BC Charismatic Spring Newsletter 2021
Still Gathering
John Connelly headlines OL Pentecost on Zoom Aug. 8-12
Our Lady of Pentecost Gathering in the Spirit is back on line for another year this August, and organizers are convinced they had more than the usual level of heavenly help with the planning.
The theme is Joy, Peace and Hope in Turbulent Times, which seems perfect for the pandemic that has shut down in-person gatherings two years in a row. But Gladys Miller, co-ordinator of the event, said the 2021 theme was discerned a year and a half ago, before anybody had heard of covid-19.
“The Lord knew, and we believe He has a plan,” she said.
John Connelly, a Catholic lay evangelist currently based in Saskatchewan, will be featured speaker at the gathering, to be held via Zoom Aug. 8-12 (Sunday-Thursday), 6-8 p.m.
The gathering, presented by Nelson Diocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services with the endorsement of Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services of B.C., is normally held at St. Elizabeth Seton House of Prayer in Kelowna, but was moved online last year due to the pandemic. About 80 people attended the event via Zoom in 2020.
The two-hour sessions will feature praise and worship, talks by Connelly, and small group discussion of the talks. Cost is $25 per person. To register contact Maria McManus, untamedspirit@telus.net, 250-707-1423.
Connelly said he plans to compare the needs of today’s Christians with Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:2-13)
“The image of the Wise and Foolish Virgins is a key lesson for us all,” he said. “How do we make sure we are truly wise and filled with the oil of the Spirit? Together we will explore this amazing image and its ramifications for us all.
“I will also tie in the teaching of St. Ignatius of Loyola on discernment of spirits – a practical and profound way of understanding how to grow in the Spirit.”
Connelly has been active in lay ministry, parish missions, retreats and conferences for the past 30 years. He has been a diocesan youth director and diocesan director of evangelization and catechesis. His work includes Catholic radio, television, song writing and concerts, leadership formation for youth and adults, and writing for various Catholic publications.
He is director of SaintPath, a multimedia ministry based in Bruno, Saskatchewan teaching the spiritual wisdom of Scripture and the saints. His wife, Tracy, is also active in the ministry. They have eight children.
Gathering in the Spirit 2020, featuring Jim Murphy as guest speaker, was a success on Zoom, Miller said. Feedback was all positive.
“The organizing group was grateful to our Lord that things moved forward with ease,” she said. “I expect the Lord to care for us in 2021 equally well or perhaps even better because of having the experience of last year.
“Our format will be similar with praise and worship, speaker and breakout rooms each evening.
“We have some ideas to add but we’re waiting on the covid situation to ascertain the possibility of implementation, so stay tuned to our website for updates if they come possible.”
Information is available at the Nelson website, https://www.holyspiritbaptizer.com/ .
As We Prayer Without Ceasing…
By LYNNE WILLIAMS, with Gladys Miller, Loree Renwick and Maureen Watson
Despite the onset of COVID 19 more than a year ago, Nelson Diocese Catholic Charismatic Renewal Service has kept active. Being unable to meet in person created a challenge for prayer groups, so a team of organizers courageously decided to offer prayer meetings on Zoom.
Since April 2020, a weekly prayer group has been offered to participants in Nelson diocese and beyond, 1:30 on Thursdays with occasional breaks. Attendance was usually around 35, from all over BC. Most meetings consisted of opening prayer, praise and worship music, prophecy, scripture, teaching, intercessory prayer and small group activity. Feedback has been strongly positive, with participants patiently accepting the use of this new technology.
In addition to the leadership team, many people participated in the multitude of tasks needed to have a successful meeting. Grateful thanks go out to all of them and to Father Obi Ibekwe, our sponsor.
This fall, John Connelly, well known speaker, musician, Catholic evangelist, and originator of the website SaintPath, was invited as guest speaker. John’s two talks, the Gift of Tongues and 1 Hour Retreat, were terrific and are posted on the NDCCRS website. The 1 Hour Retreat is a prayer facilitation that may be experienced by visiting the NDCCRS web. (See link below.)
In December, a three-session Advent retreat, the 2020 Vigil Project, was offered, with attendance in the high 40s. The project featured video talks by Father Dave Pivonka, president of, Franciscan University of Steubenville, along with beautiful, original music and Advent reflections from the Vigil Project Team.
John Connelly returned in January, and Peter Herbeck of Renewal Ministries joined us for a Lenten retreat. Local organizers Lynne Williams and Roy MacIntyre gave talks in April. Most of the talks are available on our website, https://www.holyspiritbaptizer.com/.
Each week we have breakout rooms with a facilitator and two to four participants. Organizers or the guest speaker provide questions or directions to facilitators for prayer and preparation. Feedback from facilitators and participants has been positive.
A short way into the Zoom prayer gatherings it was discerned by the organizers that we needed a team to seek the will of God for the next session. Every decision has been made as a response to prayer: personal, Zoom core group (Roy MacIntyre, Loree Renwick, Maureen Watson, Gladys Miller, Lynne Williams), our diocesan intercessory prayer team (led by Flo Reid), and our discernment prayer group (led by Gladys). We have also been made aware of the need to pay close attention to the prophetic words received, and to meditate upon them.
The team has received many positive comments. Here are just a few:
“That was such a loving, peaceful experience…”
“I’m so pleased to be invited and be able to pray with your community. Praise God, alleluia!”
“Today’s meeting was really special indeed. Feel so blessed to be part of it.Thank you for all you all of you do to make it possible for people like me to receive the gift of this blessing.”
“Lovely meeting. Just what I needed today.”
“It’s been a privilege for me to know some of you and to be involved in the group. Awesome talk by John on Thursday. So blessed to have the opportunity to listen to it!”
“Thank you, everyone, for making this such a beautiful, spiritual journey of faith. My heart is touched and my soul has been enriched.”
“We wanted to let you know how much we appreciate being able to attend your Zoom events, and how helpful and uplifting it is to have the sharing time.”
It is gratifying to know that what our small group has set out to do has touch so many, including ourselves. We are still learning how to make the meeting a better experience for all. The presence of the Lord is indeed felt each week, the Holy Spirit is able to reach out to each member and brings unity to each meeting. Nothing is impossible for our God.
The current schedule of meetings will continue through May 20. After that the committee will be busy with planning for Our Lady of Pentecost Gathering in the Spirit Aug. 8-12 (see front page), and decisions on meetings for the fall will be made after the gathering.
To join us, check our website. If you have participated in a NDCCRS Zoom prayer meeting, you are on our contact list and will receive an announcement and invitation for the winter session. If you would like to be added to our contact/invitation list, please contact Lynne Williams lynnedwilliams50@hotmail.com with the subject line Zoom Prayer Meeting.
PROPHETIC WORDS FROM NELSON MEETING
From fall session:
“In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”John 16:33
“Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”John 14:7
“By waiting and by calm you shall be saved; in quiet and in trust your strength lies.” Isaiah30:15
“I will listen for what God, the LORD, has to say; surely He will speak of peace to His people and to His faithful.” Psalm 85
“Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”
“My people, I am calling you in these days to a deep stillness, to a deep quiet, to come into My presence, to rest in My presence and behold My beauty.”
From Advent session:
“Come spend time with Me and I will fill your hearts, I will empower you, I will give you all that you need. Just come! Come, My people, come!”
“I will rejoice heartily in the LORD, my being exults in my God; For he has clothed me with garments of salvation, and wrapped me in a robe of justice.” Isaiah 61:10
Image of Jesus standing at the door knocking, asking us to clear the clutter so there is room for Him.
“In union with Christ and through our faith in Him we have the boldness to go into God’s
presence with all confidence.”
From January session:
“To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God.”
“My ways are not your ways, My thoughts are not your thoughts.”
“You shall seek the LORD with all your heart and you will find me, I will let you find me.”
“It shall come to pass in the last days that I will pour out My spirit on all mankind But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the LORD.”
“We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. We should not stay away for the assembly but encourage one another.”
From Lenten session: “ ‘Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer be a reproach!’ They replied, ‘Let us begin building!’”
“For He will be like a refiner’s fire. Embrace the fire of My love, don’t fear it.”
“All who take refuge in You will be glad and forever shout for joy.”
“Bless the Lord, you who are holy and humble in heart; sing praise to Him and highly exalt Him forever.”
“Let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.” Hebrews 4:16.
God helps with everything—even music by Zoom!
By ROY MacINTYRE
When the Nelson diocesan service committee began online prayer meetings last year, we knew little of online media for prayer meetings. But God supplied. The music ministry was challenged, God blessed us, and I hope this article may help anyone else planning online praise and worship.
It isn’t easy to have music ministry online because the Internet only allows one-way communication; if two people in different locations are speaking at the same time, at best you will only hear one. At worst, both voices will be garbled and unrecognizable.
God provided my wife, Bev, and me a new camera/microphone just before our first online prayer meeting, a whole month ahead of the scheduled delivery. We also ordered two six-foot USB cable extensions (costing only slightly more than one). The video was great, but the sound was very inconsistent.
Our Lady of Pentecost Gathering in the Spirit was also held online. Fortunately, we were able to assemble a group in a church for our music ministry. The four of us, Bernadette Barry, Maria McManus, Bev and I were able to manage with Covid-19 two-metre distancing. The camera could be positioned to include us all— as noted, God provided USB extensions. The church, St. John Vianney in Penticton, also had a mixer which allowed our mics and guitar to be plugged into the same sound source. This was better, but still somewhat inconsistent.
At a provincial service committee meeting, Peter Herbeck suggested we get a mixer board for our Zoom meetings. We got a deal on a mixer and wireless microphones, and our praise and worship have been greatly improved. All glory to God, who, step by step, has helped us improve our praise and worship transmissions.
Worldwide Pentecost vigil
For the second year in a row, CHARIS, the international service of communion for the Catholic charismatic renewal, will celebrate the vigil of Pentecost with an online gathering.
Beginning at noon Pacific Daylight Time (9 p.m. Rome time) Saturday, May 22, the fully ecumenical celebration will be streamed from four locations:
–Rome, headquarters of CHARIS;
–Topeka, Kansas, where the first baptism in the Holy Spirit of the modern Pentecostal revival took place Jan. 1, 1901;
–Buenos Aires, Argentina, home of CRECES, a Lutheran-Catholic group with which Pope Francis (then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio) was associated before his election as Pope;
–Jerusalem, location of the first Pentecost as recorded in Acts chapter 2. The Jerusalem celebration will include Messianic Jews.
Leading up to the celebration, a week of prayer will be held beginning Sunday May 16.
Links and additional details will be available on the CHARIS website (charis.international), and its Youtube, Facebook and Instagram pages, in a variety of languages
Thank You Lennie!
Lennie David, longest-serving member of Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services of BC and one of the best-known charismatic leaders in Canada, has stepped down from the provincial body after more than 25 years.
But she isn’t leaving the renewal. She remains vice-chair and acting leader of the Vancouver archdiocesan service committee.
Best known for bringing Life in the Spirit Seminars to the archdiocese, she has also been an organizer for many charismatic conferences, starting with Vancouver’s first-ever conference in 1992. In 2013 she was awarded the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice for distinguished service to the Church, the highest honour the Pope can bestow on a layperson. In 2014 she was named to the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
She also enjoys telling people a less formal title she has gained over the years, “Lennie the Charismaniac,” for her vigorous promotion of the renewal, all the way from parish life to the chancery office.
Born in the Philippines, she lived in the Netherlands and Belgium, where her husband, Emmanuel, worked for the Philippine embassy. They came to Canada in 1975. A lifelong devout Catholic, she was baptized in the Holy Spirit in 1976 at Immaculate Conception Church in Delta, still her home parish today.
In 1992, despite great reluctance, she felt led by the Lord to ask her pastor for permission to offer a Life in the Spirit Seminar. The seminar began in January, 1993; She was ready for 100 people; 350 showed up. Since then, she has organized 70 seminars, in many parishes, with about 11,000 attending. Some 25 prayer groups have been founded as a result.
“Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a must for everyone to have a much better personal relationship with our dear Lord,” she says.
Annual celebrations of the anniversary of the first seminar feature a Mass at IC Delta. Cardinal Thomas Collins of Toronto presided at the 20th anniversary Mass in 2013, and Archbishop Michael Miller of Vancouver presided at the 25th anniversary in 2018.
Among many other activities, she played a key role in organizing a FIRE rally in Vancouver in 1998; took 17 priests to France for a gathering honour of the 150th anniversary of the beatification of St. John Vianney in 2005; and led a pilgrimage to Rome for the 50th anniversary of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in 2017.
She and Emmanuel have four children and seven grandchildren.
CHARIS: Fruit for prayer groups
By RICHARD DUNSTAN
CHARIS, the new worldwide “service of communion” established in 2019 by Pope Francis, is still a work in progress at the national level, but in the meantime it is promising to bear major fruit at the local level.
Under CHARIS, prayer groups will have a larger, not a smaller, role in the Church and in local parishes, says Brian Sullivan, chair of Canada’s national service committee.
Pope Francis has referred to the Catholic charismatic renewal as “a current of grace in the Church and for the Church.” It is not to be seen as an organization or a movement within the Church; rather, the whole Church is to become charismatic – that is, filled anew with the power and grace of the Holy Spirit.
“We need to adjust the way we think about ourselves,” Sullivan said in a talk earlier this year. “The Charismatic Renewal is not ours. We don’t own and operate it. The CCR is not an organization. It is not a group you have membership in. It is a current of grace in and for the Church that we have had the fortunate opportunity to already enter into through our charismatic prayer groups of which we are members.”
But the importance of those prayer groups is only going to grow as a result. In setting up CHARIS, Pope Francis laid out a list of goals for the Church and for the renewal: sharing the blessings of baptism in the Spirit throughout the Church; evangelization; ecumenism; service to the poor; and the promotion of unity. Many of these, Sullivan noted, are areas where charismatic prayer groups already have a high level experience and commitment.
–We must take the lead in expanding baptism in the Holy Spirit to all members of the Church, as a necessary prerequisite and equipping for the evangelization to which all Christians are called.
–We need to encourage and foster the charisms of the Holy Spirit as widely as possible in the Church.
–We need to help those baptized in the Spirit deepen their prayer lives, as we have been doing in our prayer groups throughout the existence of the renewal.
–We need to promote ecumenism and unity with other Christians, without compromising our own Catholic faith or disrespecting the beliefs of other Christians. We in the renewal have more experience than most Catholics in inter-church outreach.
–We need to have a special concern for the poor, be they poor economically, spiritually, mentally or physically. As Pope Francis says, we need to “smell like the sheep” whom we serve.
–We need to support, or if necessary initiate, our parish’s work of evangelization. All the points mentioned here are in service of this essential goal.
All of this is an enormous challenge, says Sullivan. But we won’t be doing it in our own power: “We can’t just start doing.” We need to identify the current of grace that is active in our parish, and then move in and support what the Holy Spirit is doing.
Meanwhile, the overall structure associated with CHARIS calls for setting up national services of communion in each country. Sullivan says our national leadership has met with a generous response from the bishops, and details are being worked out, but are not yet determined.
CHARIS moderator steps down
Jean-Luc Moens has resigned as moderator of CHARIS.
Moens, of Belgium, first to hold the position, stepped down March 27 due to the needs of his family. His oldest daughter was paralyzed in an accident and needs full-time care in his home. He and his wife have seven children and 13 grandchildren.
Until a successor is named, Julia Torres will be liaison to the international service of communion and Milagros Carbajal will operate the CHARIS office in Rome.
PROPHECIES FROM
NATIONAL COMMITTEE April 2021
Give us your “now” word, Lord!
Matthew 14:24-33: When evening came, He was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning He came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. He said, ‘Come.’ So, Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God.’
In the same way that our Lord challenged Peter, He is also challenging us. When we experience the challenges of the world, Jesus will always be there reaching out His hand. He is letting us know that He is with us and we are not alone.
Prophecy from Harp and Bowl prayer meeting in Edmonton: My children, I am here. Take My hand, allow Me to lead you, to lead you deeper into My heart and into the pathways and byways of life. Be not afraid. I will provide everything you need when it is required. Let go of all that holds you back and follow Me.
Deuteronomy 13:4 The Lord your God you shall follow, Him alone you shall fear, His commandments you shall keep, His voice you shall obey, Him you shall serve and to Him you shall hold fast.
There is nothing to fear with the word of God before us. He is calling us into the new situation we find ourselves in.
Isaiah 35: 8-10: A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray. No lion shall be there nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
God is protecting us and sadness and sorrow ended. Lord, we thank You for the plans that You have for us that we may take Your hand and go deeper into Your heart. We want to hold fast to You. Help us to keep our eyes firmly fixed on You and not be distracted by the tumult we have around us.
Vision of a clothes line with different colours of clothes drying on it. In the centre was an unclean garment. The next time I looked this garment was going further away. The sky turned dark and the clothing disappeared. I understand this to mean that the righteous and the unrighteous are going to both be judged. I believe that this represents the state of the world, some are unrighteous and
unclean, but we all have to live together and be judged together.
This brings to mind; how many will be saved? Ralph Martin talks about this in his book [Will Many Be Saved; we need to counteract the thinking that the unclean will be saved. Jesus would never have said about Judas that it would have been better if he were never born if he was going to be saved. This is especially important to remember for those sitting on the fence: the lukewarm.
Prayer – help us to do what we must do to evangelize those sitting on the fence.
Join BC Charismatic on our Facebook page; visit our website
The BC Charismatic Facebook page is designed to offer communication, fellowship, and inspiration for charismatic Catholics, espacially in this time of pandemic.
To see the page: If you are already a Facebook member (or if you join Facebook), you can find the page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bccharismatic A search for “BC Charismatic” on the Facebook site will also find it. The page is visible to any Facebook member, so you will be able to read whatever is posted on the page.
To join the page: If you would like to join the group so that you can take an active role on the page, you can make a request to join via the button on the page, and we will accept your request as soon as we see it.
We welcome posts of edifying or inspiring material that is consistent with Catholic teaching, with Christian charity, and with godly prudence. This includes information on charismatic or other Church events, and inspiring teachings. (No politics, please!)
We also have a website: bccharismatic.ca Roy MacIntyre of the Nelson diocese is webmaster.
Get international charismatic news from CHARIS Magazine
CHARIS Magazine, a publication of CHARIS international service of communion for the Catholic charismatic renewal, is published monthly and is now available free on the CHARIS website, http://www.charis.international/ , along with a great deal of other material. Articles from the latest edition are at the lower right of the home page, and previous issues are available under “magazine” at the top of the home page.
Bread of Life drops print issue, will offer podcasts, videos
The Ontario-based Bread of Life ministry has decided to stop publishing its print magazine, due to high cost and apparent lack of interest.
The ministry polled the 600 to 700 readers on the subscription list as to whether they still wanted the magazine, and got only about 70 replies, of whom 65 wanted the magazine. The ministry will now turn to podcasts, and possibly YouTube videos, with speakers basing their talks on material originating with the late Fr. Peter Coughlin, Bread of Life founder.
The Bread of Life will also continue to sponsor conferences, although the scheduled fall 2020 conference featuring Maria Vadia was cancelled due to covid.
DONATIONS TO CCRS OF B.C.
All donations promote the work of CCRS-B.C. Tours, provincial conferences, leadership workshops and the CCRS of B.C. newsletter. CCRS of B.C. is a registered non-profit organization, and issues receipts for income tax purposes. Indicate below if you wish a receipt (over $10 only) and print your name and address plainly. Please make cheques payable to CCRS of B.C.
and mail to CCRS of B.C., 12358 65 Ave., Surrey BC V3W 5Y5
Name:_________________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________________
City:_______________________________ Postal code:______________
Phone: Donation: $ Receipt?________
Your prayers and financial support are appreciated.
B.C. Charismatic
CCRS of BC newsletter
published spring and fall
editor Richard Dunstan
308-225 Belleville St.
Victoria BC V8V 4T9
email: rccharismaticbc@gmail.com
phone: 250-477-4700
website: www.bccharismatic.ca
Catholic Charismatic Renewal
Services of B.C.
Richard Dunstan, Victoria (chair) 250-477-4700
Nitz Baylon, Vancouver,604-202-2998
Janet Tng, Vancouver, 778-998-8098
David MacIntyre, Victoria, 250-383-9955
Frans van der Woning, Kamloops, 250-851-5751
Loree Renwick, Nelson diocese, 250-354-7223
Lynne Williams, Nelson, 250-489-1702
Posted in Uncategorized
BC Charismatic Fall 2020
We’re back!
BC prayer groups meeting again, in person and online
The Catholic charismatic renewal is back in action in B.C., even though activities have been limited by COVID-19 protocols.
At least three of the province’s dioceses have ongoing prayer meetings, either online or in a socially distanced in-person setting. In addition, the annual Gathering in the Spirit sponsored by the Nelson diocesan service committee took place online in August, featuring Jim Murphy of Michigan speaking on Zoom (see Page 3.) Here is a partial list of events, based on information available at the time of publication.
In the Nelson diocese, a province-wide prayer meeting is being held Thursdays in six-week blocks, via Zoom. The meeting takes place Thursdays 1:30-3 p.m. Pacific time, with several dozen people attending from across BC. Scheduled dates are Oct. 8-Nov. 12, Jan. 14-Feb. 18, March 11-April 22 and May 13-June 17. The meetings include praise, word gift, intercessory prayer, and a speaker or other activities; the speaker Nov. 5 is John Connelly of Saskatchewan-based SaintPath. In addition, a three-week video Advent session with Father Dave Pivonka will be shown Dec. 3-17. Dates are subject to change. A Zoom invitation and link can be requested via the Nelson committee website, https://www.holyspiritbaptizer.com/ , which will also have up-to-date information.
At least four prayer groups in the Nelson diocese are meeting in person, with full COVID-19 protocols in place. Contact the leader for scheduling details and information on protocols.
Osoyoos: Laurie Martin, 250-495-2964, lkmartin@persona.ca .
West Kelowna: Marcia Lawrence, parish 250-768-4114, ololoffice@ololwestbank.ca .
Creston: Yvonne Horne, v.horne@live.com .
Penticton: Bernadette Barry, 250-492-3478, heart4joy@shaw.ca
In addition, Nelson’s Trinity prayer group meets on line. Contact Loree Renwick, 250-354-7223, loree.renwick@gmail.com
In the Vancouver archdiocese, three prayer groups are meeting face to face with COVID-19 protocols, and 15 are meeting on line. To find the group nearest you, contact Lennie David, 604-597-8227, lennieptl@telus.net .
In the Victoria diocese, the People of Praise from St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Victoria meet online Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. For details contact Lynn Dunstan Weedmark or Richard Dunstan, 250-477-4700, richard@thedunstans.com.
In addition, many prayer groups have kept in touch with members via phone or email. In Osoyoos, leader Laurie Martin has sent the Consecration to Mary’s Mantle meditations to people who can’t attend, and those people have been saying the prayers and daily rosary.
And, of course, the Lord has kept attending, at church, online, or in individual homes.
“Our Lord has been more than faithful to be strongly present at each meeting,” says Marcia Lawrence in West Kelowna, “and made good on His prophetic words right at the beginning of the church closure and our switching to an email agenda: ‘I will not let anything happen to My “prayer-group of prayer”.’”
“We all have learned a great deal over the past months,” adds Yvonne Horne in Creston. “Mainly that we are not in control, and that we must endeavour to listen more closely to God’s leadership. No human possesses the power to make things better, only God’s unfailing love. He will show us the way once we are ready to accept His power.”
Please join us in prayer
By RICHARD DUNSTAN
chair, CCRS of BC
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NRSV)
For the Catholic Charismatic Renewal here in BC, one season is coming to an end, and it’s time for another to begin.
The great “current of grace” that the Holy Spirit has given the Church through the renewal will continue, by God’s mercy, but it may need to flow in different ways or different places, and the time has come to seek the Lord for direction.
In BC, and in many other places in the Western world, the present generation of leadership has been in place for decades. More than half of our provincial service committee members are over 70. That may be a testimony to our willingness to serve faithfully, but it’s also a testimony to a failure to raise up the new generation of leaders the renewal will need if it is to continue the work the Lord has entrusted to us. We are still doing faithful and worthwhile work for Him, and age is no barrier to that; but the calendar keeps turning for all of us, and we can’t just keep on doing what we’re doing now until we’re all 90 or 100.
Raising up that new generation has become a priority for our BC service committee. We’ve been talking about it and praying about it and reaching out to trusted friends and advisers. In October Peter Herbeck, of Renewal Ministries in Ann Arbor, Michigan, joined us via Zoom to hear our concerns, help in our discernment, and exhort us to a new beginning.
What it comes down to in the end, we all learned, was not just a question of who we are or how old we are. It’s a question of what the Lord wants us to do, and it might well be something different from what we have been doing or planning to do. The anointing of the Spirit is on people, Peter told us, not on structures or activities.
“The Lord knows why you’re still here,” he said. “It’s because you love Him. But the question is, can you name what the Holy Spirit is primarily directing you to do with the time, energy and resources He has given you?
“Your job is not to sustain a structure. Your job is to take the anointing and do the job He’s calling you to do.”
So at the end of the meeting, we agreed to enter into a season of prayer for the next two months, asking the Lord what He would have us do. And we invite all our charismatic friends throughout BC to join us in prayer for this intention.
Fall newsletter: still email only
Once again, as in the spring, this issue of BC Charismatic is going out by email only.
While it is wonderful to see Mass and prayer meetings resume on a limited basis, COVID rules for these events don’t allow newsletter distribution in the usual way.
Please feel encouraged to forward the newsletter to anyone on your contact list who might be interested.
Also as in the spring, the format has also been altered for email transmission. As before, I apologize for glitches and other inconveniences.
Richard Dunstan, editor
Cantalamessa named cardinal
Father Raniero Cantalamessa, one of the most prominent leaders in the Catholic charismatic renewal, has been named a cardinal by Pope Francis. The Pope announced Oct. 25 that Father Cantalamessa will be among new cardinals to take office at a consistory in Rome Nov. 28.
Father Cantalamessa, 86, a Franciscan Capuchin friar, is ecclesiastical assistant to CHARIS, the international service for the renewal founded by the Pope last year. He has been “the Pope’s preacher” since 1980, as preacher of the pontifical household under popes St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and the present Pope. He was a featured speaker at the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Catholic charismatic renewal in Rome in 2017.
Born in central Italy, Father Cantalamessa, was ordained to the priesthood in 1958 and holds doctorates from the University of Fribourg and the Catholic University of Milan. He was formerly professor of the history of ancient Christianity and director of the department of religious sciences in Milan.
He was baptized in the Holy Spirit in 1976 and became a full-time preacher of the Gospel in 1979. Over the years he has spoken at numerous charismatic events, among them an appearance in Vancouver in 2002. Due to his age he no longer travels. He is also the author of numerous books.
As preacher to the pontifical household, he preaches sermons to the Pope and other Church officials on Fridays in Advent and Lent.
Jim Murphy:
Jesus gives us all we need
Gathering in the Spirit
Two words. Three letters. The answer to every question and every need.
“I Am.”
The holy name God revealed to Moses (Exodus 3:14), the name used used often by Jesus to reveal His own divinity, is also the key to our own life with God, featured speaker Jim Murphy told this year’s Our Lady of Pentecost Gathering in the Spirit.
“What the Lord is saying to us is ‘I Am whatever you need Me to be,’” Murphy told the 80 people who attended the gathering, held on Zoom this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The annual gathering is sponsored by Nelson Diocese Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services and endorsed by Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services of BC. Murphy, who returned as this year’s speaker after headlining last year’s gathering in Kelowna, is a longtime Catholic charismatic leader best-known for carrying a six-foot cross on foot across the United States in 1992. He was the last president of International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services before it was superseded by CHARIS last year, and is country co-ordinator for Mexico with Renewal Ministries, a Catholic evangelization ministry based in his home state of Michigan.
I Am… was the theme of this year’s gathering, with supporting text of Isaiah 55:1: “All you who are thirsty, come to the water.” Over five days of talks, Murphy discussed all 13 verses of Isaiah 55, as well as a related New Testament text, Jesus’ promise at Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest…for My yoke is easy, and My burden light.”
Murphy said the invitation to “come to the water” in Isaiah is addressed to everybody, not just people who are “good enough” or qualified in some other way. “Jesus says the same thing in the gospel,” Murphy said. “‘Anybody who wants it, I’m here for you.’”
The Lord is offering us massive blessings, Murphy said. Isaiah promises “wine and milk” and “rich fare,” biblical language for the luxuries available only to royalty, but now offered to everyone. “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard…what God has prepared for those who love Him,” St. Paul writes (1 Corinthians 2:9).
What’s more, this isn’t just a description of what awaits us when we die. Many Christians suffer in this life, Murphy said, and the promises won’t be fufilled competely until heaven, but the blessings are for this life too, as many Christians have experienced through encounters with God in prayer. “You do not have to wait until you are dead to set foot into heaven,” he said. “God, right here, right now, wants to show you the glory of His ‘I Am.’”
The point, Murphy said, isn’t so much the specific gifts the Lord gives us, wonderful as they can be. The point is the Lord Himself. “It’s all about relationships… ‘I Am’ inviting you into My life.
Jesus doesn’t say ‘I will give you resurrection.’ He says ‘I Am the resurrection’ (John 11:25). He won’t do what you need. He is what you need.”
HEED THE LORD
The invitation is for everybody, Murphy said, but that doesn’t mean you can just stay as you are. To “come” to the Lord, you have to leave somewhere else—whatever you are or whatever you’re doing that isn’t compatible with life with God. “Come to Me heedfully,” God says through Isaiah. “Let the scoundrel forsake his way and the wicked man his thoughts.” (55:3,7)
To heed, or listen, to God means four things in biblical thought, Murphy said. First is actually hearing, which isn’t necessarily as simple as it sounds. Having words wash over our ears isn’t enough; we must take genuine note of what God is saying. Murphy noted that when St. Francis of Assisi heard the Gospel message to take up his cross (Luke 9:23), and St. Benedict heard the passage about giving all his goods to the poor to follow Jesus (Matthew 19:21), they were in churches full of people, but nobody else responded. “The problem isn’t God isn’t speaking,” Murphy said. “The problem is, we’re not picking it up.”
Second, we need to understand what God is saying. Not that we’ll ever grasp it completely, but we need to do our best, and God will give us more grace to understand as we respond. “If you wait until you understand everything perfectly, you’re never going to do anything else in your life.” God’s word is a lamp to our feet (Psalm 119:105); “I wish He’d light up the whole runway, but the fact is He gives us enough light to take the next step in the darkness.”
Third, we must assent to what we hear, like the crowd at Pentecost who were “cut to the heart” by Peter’s speech and asked “what are we do do?” (Acts 2:37.) Finally we must act, as St. Francis and St. Benedict did when they heard God’s message.
“Heeding means ‘I get it. It’s changing me,’” Murphy said.
Acting is an essential part of the process, Murphy said. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says those who hear His words but don’t act on them are like those who build a house on sand, only to have it washed away in a storm; those who don’t do His will, no matter how “involved” they may think they are with Him, will end up hearing Him say “I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:21-27).
“The guy (the one Jesus says He doesn’t know) is not doing anything bad,” Murphy said. “He just didn’t act on the word of God. As I get older, I’m getting more and more afraid of standing before God with sins of omission—all the good I could have done.”
It sounds scary, but Murphy says God doesn’t expect us to get it exactly right, as long as we work sincerely at putting God’s will first. “If you’re trying, folks, that’s good enough. Try to hear the Lord, try to undertand what He’s saying to you, try to agree with it, try to act on it. Take one step toward being obedient to God.”
SEEK THE LORD
“Seek the Lord while He may be found,” Isaiah says in the same chapter (55:6). Isaiah is by no means the only biblical writer giving that advice. Murphy said he did a word search through the Bible and found “seek” to be one of the most common words in the Old Testament, and with plenty of equivalents in the New Testament. “When you seek Me with all your heart, I will let you find Me,” says Jeremiah (29:13). Devote your heart and soul to seeking God, says 2 Chronicles 22:19; God looks down to see if anyone is wise, anyone is seeking the Lord (Psalm 14:2). And “seeking” doesn’t mean looking around casually; we’re to have a “rabid longing” for the Kingdom of God.
Murphy said he got a whole new understanding of Psalm 42 (“as the deer longs for streams of water”) when his route took him across the desert when he was carrying his cross in 1992 and he ran short of water. That’s how much we should desire God, he said. “Do you want God as much as a person in the desert wants water?” What’s more, he said, our thirst should not be for the gifts or the benefits God can give us, but God Himself—not God’s hand in our lives so much as God’s face.
And now is the time to start, Murphy said. The Lord’s invitation is open to everybody, but it isn’t open forever. Remember, Isaiah said “Seek the Lord while He may be found.” Don’t say “Good old God, I’ll follow Him when I’m ready,” Murphy said. “There’s a window of opportunity that’s open to us now, but we can’t presume that it’s always open.” Grab hold of unexpected moments of grace, like when you end up at a prayer meeting you hadn’t planned to attend; that might be God’s appointment with you. “You don’t know how much time you have. You don’t know whether you will be ready.”
TURN TO THE LORD
After “seek the Lord,” Isaiah says “let the scoundrel forsake his way and the wicked man his thoughts.” In other words, we must repent. But if that sounds like getting overwhelmed with feelings of guilt, you’re on the wrong track. Repenting is not primarily a matter of feeling bad.
Repentance has three parts. First, we must recognize that we are on the wrong path in our relationship with God. That can have an emotional component, because sorrow for sin is appropriate, but the key factor is acknowledging that we are in the wrong. Conviction of sin is a work of the Holy Spirit, Murphy said, and is not to be confused with condemnation, which is the work of an evil spirit. Condemnation is intended to “spiral us down into despair;” conviction is supposed to bring hope.
“If you sincerely seek the Lord, if you’re trying, God is going to show you where you’re off course,” Murphy said. “The trick is, once He shows you something, you need to respond to it. You can’t ignore it.”
That response is the second step: we must turn in a new direction, get rid of any behaviours or attitudes in our life that aren’t in keeping with God’s will. “Anything that needs to be changed, with the help of God, can be changed,” even though Satan will try to tell us otherwise.
Murphy told the story of a bear that had been kept in a four-by-four-footcage for a long time, but was finally taken to a zoo with acres of space to roam in. The bear refused to come out of the cage, and when he was finally forced out, he began pacing back and forth the same four feethe had done in the cage, ignoring all the open land around him. We might be like that bear when we repent, Murphy said, but we must remember that “Jesus Christ has broken the bars of the cage. Satan says ‘you’re still in the cage.’ We have to believe the Lord more than Satan. God wants you to be free.”
Finally, repentance means we keep walking in your new path. Isaiah says “a voice shall sound in your ears, ‘this is the way; walk in it,’ when you would turn to the right or to the left” (30:21). We all know people who walked with the Lord in the past and no longer do, Murphy said, but “it’s not good enough to do something for 20 minutes. We have to keep going for the rest of our lives.”
The task is demanding, but the reward is infinite. “‘Come to repentance’ isn’t a bad thing,” Murphy said. “It’s the greatest day of a person’s life. ‘Turn to the Lord, that you may be radiant with joy.’ (Psalm 34)God’s idea of repentance is a whole new way of life.”
“His desire is to heal you, and not just to stop you from doing bad things. His desire is that you literally take on His nature, and you live like Him, and you live with Him, and you live in Him.
“Lord, here I am. Take out what You need to take out. Put in what You need to put in. Do whatever you have to, because living with You is a much better way than living with me.
“When we hear the word ‘come,” let’s be willing to walk away from other things, in order to be with the Lord. Whatever price we have to pay, whatever pain we have to endure, whatever hardship we have to experience, it’ll definitely be worth it.”
—Richard Dunstan
Join us on our BC Charismatic Facebook page
After several years on the back burner, the BC Charismatic Facebook page has been revived. We’re hoping it will serve as a means of communication, fellowship, and inspiration for charismatic Catholics at a time when the covid pandemic has disrupted our normal activities. We on the BC service committee will be making a serious effort to keep the page updated with worthwhile and edifying material.
To see the page: If you are already a Facebook member (or if you join Facebook), you can find the page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bccharismatic A search for “BC Charismatic” on the Facebook site will also find it. The page is visible to any Facebook member, so you will be able to read whatever is posted on the page.
To join the page: If you would like to join the group so that you can take an active role on the page, you can make a request to join via the button on the page, and we will accept your request as soon as we see it.
We welcome posts of edifying or inspiring material that is consistent with Catholic teaching, with Christian charity, and with godly prudence. This includes information on charismatic or other Church events, and inspiring teachings. (No politics, please!)
The Holy Spirit shows up online, too!
By CYRIL JOHN
CHARIS International
The global pandemic – COVID 19 – has impacted us as a world community, nation, family and as individuals. The pandemic has also brought about innumerable sufferings to all of us without exception. However, I am convinced that the virus going viral is a sign of the time (Lk 12: 54-56). The world is not going to be the same any more. During prayer, the Lord gave me this Word from Hab.1:15: “Look at the nations, and see! Be astonished! Be astounded! For a work is being done in your days that you would not believe if you were told.” The Lord is doing something new and incredible. It is in this context that I want to share with you something new and amazing that I have experienced during this lockdown.
I live in New Delhi, the capital of India. The Catholic charismatic renewal in the city has a retreat centre of its own, functioning under the guidance of the archbishop of Delhi. The retreat centre is in itself a testimony of the power of intercession. On July 8, 1996, during my personal prayer, I had the image of a huge building. I was filled with awe and asked the Lord what this vision meant. I received a strong confirmation in prayer that it was a renewal centre that the Lord wanted to be established in Delhi. With no money in hand, the only thing we could do was to start praying for it and asked our intercession ministry to pray specially for the project. As a confirmation from the Church hierarchy, the then archbishop, during a meeting with the diocesan service of communion in 1999, suggested for us to look for a place to have a centre of our own because we had a number of events being organized in rented premises. By 2001, Jeevan Jyoti Ashram (a centre of the Light of Life) was established in five hectares of land in the outskirts of the city. Today, it can receive about 150 people for retreats and training courses. “Only ask me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (Ps 2:8).
Prophetic intercession is a special charism of the retreat centre and we use it to organize training courses on this topic for participants in the city and at national level. With requests coming initially from the members of Indian communities abroad, we started organizing JERICHO – a residential training program on prophetic intercession – for overseas participants since 2018.
With the lockdown, it was no longer possible to organize physical gathering at the centre. A suggestion was received to organize the prophetic intercession training online. From a human point of view, this was something impossible, as the training has workshops for the participants to receive charisms, followed by group workshops on prophetic intercession using the gifts of the Holy Spirit: like word of knowledge, word of wisdom, gift of discernment, gift of prophecy, gift of tongues, etc. Charisms online? Receiving and using charisms through social media platform is something that we could not visualize. Impossible, it will not work, we said! However, after much prayer, trusting the retreat to the Lord, the retreat centre launched a virtual 15-day training program on prophetic intercession in July 2020. Bishop Francis Kalist and I are the main consulting persons. People from different continents registered for the event.
We had many apprehensions as we started the program. The participants were coming together for workshops on charisms and prophetic intercession on Zoom. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of surprises and indeed surprised us with amazing testimonies of people receiving and using charisms on the online platform. It proved that virtual gathering on social media is not an impediment to the operation of the power of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit makes all things possible!
The training program is now being organized in English from the 1st to the 15th of every month. We also organize a virtual adoration for healing and baptism in the Holy Spirit. A number of participants have testified healing of mind, body, and spirit. Some participants have received charisms for the first time during the workshop and BHS service. They also use the charisms during the workshops on prophetic intercession. Charisms on Zoom is something new and amazing that the Lord is doing now. Let us thank and praise the Lord that during this time of pandemic we have been able to sanctify the social media through retreats, training programs, celebration of the Holy Eucharist, adoration, prayer meetings, and intercession. I sense this is a new opening that the Lord is giving to us: to use social media in every way possible for evangelization and praying for the world. “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act” (Ps 37:5)!
—CHARIS Magazine
Get international charismatic news from CHARIS Magazine
CHARIS Magazine, a publication of the newly-created CHARIS international service of communion for the Catholic charismatic renewal, is now published monthly and is now available free on the CHARIS website, http://www.charis.international/ , along with a great deal of other material. Articles from the latest edition are at the lower right of the home page, and previous issues are available under “magazine” at the top of the home page.
A ‘firecracker for the Lord’ in Edmonton
By LYNNE WILLIAMS
On October 2-4, Catholic charismatics from BC, Alberta and beyond attended an online conference sponsored by Catholic Renewal Services of the Archdiocese of
Edmonton, titled The Fullness of the Love of Christ. (see Ephesians 3:19)
Maria Vadia, the guest speaker, is an international speaker who has written 10 books on the spiritual life. Conference organizers say “she has a fire and a zeal for the Lord that is not only contagious but can be life-changing if you are open to the Holy Spirit. Patti Mansfield has said of Maria, ‘Every time I have heard her proclaim the Word of God, I have been deeply convicted, moved and motivated to give myself to Jesus anew.’”
After hearing Maria speak, I agree that she is indeed a “firecracker” for the Lord! Here is a sampling from the second of three two-hour talks:
We are in the most amazing time for the Church and we need to wake up! As we work together with Him,we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.For He says “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.” See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! (2 Cor. 6:1-2 NRSV)
All are called into partnership with the Holy Spirit. Say to the Lord, “I want to fulfill your plan, and to co-operate with you to be in my life.” What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him”— 1 Cor. 2:9NRSV
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. – Jer. 29:11
My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfull My intention. – Is. 46:10
In this time of great upheaval, we are not to be afraid, for the stronghold of fear and slavery has been broken.
…for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.” – 2 Tim.1:7-10
Take authority; use your weapons: The Name of Jesus, the Blood, the Word, the Holy Spirit, and Praise. Take control of the fear, do battle, resist and be set free. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. – Luke 10:19
But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. – Eph. 2:4-6
Take action. Write down every time the Lord has rescued you; if you journal, go through your journals; pray and give thanksgiving for the memories. Remember, the Lord is never late; He always comes on time. When you see your history, and are reminded of every time He has come to your rescue, raise a mighty shout, HALLELUIAH! Create a legacy for your children, HALLELUIAH!
I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to Him, and be radiant;
so yourfaces shall never be ashamed. Ps. 34:4-5
Every point that Maria makes is supported with one or more scriptural references. She is indeed an inspirational woman of God. To find out more about Maria Vadia and her powerful ministry, talks and outreach, simply Google Maria Vadia. To listen to the conference talks, click on the links.
First session:
Second session:
https://youtu.be/nbVKxlDn6ng
Third session:
In this interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan Woman (John 4:24-26) we find hope and encouragement:
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am He, the one who is speaking to you.”
Take courage, saying, “God created me to be a champion, a world changer, a dragon slayer! HALLELLUIAH!
Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services of B.C.
Richard Dunstan (Victoria diocese), chair
308-225 Belleville St., Victoria BC V8V 4T9
richard@thedunstans.com 250-477-4700
Nitz Baylon, Vancouver archdiocese,604-202-2998
Lennie David, Vancouver archdiocese, 604-597-8227
David MacIntyre, Victoria diocese, 250-383-9955
Loreen Renwick, Nelson diocese, 250-354-7223
Janet Tng, Vancouver archdiocese, 778-998-8098
Frans van der Woning, Kamloops diocese, 250-851-5751
Lynne Williams, Nelson diocese, 250-489-1702
THE POPE’S PENTECOST MESSAGE
[Delivered by Pope Francis to the worldwide Pentecost Vigil celebration held May 30 on Zoom, organized by CHARIS]
“When Pentecost day came around, they had all met together in the same place.”
Thus begins the second chapter of book of Acts that we have just heard. And thanks to technology advances, today too, all of us, believers from various parts of the world are gathered together on Pentecost eve.
The account continues:
“Where suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of a violent wind, which filled the entire house in which they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, they separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” Acts 2, 2-4)
The Spirit came to rest on each one of the disciples, on each one of us. The Spirit promised by Jesus comes to renew, to convert, to heal each one of us. He comes to heal our fears – oh, how many fears we have! – to heal our uncertainty, He comes to heal our wounds, also the wounds we cause one another and He comes to make us disciples, missionary disciples, witnesses full of courage, of apostolic parresia, which are necessary for the preaching of the Gospel that, as mentioned in the following verses, happened to the disciples.
Today more than ever we need the Father to send us the Holy Spirit. In the first chapter of book of Acts, Jesus says to His disciples: “ … He enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father about which you have heard Me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (v. 4). And, in verse 8, He says, “ When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit leads us to this testimony: today the world suffers, is wounded; we live in a very wounded world, which suffers, especially in the poorest, who are discarded. When all our human certainties have disappeared, the world needs us to give Jesus to it. It needs our witness to the Gospel,the Gospel of Jesus. And that witness we can only give it by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We need the Spirit to give us new eyes, open our minds and hearts to face this moment and the future with the lesson learned. We are only one humanity. We are not saved by ourselves. No one saves himself. No one. St. Paul says in the letter to the Galatians: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Jesus Christ,” (Gal. 3:28), cohesive by the power of the Holy Spirit, through this baptism in the Holy Spirit that Jesus announces. We know it, we knew it, but this pandemic we are living through has made us experience it in a much more shocking way.
We have before us the duty to build a new reality. The Lord will do it; we can collaborate… “Behold, I make all things new.” he says (Rev 21:5).
When we come out of this pandemic, we will no longer be able to do what we have been doing, and in the way we have been doing it. No, everything will be different. All the suffering will have been useless if we do not build all together a more just, more equitable, more Christian society, not in name, but in reality, a reality that leads us to a Christian behavior. If we do not work to end the pandemic of poverty in the world, the pandemic of poverty in each of our countries, in each of the cities we live in, this time will have past in vain.
From the great trials of humanity, and among them, the pandemic, one comes out either better or worse. One does not come out the same person.
I ask you: How do you want to come out? Better or worse? And that is why today we open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit so that He can change our hearts and help us to come out better.
If we do not live to be judged according to what Jesus tells us: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, in prison and you visited me, a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Mt 25:35-36), we will not come out better.
And this is everybody’s task, a task for all of us. And also for you of CHARIS, who are the communion of all the charismatics.
The third Malines document, written in the 70s by Cardinal Suenens and Bishop Helder Camara, called: Charismatic Renewal and Social Action: A Dialogue, shows the way to this current of grace. Be faithful to this call of the Holy Spirit!
The prophetic words of John XXIII, when he announced the II Vatican Council and which the Charismatic Renewal especially treasures, now come to my mind: “May the divine Spirit deign to answer in a most comforting manner the prayer that everyday rises to Him from every corner of the world: Renew Your wonders in our time, as though in a new Pentecost, and grant that the Holy Church, united in unanimous prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and guided by Peter, may spread the Kingdom of the divine Savior, a Kingdom of Truth, of Justice, of Love, and of Peace.”
To all of you, on this vigil I wish you the consolation of the Holy Spirit. And the strength of the Holy Spirit to come out of this time of pain, sorrow and trial that is the pandemic, to come out improved. May the Lord bless you and the Virgin Mother guard you.
Art book introduces Our Lady to a new generation
Millennials Meet Mary, a beauifully-bound 428-page art book by Joan Foo Mahony, celebrates Our Lady via great works of art, with commentary by members of the Millennial generation who have viewed these images.
The author chosen to reveal the story of the Virgin Mary, the most painted and sculptured woman of all time, through Renaissance and Baroque artworks from great museums all over the world. For commentary on each of the artworks, the author has not attempted to ask art historians, iconologists or theological experts to interpret them. Instead, she has asked 80 Millennials from 42 countries who come from all walks of life – royalty, celebrities, entrepreneurs, professionals, accomplished figures, professionals and students – to “meet” the Mary of 23 BCE. For more on the book, see https://millennialsmeetmary.com/ . A hard copy of the book is available for $33 Cdn from Lennie David, lennieptl@telus.net .
B.C. Charismatic
CCRS of BC newsletter
published spring and fall
editor Richard Dunstan
308-225 Belleville St.
Victoria BC V8V 4T9
email: rccharismaticbc@gmail.com
phone: 250-477-4700
website: www.bccharismatic.ca
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