Charismatic Spirituality

The charismatic renewal is a sign of the continuing relevance of the Holy Spirit for the baptized and gives life and direction to the Church in its mission in the world. Appearing soon after the close of Vatican II, the charismatic renewal has been one of a number of movements of the Spirit in the Church marked by a call to holiness and evangelization.

Call to Holiness gathers the wisdom within the renewal, thirty years after its beginnings, to help guide its continued life. This document evolved out of several years of consultation with leaders, theologians, and bishops associated with the charismatic renewal from various national backgrounds. Theologians not associated with the charismatic renewal have also been consulted.

The document covers the vocation to holiness, the experience of the Spirit, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the charisms, forms of community life, and the call to evangelize. Chapters are The Spiritual Renewal Coming from the Council," "The Experience of the Holy Spirit and its Fruits," and "Gifted for Mission."

Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes is President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum. He was Vice-President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity from 1981-1996. For ten years he was, at the appointment of Pope John Paul II, the "Episcopal Advisor" to the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (ICCRS) in Rome. In this capacity he followed His Eminence Cardinal Leon-Joseph Suenens, the late Archbishop of Malines, Belgium.

The authors of this document supply much-needed clarification of baptism in the Holy Spirit. They also provide evidence that baptism in the Spirit belongs not to the personal experience of the few, not at all to private piety, but to the public official liturgy of the Church. Baptism in the Spirit is therefore normative. The authors, supported by letters of encouragement from two bishops, suggest ways in which the baptism in the Holy Spirit can be reappropriated by the local parish.

Here are the sources of renewal, of on-going conversion, of the power of evangelization. For this reason, this document is of interest to pastors, liturgists, RCIA teams, people involved in the catechumenate, spiritual directors and those in spiritual formation.

Who is the Holy Spirit? What role does the Spirit play in the life of the Church and of the individual Christian? Beginning with the belief in the Holy Spirit as a Person of God, and not just a "force," this book reveals the Catholic understanding of the presence and influence of the Spirit God in every aspect of the Christian life. The book focuses on the unique aspects and development of Catholic devotion to the Holy Spirit from antiquity to the present, culminating in a look at Catholic theology of the Holy Spirit today and the new and exciting ways the Spirit is working among Catholics and all Christians in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Through the study of Catholic tradition, the lives of the saints, and ordinary people, you'll begin to understand how the message of inward healing is also a message that we as Catholics are empowered to take outward to the world.

Whether your spiritual life is in shambles or your faith is robust, whether you attend church or not, are angry at God or resting in God's embrace, you will discover in this book a path to authentic faith sifted through intense joy and disheartening loss, through breathtaking experiences and the nearly hidden reality of the Spirit tucked away in everyday life. In Holy Spirit, I Pray, you'll meet the Holy Spirit as you never have before--in prayers of uncanny candor and surprising beauty. Each raw, honest prayer is accompanied by the Scripture texts that inspired it.

"Jack Levison studies, meditates, prays, and writes of the place of the Holy Spirit in our lives with more skill and understanding than anyone I know."--Eugene Peterson, author/translator of The Message

Charles Whitehead, an international leader of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, encourages us to take a fresh look at the person and promise of the Spirit as revealed in the Scriptures and throughout two thousand years of Church teaching and history. In clear and simple language, Whitehead describes the meaning of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and its relationship to sacramental Baptism and Confirmation. He also delineates the gifts most often associated with baptism in the Holy Spirit, which he calls the knowing, doing, and speaking gifts. As we continue to walk in the Spirit, he says, the Lord will reveal his mind and will to us and guide us in all we do.

At the beginning of the Second Vatican Council, Blessed Pope John XXIII offered a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to Renew your wonders in our time, as though for a new Pentecost. The rediscovery of the charismatic gifts by ordinary Catholics throughout the world was an answer to that prayer. Damian Stayne, who is known internationally for his healing ministry, shows readers how spiritual gifts such as prophecy and healing were used by Jesus, the early Church, and the saintsand why we need them operating in the Church today. He provides not only amazing stories of Gods presence and work in our time but also a host of practical instructions on how to grow in these gifts. This book is both inspiring and a challenge to Catholics to be open to the gifts of the Spirit in order to bring others to Christ.

In the last forty years, many Catholics have experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in their lives that resulted in a new passion for God and a zeal for spreading the gospel. In addition to a newfound love of prayer, Scripture, and the Eucharist, many have been blessed with the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as tongues and healing. Yet as the years go by, many often experience a waning of the gifts of the Spirit as well as a lukewarmness creeping into their lives. What can we do to keep that fire for God, which may have been ignited many years ago, to continue to burn brightly in our hearts? In this book, Sr. Ann Shields offers us an inspirational message that will help us to persist in prayer and keep asking for more of the Holy Spirit in our lives each day. By taking a serious look at our hearts and repenting where we have strayed, and by staying close to God in Scripture and the Eucharist, we can reignite the fire that once burned within us.

These are not drunk, as you suppose... (Acts 2:15). --Peter preaching to the crowd after the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

We tend to overlook Peter's opening words to the crowd that first Pentecost morning, to our own peril. His denial of drunkenness in the wake of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit should stop us in our tracks. What was going on here? How did the apostles experience the Holy Spirit? What was he teaching them? How was he empowering them? What does this scene in the streets of Jerusalem mean for us today?

Father Raniero Cantalamessa offers pastoral advice and leads the reader through passages of Scripture and the Fathers of the Church to remind us of the incalculable power of the Spirit available to us. This spiritual "intoxication" is an infilling--through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and the action of God--that purifies us of sin, renews the heart and enlightens the mind. As St. Augustine said of the Spirit, "He found you empty and he filled you...I like this kind of intoxication. The Spirit of God is both drink and light."

Foundational Teaching from a Charismatic Healing Minister and a Catholic Scholar


International healing minister Randy Clark teams up with Mary Healy, a respected Catholic scholar, to show not only that the gifts of the Spirit still exist today, but that they are not optional; they are the necessary tools God has given for both building his Church and spreading the Gospel.

With wisdom and practical insight, Clark and Healy walk you through biblical texts, dispel misconceptions, and show that there is an endless variety of gifts. They also show how the gifts are not just for a select few, but distributed freely by the Holy Spirit among believers. After laying this foundation, the authors reveal how you can activate the gifts in your own life and use them to benefit others. In this hurting world, you can give people more than just a message--you can help usher them into an encounter with God.