The Wonder of a Gift

The Wonder of a Gift

Eileen O’Kane tells the story of the amazing fruit that resulted from buying a friend a gift subscription to Goodnews.

The wonder of a gift! For many years now I have bought friends a gift subscription of Goodnews for their birthdays. I have found they are always delighted and comment on how much they enjoy receiving 6 birthday presents a year of good spiritual reading. Many will, when it lapses, often renew themselves and sometimes because they have enjoyed it so much buy subscriptions in turn for their friends. It is wonderful when there is so much bad news around to give those you love spiritual encouragement and something which talks about the good news that God is doing.

Sometimes there can be really amazing consequences too, as God uses our seemingly small gesture for His work in ways we wouldn’t have imagined. Just recently, for example, I received a letter from a friend of mine called Leonard, who now lives in Brazil where he has married Rose, a Brazilian woman. When he lived in England, Leonard was involved in the CCR and he and I for a time were involved in a French covenant community called Fondacio. We still keep in touch and when thinking about what I could give him for his 70th birthday, a gift subscription of Goodnews was my immediate choice as I thought he would like to know what was happening now.

I didn’t know, however, what consequences this was going to bring for Leonard’s life. The first inkling was when I received an enthusiastic letter from Leonard thanking me for the gift. He wrote, “How deeply blessed I feel having spent a lot of time in the past few days with the Special Edition of Goodnews. I could try to say so much about feelings and emotions that this reading has stirred in me, but now what I feel chiefly is great gratitude to the Holy Spirit for what appeared 40 years ago and has grown and grown, and of course for Pope John’s earlier initiative and prayer for the Vatican Council itself and, secondly, for having called me to be in it and with it. And, perhaps oddly it was my reading of several articles in the Goodnews Special Edition that helped me to see the Spirit’s presence and work in my present day life more clearly, particularly in the sanctifying work of the Spirit and the fruits of the Holy Spirit. But I also feel that perhaps there will be, one day, another time for me to take part in Charismatic gatherings and even, perhaps in mission with people in Charismatic Renewal. If so, my prayer is that I’ll be ready.”

He rang me a month later to tell me the follow up. Apparently Rose, his wife, as a result of seeing how much he had got out of reading the Special issue, buying books for his birthday included one called “On the Wings of the Spirit”, by Celso Deretti. As the book was around, Rose picked it up herself and began to read it. She thought it might help her with her difficulty in understanding who the Holy Spirit really is. She was so touched by what she read that she immediately contacted the author, wanting to be prayed with for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit herself. Celso offered to travel to Rose’s and Leonard’s house, where he prayed for her and she was powerfully baptised in the Holy Spirit.

It turned out that Celso for a long time had been praying for the Lord to send him a person to translate his books into English. On meeting Leonard, he realised he had found someone who had exactly the right combination of languages, qualities and faith. Leonard comments ‘I never imagined that one day I would be asked to translate a book with the potential of bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the whole world!’ Not only this, but thanks to this new relationship, Leonard’s and Rose’s home has become a charismatic house of prayer where people are invited to come and pray to learn about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit - the Lord’s unexpected answer to their waiting on Him to show them how He wanted them to use their home in His service. Isn’t that amazing, all from one gift subscription!

About now you will probably be giving some thought to Christmas gifts. I would like to invite each reader to consider giving one member of their family or friends a Christmas present of a gift subscription. The Special Edition of Goodnews for the 40th anniversary of CCR also makes a wonderful present. We have even heard that one man in the West Country was Baptised in the Spirit just reading that issue through! Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, as to who the recipient(s) should be and fill in the form enclosed in this issue and wait to see what the Lord will do in their lives as they receive and read your gift!

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The wonder of a gift! For many years now I have bought friends a gift subscription of Goodnews for their birthdays. I have found they are always delighted and comment on how much they enjoy receiving 6 birthday presents a year of good spiritual reading. Many will, when it lapses, often renew themselves and sometimes because they have enjoyed it so much buy subscriptions in turn for their friends. It is wonderful when there is so much bad news around to give those you love spiritual encouragement and something which talks about the good news that God is doing. Sometimes there can be really amazing consequences too, as God uses our seemingly small gesture for His work in ways we wouldn’t have imagined. Just recently, for example, I received a letter from a friend of mine called Leonard, who now lives in Brazil where he has married Rose, a Brazilian woman. When he lived in England, Leonard was involved in the CCR and he and I for a time were involved in a French covenant community called Fondacio. We still keep in touch and when thinking about what I could give him for his 70th birthday, a gift subscription of Goodnews was my immediate choice as I thought he would like to know what was happening now. I didn’t know, however, what consequences this was going to bring for Leonard’s life. The first inkling was when I received an enthusiastic letter from Leonard thanking me for the gift. He wrote, “How deeply blessed I feel having spent a lot of time in the past few days with the Special Edition of Goodnews. I could try to say so much about feelings and emotions that this reading has stirred in me, but now what I feel chiefly is great gratitude to the Holy Spirit for what appeared 40 years ago and has grown and grown, and of course for Pope John’s earlier initiative and prayer for the Vatican Council itself and, secondly, for having called me to be in it and with it. And, perhaps oddly it was my reading of several articles in the Goodnews Special Edition that helped me to see the Spirit’s presence and work in my present day life more clearly, particularly in the sanctifying work of the Spirit and the fruits of the Holy Spirit. But I also feel that perhaps there will be, one day, another time for me to take part in Charismatic gatherings and even, perhaps in mission with people in Charismatic Renewal. If so, my prayer is that I’ll be ready.” He rang me a month later to tell me the follow up. Apparently Rose, his wife, as a result of seeing how much he had got out of reading the Special issue, buying books for his birthday included one called “On the Wings of the Spirit”, by Celso Deretti. As the book was around, Rose picked it up herself and began to read it. She thought it might help her with her difficulty in understanding who the Holy Spirit really is. She was so touched by what she read that she immediately contacted the author, wanting to be prayed with for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit herself. Celso offered to travel to Rose’s and Leonard’s house, where he prayed for her and she was powerfully baptised in the Holy Spirit. It turned out that Celso for a long time had been praying for the Lord to send him a person to translate his books into English. On meeting Leonard, he realised he had found someone who had exactly the right combination of languages, qualities and faith. Leonard comments ‘I never imagined that one day I would be asked to translate a book with the potential of bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the whole world!’ Not only this, but thanks to this new relationship, Leonard’s and Rose’s home has become a charismatic house of prayer where people are invited to come and pray to learn about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit - the Lord’s unexpected answer to their waiting on Him to show them how He wanted them to use their home in His service. Isn’t that amazing, all from one gift subscription! About now you will probably be giving some thought to Christmas gifts. I would like to invite each reader to consider giving one member of their family or friends a Christmas present of a gift subscription. The Special Edition of Goodnews for the 40th anniversary of CCR also makes a wonderful present. We have even heard that one man in the West Country was Baptised in the Spirit just reading that issue through! Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, as to who the recipient(s) should be and fill in the form enclosed in this issue and wait to see what the Lord will do in their lives as they receive and read your gift! << Top Home >>