The Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) has been around now for 55 years. I have been involved with the CCR for 54 of those years, nearly all of them in leadership. Over the years, I have heard my share of criticisms of the movement. Some have been valid and worth taking seriously. One of the most unfair criticisms I've heard, however, is that the CCR is not really Catholic.
The fact is, the Renewal has made some very significant contributions in the life of the Church and to the Catholic faithful. I have reflected on some of these in the past and would like to do so again here.
Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to his followers and said that the Spirit would do certain specific things for us. I have identified these areas from the Scriptures. It is interesting to see how the contributions of the CCR seem to correspond to the promises of Jesus about the Holy Spirit. It seems clear to me, and I hope it will to you, that the CCR is an authentic visitation of the Spirit and has been a definite force for renewal in the Church and in the lives of millions of Catholics.
I have singled out the five areas of contributions as follows: GLORIFY JESUS, WORSHIP, TRUTH, CONVICTION AND REPENTANCE, WITNESS.
GLORIFY JESUS: The CCR has helped to re-emphasize the centrality of the Person of Jesus.
When Jesus spoke about what the Holy Spirit would do, he said: "He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you" (John 16:14). Jesus also said: "When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me" (John 15:26).
One of the effects of the CCR in the Church has been to re-focus on the Person of Jesus. We can never focus on Jesus enough! Somehow, there is always a danger that the Person and Work of Jesus will be neglected, ignored, taken for granted, or obscured. I think the CCR has been a healthy corrective to this tendency.
The CCR has been a reminder of what St. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:3 - that it's only by the Holy Spirit that we can say "Jesus is Lord." Renewal in the Holy Spirit has meant, for multiplied millions of Catholics, surrendering to Jesus and enthroning him as Lord in their lives.
WORSHIP: The CCR has helped to renew a spirit of praise and worship.
A hallmark of the CCR has been song, praise and worship, especially in group settings. The Holy Spirit impels one to worship the Father. Jesus said that the Father desires those who worship in Spirit and truth (cf. John 4:23-24).
Being baptized in the Holy Spirit has been described as "a personal introduction to the Trinity." The Holy Spirit reveals God the Father to us as "Abba, Father" and teaches us how to pray when we don't know how (cf. Rom. 8:15,26).
Since Vatican II, Catholics have been encouraged, exhorted, and cajoled about participating in the liturgy, especially through congregational singing - with highly mixed results! It hasn't always worked well because the Holy Spirit has to provide the inner motivation for song and praise.
The CCR has helped to propel many, especially among the laity, to a desire for holiness and intimacy with God. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is like living water flowing within us (cf. John 7:37-39). Genuine praise and worship flows from a true love and desire for union with God - inspired by the Holy Spirit.
TRUTH: The CCR has helped to renew an emphasis on Scripture - the word of God, the word of truth.
Being baptized in the Spirit leads to the truth, especially in God's word. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would help us know the truth and proclaim the truth (cf. John 16:13).
The CCR has re-focused attention on the Scriptures - the word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit. If anyone is genuinely baptized in the Holy Spirit, hunger and thirst for Scripture is an inevitable result. Just as with praise and worship, it is only an experience of the grace of the Holy Spirit that can motivate and move a person to feed on the truth of the word of God.
CONVICTION: The CCR has helped to renew a spirit of repentance and conviction of sin.
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is sent to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (cf. John 16:5-11). One of the prime messages the CCR has given to the Church and the world is that of repentance and conviction of sin, while emphasizing the Lord's mercy and forgiveness if there is genuine repentance.
Those who are baptized in the Spirit can identify with disciples of the Lord down through the ages who have experienced a conviction of their own sin and unrighteousness before God. Once this is acknowledged and confessed, however, God not only forgives but imparts a mission to communicate the same conviction, repentance, and forgiveness to others. All this is due to work of the Holy Spirit!
WITNESS: The CCR has helped to emphasize the need to witness to Jesus, to evangelize, to give testimony to what the Lord has done.
Some of the last words that Jesus said before his ascension were these: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
Being baptized in the Holy Spirit leads a person to want to witness, to share what the Lord has done for him or her. The Holy Spirit has used the CCR to help re-kindle this apostolic and evangelistic zeal of witnessing to Jesus.
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would bear witness to him, but he then said, "you also are witnesses..." (John 15:27). The CCR is a sign of this.
THANKS BE TO GOD: We are eternally grateful to God for this contemporary outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the CCR.
It might be argued that other movements and renewal programs in the Catholic Church have also made the same or similar contributions as those mentioned above. This is certainly true. I would not want to claim that the CCR is the only movement in the Church making these contributions. But I do believe it is the largest movement numerically to have done so and has made, arguably, the biggest impact of any movement on the life of the Church in our times. For this, we can only be thankful to the Lord for his amazing grace and mercy!