Pope speaks to charismatic Catholics on prayer, unity
October 31, 2014
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“Do not be afraid of differences,” Pope Francis said is a message to Catholics involved in the charismatic movement.
Speaking on October 31 to the Catholic Fraternity of the Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowship, the Pope said that the group’s goal should be unity in diversity, which he described as “the joyful recognition and acceptance of the various gifts which the Holy Spirit gives to each one and the placing of these gifts at the service of all members of the Church.”
Pope Francis said that the charismatic renewal has provided a great service to the faith by reminding the Church “of the necessity and importance of the prayer of praise.” He also remarked that the charismatic movement is ecumenical by nature, and stressed that the movement should preserve its ecumenical approach by working and praying together in spite of differences.
Prayer should give rise to evangelical work, the Pope continued. In his address the Holy Father likened the spiritual life to breathing, saying that it is a two-part process. “The spiritual life is fed, nourished, by prayer and is expressed outwardly through mission: inhaling and exhaling. When we inhale, by prayer, we receive the fresh air of the Holy Spirit. When exhaling this air, we announce Jesus Christ risen by the same Spirit.”
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Posted by: chady -
Nov. 01, 2014 1:23 PM ET USA
Understand this and take it to heart...Psalm 36 v 3,5 ' If you trust in the Lord and do good' then you will live in the land and be secure' + 'Commit yourself to the Lord and he will act on your behalf'Matt. 23 v 26 'Clean the inside of the cup and dish first so that the outside may become clean as well'+ 1 Cor 6 v 19 'Your body is a shrine of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit is God's gift to you'+ Cor 1 v 28'God has chosen those who are nothing at all..he has become our wisdom'
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Posted by: rjbennett1294 -
Oct. 31, 2014 7:11 PM ET USA
The question is this: if we do not follow the 2,000-year-old teachings and traditions of the Church, how can we know we are not deceiving ourselves, how can we know we are really being led by the Holy Spirit, and not by that other, fallen "spirit".
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Posted by: John J Plick -
Oct. 31, 2014 2:30 PM ET USA
This is a splendid opportunity to differentiate between a kind of ethereal idealism & stone-cold reality. I have been a charismatic for over 30 yrs. & have received much from the Holy Spirit & the protestants. Many of us @ that time, having been snatched from the edge of personal destruction by the sheer grace of God, came back to "the Church" gladly & with excitement expecting to be welcomed. For the most part we were not. Only reading of Padre Pio's trials kept me from a disastrous decision.
