by Harold Cohen, S.J.

Prior to His ascension Jesus told His apostles, “Before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” He added, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses” (Acts 1:5-8). The Apostles prayed for the coming of the Holy Spirit with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and a group of about one hundred and twenty. On Pentecost they were “baptized with the Holy Spirit” and were transformed into new creatures, bold witnesses for Christ.

Pentecost comes to each of us in the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. In Baptism we receive the Holy Spirit and become God’s children and members of the body of Christ. In Confirmation we receive a new fullness of the Spirit and are empowered to serve the Church and bear witness to Jesus.

Often we do not allow the Spirit we have received to be as active in us as He wants to be. To use an analogy, He is like chocolate syrup poured into a glass of milk–it goes to the bottom of the glass until stirred up. But when it is stirred up, it permeates the milk and transforms it into something new. We can learn how to “stir up” the Spirit—and how to receive more of Him–from Jesus in the Gospels:

“If anyone thirst, let him come to Me, let him drink who believes in Me. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of His heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ Now He said this about the Spirit which those who believed in Him were to receive” (John 7:37-39). “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13)

The Lord teaches us that first we must thirst for God; we must desire more and more of His Spirit. Then we must believe that Jesus is faithful to His promises and will indeed give us His Holy Spirit. Finally, we must ask God for the Holy Spirit. We must pray with perseverance, asking, seeking, knocking, believing that “everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:10). We can follow the example of the early Church by praying for the Spirit in union with Mary and the apostles as they did at the first Pentecost (see Acts 1:12-14).

What can we expect when we are “baptized with the Holy Spirit”? We can expect an immediate or gradual experience of deeper union with God, our loving Father and with Jesus, our Lord and Friend; a fresh appreciation of Scripture; a greater love for others and a desire for Christian fellowship; the fuller presence in our lives of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience and more (see Galatians 5:22-23); the receptions of one or more of the Charismatic gifts of the Spirit such as discernment, service, prophecy, praying in tongues, healing (see 1 Corinthians 12-14). This gift of a new fullness of the Holy Spirit is, I believe, the grace of our age. “Ask and it will be given to you!”

Last Updated on April 7, 2022.

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

It is important to understand what the Renewal in the Spirit is all about. After the Second Vatican Council, many things in the Church’s life were renewed–the liturgy, pastoral care, canon law, the constitutions and dress of religious orders. Although all these things are important, they are only external things. Woe to us if we stop there and think the task is finished. It is not structure but souls that are important to God. “It is in men’s souls that the Church is beautiful,” writes St. Ambrose…and therefore it is in men’s souls that she must make herself beautiful.

God is Author and Power

The Renewal is a renewal in which God, not man, is the principal author “I, not you,” says God, “make all things new”(Rev. 21:5). “My Spirit–and He alone–may renew the face of the earth” (see Ps. 104:30). From the religious point of view, we tend to view things from a ptolemaic perspective: at the foundation are our efforts–organization, efficiency, reforms, and goodwill. These have the earth here as the center which God comes to strengthen and crown by His grace and our effort.

We must–at this point as the Word of God cries out–”give the power back to God” (Ps. 68:35) because “the power belongs to God” (Ps. 62:12). For too long we have usurped this power of His by managing it as if it were ours, as if it was up to us to “govern” the power of God. We have to totally change our perspective. That is, we have to acknowledge simply that without the Holy Spirit, we cannot do anything, not even say, “Jesus is Lord!” (1Cor. 12:3).

The Baptism in the Spirit is not a sacrament, but it is related to the sacraments of Christian initiation. The Baptism in the Spirit makes real and in a way renews Christian initiation. The primary relationship is with the sacrament of Baptism.

We believe that the Baptism in the Spirit makes real and revitalizes our Baptism. To understand how a sacrament which was received so many years ago, usually immediately after our birth, could suddenly come back to life and emanate so much energy, as often happens through the Baptism in the Spirit, it is important to look at our understanding of sacramental theology.

Catholic theology recognizes the concept of a valid but bound sacrament. A sacrament is called bound if the fruit that should accompany it remains bound because of certain blocks that prevent its effectiveness. Extreme examples of this are the sacrament of Matrimony and Holy Orders received in the state of mortal sin. In such circumstances these sacraments cannot grant any grace to people until the obstacle of sin is removed through Penance. Once this happens, the sacrament is said to live again, thanks to the indelible character and irrevocability of the gift of God. God remains faithful even if we are unfaithful because He cannot deny Himself (see Tim. 2:1-3).

In the case of Baptism, what is it that causes the fruit of the sacrament to stay bound? The sacraments are not magical rituals that act mechanically, without the person’s knowledge, disregarding any response on his part. Their effectiveness is the fruit of a synergy or cooperation between divine omnipotence–in reality the grace of Christ or the Holy Spirit–, and human freedom. As St. Augustine said, “The one who created you without your cooperation will not save without your cooperation.”

The opus operatum of Baptism, namely God’s part, or grace, has several aspects: forgiveness of sins, the gifts of the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity (these, however, only as a seed), and divine sonship. All of these aspects operate through the effective action of the Holy Spirit. But what does the opus operantis in Baptism–namely, man’s part–consist of? It consists of faith! “Whosoever believes and is baptized shall be saved”(Mark 16:16). Along with Baptism therefore, there is another element: the faith of man. “To all who received Him He gave the power to become children of God: to those who believe in His name” (John 1:13).

Baptism is like a divine seal put on the faith of man. Having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and having believed in it, you have received (of course, in Baptism) the seal of the Holy Spirit (see Eph. 1:13).

Baptism and Confirmation of Faith

At the beginning of the Church, Baptism was such a powerful event and so rich in grace that there was normally not a need of a new effusion of the Spirit like we have today. Baptism was ministered to adults who converted from paganism, and who, properly instructed, were in the position to make on the occasion of Baptism, an act of faith, and a free, mature choice. It is sufficient to read the mystagogic catechesis on Baptism attributed to Cyril of Jerusalem to become aware of the depth of faith to which those waiting for Baptism were led. In substance, they arrived at Baptism through a true and real conversion, and thus, for them Baptism was a real washing, a personal renewal, and a re-birth in the Holy Spirit.

The favorable circumstances that allowed Baptism at the origins of the Church to operate with so much power was that the grace of God and man’s response met at the same time. There was a perfect synchronization.

Infant Baptism in a Non-Christian Environment

But now this synchronization has been broken since we are baptized as infants. Little by little this aspect of the free and personal act of faith no longer happens. It was substituted instead by a decision made by intermediary parents or godparents. When a c child grew up in a totally Christian environment, this faith could still flourish, even though at a slower rate. Now, however, this no longer the case, and our spiritual environment is even worse than the one at the time of the Middle Ages. Not that there is no normal Christian life, but it is now the exception rather than the rule.

In this situation, rarely, or never, does the baptized person ever reach the stage of proclaiming in the Holy Spirit, “Jesus is Lord.” Until one reaches this point, everything else in the Christian life remains out of focus and immature.
Miracles no longer happen, and we experience what Jesus did in Nazareth: “Jesus could not perform many miracles because of their lack of faith” (Matt. 13:58)

God’s Will

Here, then, is what I feel to be the significance of the Baptism in the Spirit. It is God’s answer to this malfunctioning that has grown up in the Christian life in the sacrament of Baptism.

It is an accepted fact that over the last few years there has been some concern on the part of the Church, among the bishops, that the Christian sacraments, especially Baptism, are being administered to people who will not make any use of them in life. As a result, it has even been suggested that Baptism should not be administered unless there are some minimum guarantees that it will be cultivated and valued by the child in question. For one should not throw pearls to dogs, as Jesus said, and Baptism is a pearl because it is the fruit of the Blood of Christ.

But it seems that God was concerned about this situation even before the Church was, and He raised up here and there in the Church, movements aimed at renewing Christian initiation in adults. The Charismatic Renewal is one of these movements, and in it the principal grace is, without doubt, linked to Baptism of the Spirit and what comes before it.

Release and Confirmation of Faith

Its effectiveness in reactivating Baptism consists in this: Finally man contributed his part–namely, he makes a choice of faith, prepared in repentance, that allows the work of God to set itself free and to emanate all its strength. It is as if the light is switched on. The gift of God is finally “unbound”, and the Spirit is allowed to flow like a fragrance in the Christian life.

In addition to the renewal of the grace of Baptism, the Baptism in the Spirit is also a confirmation of one’s own Baptism, a deliberate “yes” to it, to its fruit and its commitments. As such, it is also similar to Confirmation. Confirmation is the sacrament that develops, confirms and brings to completion the work of Baptism.

From it, too, comes that desire for greater involvement in the apostolic and missionary dimension of the Church that is usually noted in those who receive the Baptism in the Spirit. They feel more inclined to cooperate with the building up of the Church, placing themselves at her service in various ministries both clerical and lay, to witness for Christ–to do all those things that recall the happening of Pentecost and which are actuated in the sacrament of Confirmation.

The Baptism of the Spirit is not the only occasion known within the Church for this reviving of the sacraments if initiation. There is, for example, the renewal of the baptismal promises in the Easter Vigil. There are also the spiritual exercises and religious profession, sometimes called a “second Baptism.” At the sacrament level there is Confirmation. It is not difficult to discover in the lives of the saints the presence of a spontaneous effusion, especially on the occasion of their conversion. The difference with the Baptism in the Spirit, however, is that it is open to all the people of God, small and great, and not only to those privileged ones who do the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises or make religious profession.

The Will of God in History

Where does this extraordinary force that we experienced when were baptized in the Spirit come from? What we are talking about is not just some theory, but something that we ourselves have experienced and therefore can say with John, “What we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what our hands have touched, this we also announce to you, so that you too can be in communion with us (see John 1:1-11). The explanation of this force is in the will of God because God was pleased to renew the Church today by this means, and this is enough.

There are certainly some biblical precedents, like the one told in Acts 8:14-17, when Peter and John, having heard that Samaria welcomed the Word of God, went there, prayed for them and laid hands on them so they could receive the Holy Spirit. But these biblical precedents are not sufficient to explain the vastness and depth of the contemporary manifestations of the Spirit.

The explanation, therefore, is in God’s plan. We could say, by paraphrasing a famous saying of the Apostle Paul: Because Christians, with all their organization, were not able to transmit the power of the Spirit, God was pleased to renew the believers through the foolishness of Baptism in the Spirit. In fact, theologians look for an explanation, and responsible people for moderation; but simple souls touch with their hands the power of Christ in the Baptism of the Spirit. (1Cor. 12:1-24).

We men, and in particular, we men of the Church, tend to limit God in His freedom. We tend to insist that He follow a compulsory pattern (the so-called channels of grace). We forget that God is a torrent that breaks loose and creates its own path, and that the Spirit blows where and how He wants. (Notwithstanding the role of the teaching of the Church to discern what actually comes from the Spirit and what does not come from Him.)

What does the Baptism in the Spirit consist of, and how does it work?

In the Baptism of the Spirit, there is a secret, mysterious move of God that is His way of becoming present in a way that is different for each one. Only He knows us in our inner part and how to act upon our unique personality. There is also an external community part which is the same for everyone. This consists mainly of three things: brotherly love, laying on of hands, and prayer. These are non-sacramental but simply ecclesiastic elements.

From the Father and Son

Where does the grace we experience in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit come from? From those around us? No! From the person who receives it? No! It comes from God! We can only say that such grace is related to Baptism because God always acts with coherence and faithfulness. He honors the commitments and institutions of Christ. One thing is certain–it is not the brothers who impart the Holy Spirit, but they do invoke the Holy Spirit on the person. Only Jesus may give the Holy Spirit.

As to the manner of this grace, we may speak of a new coming of the Holy Spirit, of a new mission by the Father through Jesus Christ, or a new anointing corresponding to a new degree of grace.

Last Updated on April 7, 2022.

To learn about the beginnings of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, please click here:
Duquesne Weekend

Read Dr. Mary Healy’s article Dynamic Grace: Baptism in the Holy Spirit on Page 4 of Pentecost Today.

Last Updated on April 7, 2022.

To view this article printed in America, the National Catholic Review, please click here:

Patti Mansfield’s Interview

Last Updated on April 7, 2022.

Pope Francis Leads Meditation for International Gathering of Priests and said:

(Vatican Radio 6/12/2015)

“I ask each and all of you that as part of the current of grace of Charismatic Renewal you organize seminars of life in the Spirit in your parishes and Seminaries, schools, in neighborhoods, to share Baptism in the Spirit; it is catechesis … it is catechesis so that it produces, by the work of the Holy Spirit, the personal encounter with Jesus who changes our life.”

Read or download the PDF below of our Holy Father’s message about the Charismatic Renewal and how it brings such life to the Church.

Pope Francis speaks to the Renewal in Rome

Last Updated on April 7, 2022.

During the Last Supper, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to remain with His Church forever. That promise was fulfilled through the charismatic experience at Pentecost.

Repeated affirmations by our Popes have encouraged us to embrace the charismatic dimension of our faith. More than 120 million Catholics in 235 countries have experienced the touch of God through the renewal. But there is more … so much more for each of us!

The Life In The Spirit Seminar continues the Pentecost miracle today in our communities. The Holy Spirit wants to empower us, to give us His gifts and to touch us personally.

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa OFM, Cap., Preacher to Papal Household writes in his book, Praying for the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit As by a New Pentecost, the following:

There were four stages in the events of Pentecost:  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit; they proclaimed God’s mighty works; God poured out His charisms on all flesh; and the Father made Jesus Lord. The principal instrument by which the renewal in the Spirit “changes people’s lives” is the baptism in the Spirit. This is a rite that occurs with gestures of great simplicity, in peace and joy, accompanied by an attitude of humility, repentance and openness to being children to enter the kingdom. It is a kind of epiclesis — that is an invocation of the Spirit upon a member of the body of Christ.  It is a renewal and actualization of Christian initiation. A personal Pentecost!

To some, He wants to give the gift of healing; To others, the gift of speaking in tongues and to still others, the gift of prophecy. As St. Paul says in Corinthians 12:11, “…one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.” The Catechism (CCC-799) tells us that these extraordinary or simple and humble graces of the Holy Spirit called charisms, have been given to benefit the Church and should be accepted with gratitude. They are a wonderfully rich grace for the apostolic vitality and for the holiness of the entire Body of Christ.

If you would like a deeper union with God, a greater love for others, a fuller presence in your life of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, a fresh appreciation of Scripture, a desire for Christian fellowship, one or more of the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit such as discernment and wisdom, then you won’t want to miss the Life In The Spirit Seminar and this wonderful opportunity to experience the power and presence of the Spirit in your life!

Check your Magnificat, Diocesan and Parish calendars for upcoming Life in the Spirit Seminars in your area.

Last Updated on April 7, 2022.

Charisms are gifts of the Spirit used to gather, sanctify, and minister life in the Church and in the world. Charismatic gifts are as important to the Church today as they were in apostolic times. These gifts work to bring unity, to empower and to serve the Church’s needs. The Church has declared: “Whether these charisms be very remarkable or more simple and widely diffused, they are to be received with thanksgiving and consolation since they are fitting and useful for the needs of the church.” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, #12).

Scripture references cover a broad range of gifts, from prophecy and healing to mercy, teaching, almsgiving, perseverance, joy, encouragement, hospitality and leadership. St. Paul lists the Spirit’s manifestation gifts in 1 Cor 12:4-11.

Gifts of Grace
Sometimes called Word Gifts: Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues, and Prophecy (see below).

Gifts of Service
Wisdom is the facility to offer a solution to a problem or to give insightful teachings that opens the hearer to God’s wisdom.
Knowledge is the ability to clearly communicate God’s word or doctrinal truths, or to know how God is working within an individual or in the community at a particular time.
Discernment is the capacity to know whether a gift or inspiration has at its source the Holy Spirit, is of human origin, or of evil influence. Paul says that the Spirit always bears witness to Jesus (1 Cor 12:3).

Gifts of Works
Faith is a supernatural infusion to know with full certainty that God will bring something about. (Charismatic faith is not the same as the virtue of faith with which we receive our salvation in Christ).
Miracles are God’s supernatural interventions into the natural realm to demonstrate divine power. Miracles help strengthen faith or bring about faith.
Healing is the manifestation of God’s power to restore a person’s spiritual, psychological, or physical well-being. This may be instantaneous or gradual, and often through the use of natural means.

(Reference: Charisms © 2009 The National Service Committee of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of the United States, Inc.)

Last Updated on May 28, 2022.

“Baptism in the Spirit is a life-transforming experience of the love of God the Father poured into one’s heart by the Holy Spirit, received through a surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ. It brings alive sacramental baptism and confirmation, deepens communion with God and with fellow Christians, enkindles evangelistic fervor, and equips a person with charism for service and mission.” International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (ICCRS): Baptism in the Holy Spirit, pg. 13

“From the beginning of the Charismatic Renewal (Regina Caeli message, May, 2008), baptism in the Spirit has been experienced as a sovereign gift of God, not dependent on any human merit or activity.” (Benedict VXVI, Angelus message, January, 2008). International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (ICCRS): Baptism in the Holy Spirit, pg. 14

Last Updated on April 7, 2022.

Expressive praise Charismatic worship is often characterized by the raising of hands, clapping, song, and spontaneous praise. It’s very scriptural—the psalms are very exuberant. The commandment is to love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul and your whole strength.

This need to praise expressively also corresponds to a divine requirement. God seeks worshippers in Spirit and in Truth, and consequently living prayer that rises from the depths of the soul. He also wants the external expression that associates the body with interior prayer, for it renders him that perfect homage which is his due. [CCC #2703]

Last Updated on April 7, 2022.

During the Last Supper, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to remain with His Church forever. That promise was fulfilled through the charismatic experience at Pentecost.

Repeated affirmations by our Popes have encouraged us to embrace the charismatic dimension of our faith. More than 120 million Catholics in 235 countries have experienced the touch of God through the renewal. But there is more…so much more for each of us!

The Life In The Spirit Seminar continues the Pentecost miracle today in our communities. The Holy Spirit wants to empower us, to give us His gifts and to touch us personally.

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa OFM, Cap., Preacher to Papal Household writes in his book, Praying for the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit As by a New Pentecost, the following:

There were four stages in the events of Pentecost: They were all filled with the Holy Spirit; they proclaimed God’s mighty works; God poured out His charisms on all flesh; and the Father made Jesus Lord. The principal instrument by which the renewal in the Spirit “changes people’s lives” is the baptism in the Spirit. This is a rite that occurs with gestures of great simplicity, in peace and joy, accompanied by an attitude of humility, repentance and openness to being children to enter the kingdom. It is a kind of epiclesis—that is, an invocation of the Spirit upon a member of the body of Christ. It is a renewal and actualization of Christian initiation. A personal Pentecost!

To some, He wants to give the gift of healing; to others, the gift of speaking in tongues; and to still others, the gift of prophecy. As St. Paul says in Corinthians 12:11, “…one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.” The Catechism (CCC-799) tells us that these extraordinary or simple and humble graces of the Holy Spirit called ‘charisms’, have been given to benefit the Church and should be accepted with gratitude. They are a wonderfully rich grace for the apostolic vitality and for the holiness of the entire Body of Christ.

If you would like a deeper union with God, a greater love for others, a fuller presence in your life of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, a fresh appreciation of Scripture, a desire for Christian fellowship, one or more of the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit such as discernment and wisdom, then you won’t want to miss a Life In The Spirit Seminar and this wonderful opportunity to experience the power and presence of the Spirit in your life!

Check your Magnificat, Diocesan and Parish calendars for upcoming Life in the Spirit Seminars in your area.

Last Updated on April 7, 2022.

Resting in the Spirit is the power of the Holy Spirit filling a person with God’s divine love. The Holy Spirit is free to do many spiritual actions in the person’s mind, will, imagination, memory, and emotions when one completely rests and relaxes in His love. When a person is being filled with the Spirit, he/she often but not always finds himself overcome by divine love. Because we are human, this influx of divine love may cause a person to feel like he/she is fainting. However, it is not fainting. The person remains fully conscious of his/her surroundings as he rests. This experience should not be feared for it is God the Holy Spirit at work in a special way.

It gives God the opportunity to move more powerfully and directly within a person’s body, mind and spirit while one rests. In His wisdom, God has chosen this particular means to touch this person and to bring about healing and wholeness.

Last Updated on April 7, 2022.

Prophecy is God’s message spoken through an individual to the community. Prophecy does not necessarily mean predicting the future. Paul says the purpose of prophecy is for the “upbuilding and encouragement and consolation” of God’s people (1 Cor 14:3).

Last Updated on April 7, 2022.

The actual “gift of tears” is received mostly within the context of the Holy Spirit’s renewing movement (the baptism of the Holy Spirit). There are five facets of the renewal in which weeping and the “Gift of Tears” may be appropriate. Do not expect there to be a very clear demarcation line between human weeping and the Spirit’s gift of tears. Charisms are gifts given to us as individuals, and it is through our own individuality that they operate. So whatever happens is inevitably a mix of the human and the divine. Discerning the divine inspiration for tears is hardly necessary. Unlike, say, the Gift of Prophecy, we are not claiming any authority because of our tears, nor is the Church guided by them or us because of them.

Worship
Emotion is finding a rightful place as a part of our total loving response to God’s love whether of penitence, thanksgiving, or adoration.

Wilderness
In preparation for ministry, the changing of our priorities, or removal and destruction of our idols can result in weeping.

Healing
New tears can be of healing, release, and liberation whether spiritual or mental.

Growth
God can only meet us where we are, and it is often a long and painful journey, and the way may well be the way of tears.

Pain
As we grow in our recognition of God and His work, we may become more sensitive to the burden and sorrow of evil and sin around us, causing us to weep.

Last Updated on April 7, 2022.

Tongues (glossolalia) is one of the most common spiritual gifts and is often the first gift given. Tongues is a gift of prayer in a different language—the language of the Holy Spirit. Those praying in tongues do not know what they are saying, only that they are praising God. “In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” (Romans 8:26).

Interpretation of Tongues is the charism of interpreting some tongues (not translating) for the sake of giving a message to the group. It is the phenomenon of speaking publicly in tongues and having someone else understand and express the meaning of tongues.

Last Updated on May 22, 2023.