5/8/13

Pope John Paul II Affirms the Charismatic Renewal


Pope John Paul II Affirms
the Charismatic Renewal

Commissions Her to Renew the Church

Audience with Cardinal Suenens and the Council Members of the International Charismatic Renewal Office.

This quote is from the special hour and a half audience with the Pope in Vatican City on December 11, 1979:
This is my first meeting with you, Catholic charismatics . . . I have always belonged to this renewal in the Holy Spirit. . . . I am convinced that this movement is a sign of his action. The world is much in need of this action of the Holy Spirit, and it needs many instruments for this action. . . . Through this action, the Holy Spirit comes to the human spirit, and from this moment we begin to live again, to find our very selves, to find our identity, our total humanity. Consequently, I am convinced that this movement is a very important component in the total renewal of the church, in this spiritual renewal of the church."

Audience with Participants of The Sixth International Conference for Catholic Charismatic Leaders

This quote is from the Pope's private audience on May 15, 1987.
"Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Papal Crest
"In the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit I welcome all of you who have come to Rome for the Sixth International Leaders' Conference of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. I am very happy to meet with you today and I wish to assure you that your love for Christ and your openness to the Spirit of Truth are a most valuable witness in the Church's mission in the world. . . . This year [1987] marks the 20 th anniversary of the charismatic renewal in the Catholic Church. The vigor and fruitfulness of the renewal certainly attest to the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit at work in the Church in these years after the Second Vatican Council. . . . The charismatic renewal is an eloquent manifestation of this vitality today, a bold statement of what 'the Spirit is saying to the churches' (Revelations 2:7) as we approach the close of the second millennium. For us, the Spirit of the Lord is upon us, each one of us, who have been born anew in the saving waters of Baptism. The Spirit prompts us to go forth in faith 'to preach good news to the poor' the poor in material things, the poor in spiritual gifts, the poor in mind and body."

Audience with the National Charismatic Service Committee of Italy and the National Council of Rinnovamento nello Spirito.

Here is an extract from the private address the Holy Father granted on Saturday, April 4, 1998:
"This is a year [dedicated to the Holy Spirit in preparation for the Great Jubilee] which you, the members of the Renewal, are called to live with special intensity and commitment. . . . How can we fail to give thanks for the precious spiritual fruits that the Renewal has produced in the life of the Church and in the lives of so many people? How many lay faithful—men and women, youth, adults, and older people—have been able to experience the amazing power of the Spirit and His gifts in their lives! How many people have rediscovered their faith, a desire for prayer, the power and beauty of the Word of God, which is expressed in generous service for the mission of the Church! How many lives were deeply changed! For all of this I wish to praise and thank the Holy Spirit with you today. . . . I thank you for what you are doing, and I ask you to persevere in your commitment."
Cf. "Open the Windows: the Popes and Charismatic Renewal", Edited by Fr. Kilian McDonnell, OSB., South Bend, IN: Greenlawn Press, 1989. 
Come Holy Spirit

1 comment:

Ed Sousa said...

The Holy Spirit makes your Baptism come alive. Then, like St. Paul, you can say, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2.20).
"It's exciting when that happens. Jesus becomes everything for you."
Fr. John Randall