Getting Renewed at the Catholic Charismatic Renewal's Jubilee Conference

There will be times when the spiritual battle is hardest when the goal is closest or most advantageous. So I took two days and many cancellations and regrouping before finally landed on Pittsburgh on what would have been only a 5.5 hour trip, but I did get to the part of what I needed to hear. In the final summing up panel, a Filipino doctor spoke, a member of the board of the Alliance of Filipino Catholic Charismatic Communities, a music ministry member with his wife in their FL prayer community (with their respective instruments--piano for him and cajon for her, earning the applause of the crowd, and then another one big applause was when they said their kids who have grown up in the renewal are now in jobs that evangelize or involve theology. Their family has encountered the Renewal for it helped healed his wife who experienced deliverance from evil after dabbling in horoscopes and psychics. He exhorted us to invest and invite the youth--a calling too that I noticed in my heart, because as I look to some prayer groups and Masses, I wonder who will my companions be in some years time because they are an aging generation. I realize through the reminder, I have to now build my future prayer partners as well, as the life of the Church depends on it. (It is just a different experience to have Mass in a full church and it is just you and a priest as one friend of mine experiences regularly.) 

Anyway, the conference was packed with gems as Bishop Malagreca of Brooklyn, conference chair, went through his questions of challenge, opportunity and vision for the future with Michelle Moran, formerly of the ICCRS, the international organizing committee of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal; the Filipino pulmonologist who exhorted doctors and nurses to not leave our spiritual gifts in the church space when patients are in grave need--even pray in tongues for them, he said. A young man--now the head of the Archdiocese of New York's outreach for the youth and young adults in the renewal--mentioned the Joshua Project, harking to the fact that Moses was the generation that was set aflame in Duquesne University fifty years ago and marked the freedom from slavery of the peoples. The next step is the arrival to the Promised Land led by the younger Joshua. So the wonderful prophetic message was given by a religious sister at Mass that the walking into the bridges and waters of Pittsburg with Jesus, the Eucharistic Lord, the night before leading the way and lit by a thousand little torches already marked that we are here, it is time, we have crossed Jordan and we have to claim this victory. 

(It is not coincidental that the recently concluded USCCB convocation in FL on Evangelium Gaudii mentioned exactly this: missionary always and everywhere as it is time-critical! Own and show our mission, our power and our gifts! It is not the time to be in the sidelines any longer!) 

Michelle Moran gave the most powerful witness when she said that the renewal needs to be conscious of building the future by adding new tools, a bolder vision that really brings ALL of the WORLD into Christ! Finally another panelist spoke up that GK Chesterton did say that everything worth doing is worth doing poorly. "We have to start messy and accept the growing pains in the task to evangelize but we must start now. We must take the plunge; evangelize or die" because it is not so much others will lord over in their secular agenda, but we will not build our own faith if we keep it hidden. We miss our call, hide the treasure, when so much have been given. 

I realize this well when I was given a super big bounty by my husband in going to the conference; I hemmed and hawed: too far, too many familiar names, then when I saw he gave me many days tickets, full meals to boot and I even didn't ask for it, I saw his love, and melted and drove barely stopping time. There I arrive to a roomful of friends who shared me their bed, their gifts, their stories of healing, their haul from the vendors (pocket-sized book on virtues and faith and voila! Imitation of Christ less than the palm of one's hand, revels my friend Cristina who stayed up til 1 am in the bar to wait for me). The following day, I got a little lost to go to the convention center, but the GPS drove us right into the heart of Polish Pittsburgh into Immaculate Heart of Mary Church where we meandered by chance, thinking it might be the church that holds a thousand relics. But it was better ,for it held a priest that was available to hear confession of my passenger-friend who needed it badly and the conference already had completed it's confession schedule. If that is not grace, I do not know what is. But this is what has been given to us and more. The salvation of Christ is everything that we could desire and more. We are truly paid for. We are given all the gifts, the opportunity, the spiritual largesse, if you will, especially when one is Catholic--the sacraments! The chance to partake of God in Flesh and Blood daily! The Word is Jesus who saves and saves through His church, not from the Word, for even Scripture says that: if you do not eat of me, you will have the kingdom of heaven. Only in the Catholic Church is Jesus present to eat. 

After our Polish church detour, arrived to the conference with the messages in full swing. Our church group has already settled in in the massive space and our little party who drove separately sat where they desired yet kept bumping to each other like the front of the stage where people were dancing to action and praise songs before the start of the Mass. As I looked, we were not even noticeable because the front as well as the far back of the tens of thousands-strong attendance were standing and dancing and following along. This is one mighty happy group.

Bishop Malagrega even led the actions at one point with the spirited song leaders of the Spanish Praise Band (one of three, this conference as all charismatic conference a decidely multicultural experience, the new Pentecost in the Catholic Church touching quite closely the Haitians, Filipinos, Indians, West Indians, Anglos, Koreans and Hispanics). My joyful friends were multiplied as people dancing or praying side by side introduced themselves, their parishes or their prayer groups. It is true: we will know we are Christians by our love. 

One side story: My friend Maria the night before was healed by Damian Stayne so she wiggled her typically arthritic leg for me in the hotel as soon as I arrived and told the story that as the introductory video started and the first message was in her native language or had the picture of her patroness Our Lady of Medjugorje, she started affirming and welcoming healing, chanting repeatedly the message, that the Holy Spirit made His way to her and as soon as Damien spoke, her left leg pain immediately disappeared. She refused to return with her walker and thanked God for healing in front of tens of thousands, acknowledging that the other side was healed too but only partially. But not to matter, it is forthcoming. When asked if she would need it back, this same walker that I folded in my car when I picked her up to bring to the church to bring her to Pittsburg, she confidently told Damien that he can have it. So there, as my final image of the conference Damien tells a friend as he holds Maria's walker that he was told to have it and so he is bringing it back to UK. Maria and I just walked with in the Polish church and then danced in the aisles of the convention center without nary pain, hesitation or worry. She will be fine. 

Healing is here, healing is possible, healing is through relationship with Christ which is Him knowing you, messy faults and all. The eternal river of living water (as the conference theme was Rivers of Flowing Water) that healed the woman with five husbands and a sixth non-husband was by Christ seeing and disclosing her to herself in her fullness, her need and thirst for salvation and all, her waywardness and all. This was her healing--this face-to-face encounter with Christ. This was what washed over her and that which she prayed for herself to have--the spring that will never require her to thirst again. When this relationship with Christ (that Christ knows me completely--look!) was shared with others, it was irresistible and others went to Christ to be known to. "Come, He has told me all I have done!" Only Christ can do this. 

This invitation too is our mandate as a people as homilist Bishop Sam Jacobs reminded in the closing Pentecost Mass said with tongues wafting like gentle fires once in a while and occasionally a roar like the original Pentecost's roar would sound from the back of the stage which is the wall as if a plane was taking off. The Holy Spirit is here, one of the song leaders said at one point. The Holy Spirit did not disappoint for sure. 

On the continuation of the Church til Christ comes again, Bishop Jacobs said, "We are Christ's Plan A and there is no plan B." 

So let us build each other's faith with our healing and mercy stories and not let the renewal die but use it to engage EVERYONE (think BIG, Michelle Moral says). Bring to God, Christ and Holy Spirit and Mary and Church ALL PEOPLES IN ALL SECTORS with its primal gifts of music, PRAISE and preaching and liturgy. Let praise not simply be a prelude to teaching but the instrument itself: God is here, He is alive, he has ANSWERED.