Charismatic is the word by which, a few years back, I was sure I would never be referred to, and being a member of the movement that bears that name was the last thing I dreamt of becoming. The first meetings of this movement to which I attended were, to my taste, the least interesting and what kept me going was merely a search for friendship.

Today I form part of the Charismatic Renewal and, for the above reasons, find hardly any difficulty with understanding why some people find this movement strange, unattractive or even repulsive - these are precisely the impressions I had formed about it myself. Yet I do feel extremely sorry for those who fail to grasp the core message which the Renewal is seeking to bring to the Church; after all, I believe that every contemporary Christian movement has been raised by God not merely to suit their taste as regards Christian lifestyles, but to bring to life the charisms which may have become dormant over the centuries. These movements are not there simply to draw an ever-increasing number of people into their respective folds; they should rather, primarily, disseminate the fullness of life they have discovered in their own experience to other peoples, irrespective of whether or not these form part of any movement.

In fact, the Life in the Spirit Seminars, which are a very short series of talks presenting the basic Christian message followed by the Baptism in the Spirit [1] are, in my opinion, a must for all believers. These are no licence to joining the Charismatic Renewal but are rather an essential aid to living a life in obedience to Jesus Christ and in the power of the Spirit. Several people may refuse this, but I suggest that such individuals read William James' The Will to Believe. Indeed one cannot even begin to know the beauty and fullness of life that the Baptism in the Spirit immerses a person in unless one dares to take the plunge. The new consciousness and vision, the zeal to love Christ and to share him with others, the charisms given gratuitously for the building of the Church, and the power released within the Christian are phenomena that words are too poor to explain. As St John of the Cross says regarding the spiritual marriage, I cannot refrain from saying regarding this Pentecost experience:

The delicateness of delight felt in this contact is inexpressible. I would desire not to speak of it so as to avoid giving the impression that it is no more than what I describe. There is no way to catch in words the sublime things of God which happen in these souls.[2]

Unfortunately some may refuse this experience because they stop at things which are really on the periphery of the message God is seeking to give through the Charismatic Renewal; raising of hands, dancing or even praying in tongues and the using of other charisms are not at all the starting point. Some may continue to dislike the raising of hands and the like but if anyone thinks that the Charismatic Renewal has become synonymous with such practices he or she has understood nothing of this movement. Surrendering to the Spirit is the fundamental issue.

For this reason one must revere God's Word even when it comes to passages such as the following: "I wish all of you spoke in tongues"[3]; "do not treat prophecy with contempt... do not quench the Spirit"[4]... and countless others. If one has been put off by the words or actions of someone who has claimed to be a charismatic, it is worth considering a statement which has been made: misuse (such as misuse of charisms) is not remedied by no use but by right use. And this is not optional - Christ's commission is for all who believe and the Spirit's gifts and charisms are for all who desire the Spirit to be not only resident but president within them, and therefore not merely to abide in them but to control their lives as he desires. In all this, our focus must not be on the gifts but on the giver of gifts, whose personality and character can be seen in us as he bears fruit within us.

Notes: 

[1] Many people world-wide have had the experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit without the aid of any man and this goes to show that, in this respect, the Charismatic Renewal is not indispensable. Yet it is a tool and a gift for the Church today so that people may be renewed. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is indeed the release of power within one's life not merely to perform miracles - although this could be a consequence - but to be transformed by the renewing of one's mind and to walk, as Jesus did, in the power of the Spirit (see Lk 4,14 and 1 Jn 2,6).

[2] JOHN OF THE CROSS, ST, The Living Flame of Love, Stanza 2, para. 21, from The Collected Works of St John of the Cross, translated by Kieran Kavanagh, OCD and Otilio Rodrgiuez, OCD (ICS, Washington, 1979) p. 602

[4] 1 Thess 5,19-20