July 19, 2012 Catholic Church is a remnant of what it was
Our Church is only a remnant of what it was in the first couple ofearly centuries. It has been in this remnant stage for many centuries now and needs revival to stop this spiritual decline in our country.
In the early church when the person came up from the waters of baptism they were on fire. It was in their veins - so much so that they would die for Christ and many did. That powerful baptismal experience disappeared for centuries. The church was left with a phenomena often called –a gradual spiritual awakening- which is not a bad thing. Butthere was nothing gradual about it in the 1st century.
And God has put that baptism of the Holy Spirit back in one sector of the church described as the Charismatic Renewal. It is not a gradual awakening but more like it was in the 1st and 2nd century of the church. The life in the spirit seminar, as it is often called, can bring a seeking person to this powerful experience of the Holy Spiritsimilar to the first century.
I was at dinner with some Christian friends and one person wasnew and had just received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I said to her in conversation because she was brand new- I said, something like you know in the early church when they came up out of the baptismal waters they were on fire for Christ and they would die for Him. Without a thought or moments hesitation or before she could even think she said, I would to!!! It wasn’t a planned thing and it just came out of her mouth because that was how she felt.
What’s my point? The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the only thing that can revive our declining church as it did in the early church. It must be combined with the path and knowledge of the path to union with God to make saints. We need some saints desperately. Like the song says,”Whom shall I send?” It must be us because we are all he has to work with. But it costs us everything and so few are willing to tread this path.
The church at large, for the most part does not understand the Charismatic Renewal and the renewal does not know the spirituality of the saints in the orders either. The renewal need not re-invent the wheel; it has already been invented. It needs to combine the orders spiritual life with the Charismatic baptism of the Holy Spirit. But they are so divided.
I see 2/3 of what we need in place. We have a called Diocesan priest. We have a called 3rd order lady. Now I believe we need the last third…a priest from the orders who can also do formationas part of the team. Not just any ordered priest, but one that shares our vision. This would lend some creditability to a fresh revival because it is all inclusive and not divided from the church as it is now pretty much. Some saints believed in teaching spirituality to lay people…that is the vision this 3rd priest must have also. Not watered down. Jesus didn’t water down. He scattered the seed and let it fall where it would on the thorns and fertile ground and some bore fruit and some choked. I mean a 3 person team effort without competition. My thought would be maybe a Legioner priest that might be open to the vision I am fumbley trying to describe. I have not talked to him. I am just throwing out a thought. You might already have somebody in mind. Just a thought. I am excited to see if this is God’s will or just me.