Church's stand on the Catholic Charismatic movement

Here's some information on the above topic:

- Benedict XVI has not addressed specific words to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal yet, but Cardinal Ratzinger spoke about Charismatic Renewal in a book written with the journalist Vittorio Messori: "Ratzinger Report". Here are two passages from that book:

• "What sounds full of hope throughout the universal church - and this even in the midst of the crisis that the Church is going through in the Western world - is the upsurge of new movements that no one has planned and no one called into being, but that simply emerge of their own accord from the inner vitality of the faith. What is becoming apparent in them - albeit very faintly - is something very similar to a pentecostal hour in the Church... I find it marvelous that the Spirit is once more stronger than our programs and brings himself into play in an altogether different way than we had imagined.... It grows in silence. Our task - the task of the office-holders in the Church and of theologians - is to keep the door open to them, to prepare room for them..." (pp. 43-44).
• "In the heart of a world desiccated by rationalistic scepticism a new experience of the Holy Spirit has come about, amounting to a worldwide renewal movement. What the New Testament describes, with reference to the charisms, as visible signs of the coming of the Spirit is no longer merely ancient, past history - this history is becoming a burning reality today." (p.151).

- A news article:

The charisms of movements and new ecclesial communities must be welcomed by the Church 'with much love' and without 'superficial and reductive judgments,' says Benedict XVI. The Pope said this Saturday upon receiving some 150 bishops who participated in a seminar of the Pontifical Council for the Laity on ecclesial movements. The meeting was held May 15-17 in Rocca di Papa, Italy. The seminar is a follow-up to the 2006 meeting that the Pontiff held in St. Peter's Square on the vigil of Pentecost with a large representation of faithful belonging to more than 100 new lay groups. In his speech Saturday, the Holy Father underscored the various gifts with which the ecclesial movements and the new communities have enriched the Church, especially since the Second Vatican Council: effective Christian formation, the witness of fidelity and obedience to the Church, missionary zeal, care for the poor, and a wealth of vocations.

Benedict XVI said Go out to meet with much love the movements and new communities; let us make an effort to know their reality adequately, without superficial impressions or reductive judgments. 'It also helps us to understand that the ecclesial movements and new communities are not a problem or an extra risk that further weighs on our grave duties. 'No! They are a gift of the Lord, a precious resource to enrich our whole Christian community with their charisms. Thus, a confident welcome that gives space to and values their contributions in the life of the local Churches must not be lacking.' The Pope explained, 'Difficulties and misunderstandings about particular questions do not authorize closure.' Recent decades, he added, have already contributed to overcoming 'not a few prejudices, resistance, tensions.'

Something that has its own urgency, the Holy Father pointed out, is 'the important task of promoting a more mature communion of all the ecclesial components, so that all charisms, in regard to their specificity, can fully and freely contribute to the building up of the one Body of Christ.' In this connection, the Pontiff indicated that 'dialogue' and 'collaboration' is the style to adopt, and that 'prudence, patience' and 'much love' --especially where correction is necessary -- are the ways to be taken. Benedict XVI also said that the ecclesial movements and new communities that are just beginning should, for their part, thoroughly submit to the discernment and 'delicate' and 'vigilant' accompaniment of ecclesiastical authority, so that the 'authenticity' of their charisms and the solidity of their communion with the Church be verified.

'Those who are called to the service of discernment and leadership,' the Pope said, 'should not lord it over the charisms, but should rather beware of the danger of suffocating them, resisting the temptation to make uniform that which the Spirit willed to be multiform to concur in the building up and the enlargement of the one Body of Christ, that the same Spirit makes firm in unity.' [Zenit] 1450.4

My Thoughts on Today's Bible Readings

In today's gospel readings, when Jesus taught he spoke with authority. What does this mean? It means he spoke of the Scriptures as no one had spoken it before. The Rabbis supported their statements with quotes from other authorities. The prophets spoke with delegated authority – Thus says the Lord. But when Jesus spoke he needed no authorities to back his statements. He was authority incarnate – the Word of God made flesh. When he spoke, God spoke. When he commanded even demons obeyed. No wonder his people were amazed. But the same Jews who were amazed at his authority did not acknowledge that authority when the rabbis falsely accused and crucified him. Thus is the lesson: it is one thing to be amazed about someone (his/her words, deeds, etc.). It is another to take the words and deeds to heart and allow them to change oneself. So let us not only be amazed at the Lord's authority but also take his words to heart with an eagerness to do everything the Lord desires.

Today's Bible Readings (2 Sep, Tue - 22nd Week)

1 Corinthians 2: 10-16
God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God. And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is understood by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Luke 4: 31-37
So Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he began to teach the people. They were amazed at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. Now in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him: “Silence! Come out of him!” Then, after the demon threw the man down in their midst, he came out of him without hurting him. They were all amazed and began to say to one another, “What’s happening here? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” So the news about him spread into all areas of the region.