive written correspondence with Pope Leo XIII. On January 1, 1901, following her encouragement, the pope invoked the Holy Spirit upon the 20^th century, singing the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus (Come, Creator Spirit) by the Holy Spirit window in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Here’s the crazy part: that very day, at the Bethel College and Bible School in Topeka, Kansas, the Holy Spirit was powerfully poured out upon a group of Protestants who had been praying to receive the Holy Spirit as the early Church had at Pentecost. This outpouring in Topeka is regarded as the beginning of Pentecostalism. Therefore, one could say that the Charismatic Renewal, which followed in the Catholic Church in 1967 and continues to this day, was very Catholic in origin! If God were only willing to use Christians with a perfect doctrinal record as vessels of the Holy Spirit, the Church never would have made it very far!

“It’s not my spirituality. If other people are into those things, great, but it’s just not for me.”

Besides a lack of awareness, this may be the biggest obstacle to the spread of charismatic Christianity. I have met many Catholics who have this attitude. They are not opposed to charismatics “doing their thing,” but they are not interested in it themselves. It’s common for people of this mindset to see “charismatic” as its own spirituality type or temperament. People say things like, “Well, I have more of a contemplative/liturgical spirituality.” Or else, they misunderstand the spiritual gifts as elements of one spirituality which stands alongside other spiritualities within the Christian tradition, such as Franciscan, Ignatian, Carmelite, Benedictine, etc. The response to charismatic Christians is a laissez-faire “You do you” or “Different strokes for different folks.” The problem with this attitude is that it doesn’t address the central claim of charismatics, which is that they are recovering and embracing something essential to the normal Christian life. To say, “The spiritual gifts aren’t part of my spirituality” is like saying, “The Eucharist isn’t my spirituality,” or, “Loving my neighbor as myself isn’t my spirituality.” Yielding to the Holy Spirit’s action and gratefully receiving his gifts is not one spirituality among many—it is just the normal Christian life.

Of course, there is a legitimate variety in the spiritual lives of committed Christians. Even the saints show great diversity in terms of their spiritual gifts and their personal “style” of holiness. In order to be holy, everyone does not need to be like St. Teresa of Calcutta, serving among the poorest of the poor, or like St. Thérèse of Lisieux, living a hidden life of prayer in a religious community, or like any other specific saint. The common and necessary ingredient is Christ-likeness. Just as in the natural order people have different gifts, strengths, and tendencies, so too in the spiritual order their gifts will tend to be consistent with their character and suited to their vocation and mission. However, the important thing is not to associate various spiritual gifts promised by Jesus himself and experienced by the first disciples with some rare, strange spirituality that isn’t meant for most people.

On a more specific note, I often hear people compare “traditional Catholicism” and “charismatic Catholicism” as if these were two poles of spirituality that are radically different or opposed in some way. Occasionally, more direct people will even ask, “Are you more traditional or more charismatic?” In some people’s minds, I think the word “traditional” equates to conservative and “charismatic” to progressive. As often happens in discussions about Christianity and the Church, the left-right dichotomy really breaks down here. Those political categories just don’t correspond to these spiritual realities.

Contrary to those who oppose traditional and charismatic Catholicism, I personally know many Catholics, including a number of priests, who are devotees of traditional liturgy and even Latin Mass and who also attend charismatic prayer groups and conferences, which include more modern-style praise music, as well as prayer services involving healing and prophecy. Along this line, think of St. Padre Pio, who was very traditional in his piety and celebration of the Mass, yet also exercised powerful spiritual gifts such as healing and prophecy (sometimes called “reading hearts”). Also, contrary to the equating of charismatic and progressive, virtually every charismatic Catholic I know is orthodox and faithful to Church teaching, even on the more controversial issues. There is also a great concern for doctrinal fidelity among charismatic Catholic leaders, for example: Dr. Ralph Martin, Peter Herbeck, Dr. Mary Healy, and Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa (Preacher to the Papal Household). It's true that orthodoxy was not always the norm in all Catholic charismatic circles. Without delving into the history, I think the strong commitment to Church teaching among charismatics today is in part a response to past errors that undermined the movement.

When speaking about Church teaching (especially moral teachings), many priests and other Catholics often lament the inconsistency of “cafeteria Catholics,” those who pick and choose which teachings they want to accept and which they will do without. I think there is an analogy to this when it comes to the spiritual life: why pick and choose just a few forms of prayer? Or why assume that you have no spiritual gifts on the basis of what you’ve experienced so far? Why not, as St. Paul says, “earnestly desire” the spiritual gifts? When it comes to the wide variety of spiritual gifts, forms of prayer, and spiritual “styles” accepted within the Church, my recommendation is this: don’t be a cafeteria Catholic, be a buffet Catholic! Try everything! Personally, I want to hear more Latin and more speaking in tongues! (each in its proper context) If it’s beautiful and spiritually nourishing, sign me up! It’s important to be grateful for where God has brought you up to this point in your spiritual life. But why limit yourself to staying there? Breakthrough often lies just beyond your comfort zone. When St. Thérèse of Lisieux was a young child, she was asked to pick out something from among her older sister’s toys. She responded, “I choose all!” That’s my answer when people ask me which spirituality I have, or try to force me to choose between "traditional" and "charismatic" forms of prayer: “I choose all!”

Conclusion

I hope you have found this defense of charismatic Christianity helpful. As you probably noticed from the length of this post, this rediscovered way of living the Christian life in the Holy Sprit touches on many topics! While I’m sure many readers do not share all or most of these objections, hopefully the responses have been informative. Perhaps what you need instead is simply encouragement. If so, here it is: Pray! Talk to Jesus and to others about this! Let’s make this conversation normal and discern what the Holy Spirit is doing so that we can follow his lead. St. Paul enjoined us, "Do not quench the Spirit" (1 Thess 5:19). This applies not only to others, but also to ourselves. Be open to whatever God wants to give you—the good news is: there’s always more!

† Under the Mercy,

Fr. Christopher Trummer

PS: In the next post, I’ll be explaining the foundational grace and most characteristic experience of charismatic Christianity: Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Other articles in this series:

Part I: The Reality and Importance of the Spiritual Gifts

Part III: Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Part IV: The Gift of Healing

Part V: The Gift of Prophecy

Part VI: Other Spiritual Gifts