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From A Pastoral Statement on the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, National Conference of Catholic Bishops (Washington, D.C. 1989), pp. 6-9, 13-14: Mature Lay Life 8. The charismatic renewal is a movement which seeks to be completely open to the Holy Spirit as it contributes to the ongoing effort to renew the whole Church. Though the Catholic charismatic renewal has influenced many bishops, priests and religious personally, it has contributed in an even more profound way to the realization of the role of the laity in the mission of the Church. From its beginning on university campuses, to the formation of thousands of parish prayer groups, it has been largely led, taught, discerned and participated in by lay people. In a way not known in recent history, lay men and women are engaged in evangelization and the proclamation of the Lordship of Jesus, in programs of spiritual formation and spiritual direction. Clearly the charismatic renewal has as its goal the transformation of all the members of the People of God. Community and the Credibility of the Gospel 11. If some people judge that God is no longer relevant to their lives, one reason is the lack of a vital Christian community in which they can experience his presence and power and can see and hear the Gospel preached and lived authentically. The charismatic renewal has grasped the communitarian dimension of the Good News. The return to different forms of community is prompted by the deepest Christian instinct. The first reaction of the early Church to the presence of the risen Christ and the power of the Spirit was the formation of community, which constituted the historic nucleus of Church (Ac 2:44-47, 4:32-35). Within the context of today's Church, committed Christians have come together to find spiritual nourishment, to pray and praise, to evangelize, to serve others. A variety of communities arise in this way. There are inter-parochial prayer groups, parish prayer groups and covenant communities. Some are wholly Catholic in membership; some are ecumenical. In all of the various community forms there is evidence of a great spiritual hunger for God, his presence and his Word. Covenant Communities 13. The emergence of covenant communities is a development of major importance. By providing leadership resources, formation programs, growth seminars, and sharing across a large spectrum of human and spiritual needs, they have become a significant sign of the kingdom of God present in power. Every state and stage of life is there represented: married, single, widowed, old and young. Through collaboration with the local bishop, these communities have developed new approaches to the pursuit of full Catholic life. 14. Within some of these covenant communities are households of men and households of women who are "single for the Lord," that is, living a life of committed celibacy, evangelical simplicity and poverty, developing profoundly human and graced bonds of friendship and fellowship, which make these celibate communities effective tools of evangelization, especially among the youth. Some of these brotherhoods and sisterhoods, existing within the structure of a covenant community, have an ecumenical character. Ecumenism 22. We see in the charismatic renewal an ecumenical force in which we rejoice. We make our own the words of Pope Paul VI, repeated by Pope John Paul II during his visit to the United States (October 5, 1979): "Let the work of drawing near to our separated brethren go on, with much understanding, with much patience, with great love; but without deviating from the true Catholic doctrine." Included in this are a balance between Word and sacraments as channels of grace; the recognition of the liturgy as the "indispensable source of the true Christian spirit"; traditional devotion to Mary the Mother of God; and our obedience to the Holy Father, the successor of St. Peter. Authentic ecumenism maintains loyalty to the life and broad experience of the Church. |
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