Lent is always a good time to reflect on our spiritual lives and to be renewed in our faith. The Newman Consultation, which we held in June last year, was an attempt by the National Service Committees of the Isles to take stock of the grace of Charismatic Renewal over the last 35 years and look at what God might be saying to us today. In this issue we reprint, the second of Fr Raniero Cantalamessa’s talks (part one), where he reminds us that the charisms of the Holy Spirit are for all believers and not just confined to mystics and saints or to the Magisterium of the Church. Another article also taking stock is that of Marcellino D’Ambrosio, who reflects on the 40th anniversary of the Vatican II Council and what has been achieved since then.

The fruits of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal were very evident in the replies to the questionnaires we sent out last year, not only of personally renewed lives, but in service to the Church. Over 85% of the thousand or so respondents, for example, are involved in at least one parish ministry, including 25% who are catechists and 20% on parish councils. We must always be open to more of the Holy Spirit, however, and Cyril John, the chairman of the NSC of India, reflects on the importance of keeping the Spirit of Pentecost alive in the Church. He calls on the CCR to return to the Upper Room for a renewed time of prayer and intercession so that the Holy Spirit might break forth again in power. On our news pages we have details of the international youth conference being organised by the Divine Centre in Potta, India, which has been the source of so much spiritual renewal in India and the rest of the world. We also have news of upcoming conferences in the UK, including the Catholic Miracle Rally in London, organised by Cor et Lumen Christi in March.

The importance of fellowship and small groups for spiritual growth is also underlined by Fr Chris Thomas in his article on the Agape page, as it is within these that we can be loved and be real enough to face our struggles.

Not only do we need the Holy Spirit, however, but material resources too. Last year charity donations fell considerably. Crew Trust, the charity which supports Goodnews and Catholic Evangelisation Services, was among those affected, as well as ICCRS, (International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services) which acts as the CCR link with the Vatican. Thus David Palmer, one of the Crew Trustees, this month is making a special appeal for funds to help in the work of Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Please respond as generously as you can.

Roy Hendy from the House of the Open Door Community, in his article, “Growing in the Prophetic”, explains how he came to recognise that God had given him prophetic gifts and shares his experiences and insights about this. Myles Dempsey, one of the earliest leaders of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Britain, who also has strong prophetic gifts, reveals the particularly prophetic word the Lord has given him for this year. Fr Pat Collins CM from Ireland shows the importance of the prophetic word in the encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian in the Acts of the Apostles and reflects on what we can learn from this for our own efforts at evangelisation.

We also have two remarkable stories this month, of God’s action in the lives of two of his faithful disciples. May Henry, who’s in her late 70s, tells how the Lord came to her aid when an armed burglar came to her house a couple of months ago. This is followed by the tale of Paddy Monaghan, who explains how, as a young man, the Lord saved him miraculously from an armed criminal who was about to kill him.

In the past we have had articles about married life. In the next few issues of Goodnews we will be focussing on being single and the challenges this creates for the Christian in our secularised and sexualised society. This month Monika Metel, a young Pole, reflects on being a single young Catholic today, and we ask other young committed Catholics about how they feel about it. If there are any particular issues you would like us to discuss or if you would like to respond to anything said in the article or interviews, please write and let us know.

For the first time, we also have an article by Ronald Rolheiser OMI, the well known Canadian writer, who has let us reprint one of his meditations on Mary, who stood at the foot of the cross. He reflects on the importance of enduring, when there is nothing we can do about a situation of suffering. Also on a Lenten theme, Mary Taylor explains how you can create a cardboard TV and get children to create a passion film with their own drawings. Happy Lent!

Kristina Cooper