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Reconcilliation between the Isles
Dympna Sheehan, a former chair woman of the NSC, shares her reflection on the Newman Consultation, which took place in June 2005 bringing together 240 leaders from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to discern the way forward for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
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An
Irish reflection on the Newman Consultation
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My initial response to the letter of invitation to Newman was: no, I don't' want to go. However following an encouraging phone call from Marie Beirne (NSC chairperson in Ireland) I decided to go, so I sent off my registration. Greeting and meeting up with friends and old companions at the airport was terrific. Because of storms in England the flight from Dublin to Birmingham was delayed by nearly three hours. However that did nothing to dampen our spirits. We were in happy expectant mood when we arrived at Birmingham and began to connect with our Scottish brothers and sisters. Full marks go to Sue Whitehead and her team who seamlessly got us all registered and our accommodation sorted in jig time. It was obvious from the outset of the weekend that along with meticulous planning and organisation, a thoughtful programme had been drawn up which allowed firstly time for prayer, then teaching and importantly talking and consultation. But a lot of intercession had gone on in advance. One could feel the peace. The setting was ideal - a beautiful college chapel, bright, airy and comfortable. The presence of Jesus in each person was the pulse which moved us from moment to moment, English, Irish, Scots and Welsh, men and women, old and young, lay people and religious, single and married all of us rejoicing in this grace we've been given. Each person eager to share what we've seen God do in our lives. Each of us open and welcoming and at home with "strangers". I'd come there on my own and was grateful for many alone moments but there was not one lonely moment. As we praised and sang and sat before the Lord and listened in our hearts, the Lord spoke I am sure to each one as He did to me words of love, of hope, of challenge and encouragement. "Coming together" When Charles Whitehead gave the first talk "Why are we here?" he set the tone of the weekend. As he began to outline the history of our countries he talked of it being "far from glorious", there was division, destruction and unhealed wounds; a picture which at a human level could seem insurmountable. But "the Lord who reigns over us all had brought us together for the weekend" to this college named after the great convert of Catholicism John Henry Cardinal Newman. Newman had said "The coming together of the Isles would bring great power". Listening to Charles I began to recognise some of my personal prejudices, but also to rejoice at the wonderful changes in my life, my family and my Church which I've witnessed in the last twenty seven years. When he talked of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal heading for its 40th birthday I looked at some of the people present who have been soldiering all that time and delighted in their steadfastness, their continued enthusiasm, commitment and energy. We are the Church of the 21st Century whose needs and problems are very different to those problems of the 1960s and 70s. Our weekend was to be primarily one of listening to the Lord for a new vision. "Vision" Charles told us "is seeing tomorrow so powerfully that it shapes today". "God wants to give us a vision today that will shape tomorrow". We could expect to be refreshed and renewed as we gave thanks for the grace of Charismatic Renewal but we also needed to recognise our weaknesses. A point Charles made was that Charismatic Renewal was never meant to be a prayer group movement. It is not about bringing people into groups but bringing people to Baptism in the Spirit. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the grace to equip us to do what we've been called to do i.e. to point us outward to the world as the disciples did at Pentecost. I slept little that opening night firstly because my head was busy turning over and over what I'd heard, most of it not new just heard again at a deeper urgent level. What am I (we) doing? What have I (we) failed to do? Where/how can I (we) reach out more? 1 Cor. 12,13,14 was the reading the Lord had given Charles that day and I needed to read it too. Instructions on the gifts of the Spirit, the unity of the body and of love - "the lubricating fluid" that keeps us from becoming arthritic in our walk with the Lord. I slept little because of the storm outside and I slept little because the timetable gave us (optional) Adoration at 7am and I needed this quiet time before the Lord. Fr Raniero Cantalamesa's teachings are always wonderful, rich, scriptural and clear. His holiness shines out, his simplicity, his sense of humour and his love for God speak volumes in themselves. In speaking to us at Newman he reminded us of the Duquesne experience when the young retreatants prayed "Come Holy Spirit". They had expectant faith" - that was the key to the new Pentecost experience. It was through Archbishop Kevin Mc Donald that we were led to reflect on the contribution of the CR to the life of the Church. Archbishop Kevin's background made him ideally suited in this regard. He spoke warmly of the grace of C R in his own life but it was his keen observation and academic/ theological input which made me realise yet again how important it is for us (the Church)to "fly" on two wings---Charismatic and Institutional. "We live in a highly secularised society" he reminded us." The decline in movements of spirituality is everywhere". He went on to point out that "The Cross, it's shame and failure is part of our story. There never was a golden age in the Church. The best time to be a Christian is now. It's our time". He stressed the need to engage with contemporary culture ,to respond to the criticism and questions of faith that are relevant to people today. The sharing group(s) which normally I find the most difficult and painful part of conferences was a great experience. Lunching together first was a super idea, breaking the ice and making it possible to get straight to the assigned topic. It was tremendous to hear how God is gifting people and how each of us is ministering in big and small ways. "Reconciliation and healing" The evening session of Saturday had the most amazing impact on me. Starting with prayer, praise and worship, testimony and another mesmerising mime. Fr Cantalamesa gave his second talk based on Acts 2:1 "Together in one place". Again it was marvellous - inspiring and thought provoking. When he'd finished, the facilitating team opened the floor to hear what the Lord might be saying. "I did not know what it was to be an English woman until I went and lived in Northern Ireland and realised they had learned a different side to our joint history". The speaker (Kristina Cooper) asked forgiveness of the Irish for the past wrongs. I found myself in floods of tears. An Irish woman (Marie Beirne) spoke of the pain and hurt inflicted on England by the Irish and she too asked forgiveness of our English brothers and sisters. A period of deep reconciliation followed as brothers and sisters from Scotland and England reconciled. The differences and hurts between the denominations were also recognised and prayer for healing followed. Priests made themselves available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and prayer teams became available for prayer with people. This had not been in the planned schedule and perhaps the organising team were taken aback by the way the evening finished but I believe it was the Lord's work. We will only be able to move ahead in His power when these ancient wounds and more recent pains are healed and forgiven. Fr. Cantalamesa emphasised unity in his homily next day, reminding us to rejoice in each other's gifts because any gift another person has belongs to each of us. Humility, he said, is the insulator of charisms and allows the high tension power of the Holy Spirit to pass through us without burning us up. Bishop Kevin spoke to us about the gift of ecumenical dialogue and sharing what we have received in CCR and he also pointed out how our new Pope Benedict promised to continue ecumenical dialogue . We were particularly enriched over the weekend by the presence of invited brothers and sisters from other ecclesial communities. The Sunday "feed-back" given by them to the body at large was tremendous as they gave their observations, their encuoragement, voiced the pain of separation shared by all and finally prayed a blessing on the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. They and their work was then prayed for in a great prayer of unity led by Bishop Ambrose Griffith. So much happened. I believe it was a beginning, a very good beginning to something new the Lord will do. We came close together. As one person said "Jesus was raised higher than our national flags". I saw the vibrancy of English Catholicism, the strength of Scottish prayer, the faith of Welsh men and women and the love and giftedness of our own group of Irish delegates. I came away refreshed and renewed in my commitment to make Jesus known. I must keep the vision, strive for holiness, allow the transforming work of the Holy Spirit to happen daily in me, and as Fr. Cantalamesa said "rekindle Charismatic amazement". It was indeed a blessed weekend.
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