Charismatic Renewal?

Yes, I am a Charismatic "Spirit Filled" believer. I'm not Catholic but have some friends who are Charismatic Catholics. My wife grew up Catholic. I'll try to answer your questions if you'll answer mine too! What kind of music do you use? Is it traditional Catholic music kind of simplified or is it more "contemporary"? Are they worship choruses? Can you name some specific songs? I currently attend an Assemblies of God church. We have a contemporary music style. A friend of mine who converted to Charismatic Catholicism is having a hard time with mass because he misses the more energetic praise and worship music in the Charismatic movement. Can you tell me about some of the specific music you use? Again, feel free to ask anything and I'll get you an answer the best I can. Thank you so much for your response!

Most of the music used is what I could call "popular" or "public domain." Our church has and uses a hymnal, but also has a folder that the music ministry created. Most of the stuff in that folder is public domain, with a few copyrighted pieces, which of course, we have a license to reprint. The Charismatic mass at my church does not, for the most part, use tradional hymns. Some of the songs we use: Jesus What a Wonder you Are; Silver and Gold; I Came to Glorify the Name of the Lord. We also use the "Songs of Praise" hymnal, which I believe is out of print now. Myself, I have a hard time sometimes truly entering into the Charismatic worship. This, I think, is why I want to ask questions. I mean, for example, at the beginning of a Catholic Mass we sing the Gloria: Gloria to God in the highest and Peace to His People on Earth. To me, that is the most praise giving song/prayer there is. The Gloria praises Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Sometimes, at the Charismatic mass, they will substitute some other praise song. Thet's the part of the Charismatic service I don't understand. If you don't like the musical setting of the Gloria, write a new one! I'll even help to do it! But don't omit it! That's a part of the public formal ritual of the Catholic mass. Could this just be the church I'm a part of or do other Charismatic churches change the formal ritual??? And of the "life in the Spirit" seminars? I've often wanted to attend, but from the standpoint as a music minister who is not charismatic wanting to learn, as a student, as it were. My fear is that if I did people will want me to do or be certain things. It's not that I am opposed to it. I just want to learn the history of charismatic renewal, learn more about the style of worship. I think the community deserves a musician who at least understands the "whys" and "wherefores" of their style of worship. But I don't want to be expected to do or be anything I don't feel called to. I have a friend who was being prayed over once. The prayer team insisted that she was resisting speaking in tongues. She said that she tried to get up and they forced her back into the chair, that she couldn't get up. Sort of like the imposed their prayer over her, not offered it. She is a very talented artist whose work has been on display at several local galleries and sold for quite a penny. My comment to her was that her "language" is her art. She has a real gift that few have. Should the Spirit move her to speak in tongues, it is a gift she should cherish, but she should feel forced nor be forced to it. Members of this prayer team do not agree with my thinking on this. I am a musician and I feel that that is one of my gifts. Should I one day be given the gift of Speaking in tongues I will praise and give thanks for that. However, I won't ever allow anyone to force me to it. Nor will I ever allow anyone to tell me that my musicianship is not a "language" from God. I know otherwise. When I first joined this church, I made a comment to one of the ladies there that I was not charistmatic, that I was learning as I went along. She told me not to worry, that the Spirit would come to me in time. I smiled politely, but really wanted to theologize her. I fully believe that the Holy Spirit came to me when I was baptized and has never left me. The Spirit is present when I help my son with his homework, when I take my elderly mother to the doctor. . .The Spirit isn't only present in a lively worship service. The Spirit is ALWAYS present. The problem is, I think, that we just don't realize it or act like it. For this lady to tell me that the Spirit will come to me is poor theology, I believe. I don't mean to sound negative. I really want to learn about the Charismatic way. I do feel called to serve as musicn minister in this particular church at this time. However, I also realize that I have much to learn so as to be able to carry out this ministry well. I really do have questions about these things I've outlined in this rather lengthy mylot post.

Unfortunately there is a lot of shaky theology involved in the charismatic movement. It cuts across denominations. Traditionally, charismatics have been more about feeling and an intensity than the more rational segments of Christianity. That doesn't mean what they say or do is necessarily wrong, but some of it is. The basic concept is that the Spirit INDWELLS the believer at conversion (substitute proper Catholic term here.) The Spirit comes into your heart and begins the work of justification and reconciliation. Every believer who professess the name of Christ is INDWELT by the Holy Spirit. It is He who enables us to be freed from sin, to seek God, to praise, etc. The Charismatics believe there is a second event in the Christian life seperate and subsequent to the INDWELLING, ususally called the BAPTISM of the Holy Spirit, or of Fire, or occasionally the OUTPOURING or INFILLING, or simply BEING FILLED. When Jesus was resurrected before his ascension into heaven, He breathed on the Apostles and said "Recieve the Holy Spirit." Later, after they had been gatherred in the upper room, the Holy Spirit was "poured out" on them, and they saw the fire and heard the mighty rushing wind and all spoke with other tongues. These were two seperate instances of the apostles "receiving the holy spirit." As for tongues, general charismatic concensus is there are two types of "tongues" (possibly three). The first is a known language unknown to the speaker given by the Holy Spirit for evangelism or witness. If a Chinese man visits my service, and the Spirit moves on me to speak Chinese and he hears it, this is the first kind of tongues. I don't speak chinese, but the Spirit does, and can give me the words this man needs in his native tongue. There are recorded instances of this happening, most notably at Pentecoste, but also in the modern church. The second kind of tongues is a kind of private devotional language. Paul describes it when he says "if anyone speaks in an unknown tongue his spirit speaks, but his understanding is unfruitful." He went on to advise that Christians pray in the spirit and with understanding also, sing in the spirit and sing with understanding also. This is the "evidence of speaking in tongues" some denominations require as evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is a language that is generally considerred unique to the speaker, and not a human language. (Some try to say it is the language of angels, but science has pretty much determined it contains no recognizable syntax or language structures that are obvious enough to study. This may be because 1) each is speaking a seperate language known only to God, 2)each is speaking a different language unknown to all of the congregants, 3) people are speaking the languages badly, like a baby trying out its first words, or 4) the true tongues are mixed with satanic counterfiets designed to decieve.) It is useful for personal prayer and self-edification. One other type exists which is the unknown kind spoken publicly in church and interpretted for the edification of the whole body. This may be another use of the unknown tongue or a seperate gifting of the Spirit. Paul in one place seems to indicate that all or most Christians speak in tongues (prayer language) and in another clearly states that all do not. Publicly spoken tongues MUST ALWAYS be interpretted (by the Holy Spirit actng in another person). The gift of tongues works together with the gift of interpretation of tongues to edify the church. These are usually manifested in sperate people but occasionally God can use the same person to both speak and interpret. If a person has a message in tongues and there is no interpreter the Bible commands him to keep silent, because without interpretation this gift is useless to the Body. Most charismatics believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is always accompanied by the evidence of speaking in tongues. Most believe that the Baptism is available to all people who seek it, which is why they crowd around and try to force it. That is wrong, but a common scenario. You cannot force someone to be filled, or force the spirit to fill someone. It is a sovereign act of God responding to the free will request of His child. You seek to be filled and God fills you. Those who try to force it or compel it have good intentions but MUST be brought under control.