"Suddenly the sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit”.

Pope John Paul II told the Movements in St Peter’s Square in 1998, that it was at this point, in the Upper Room, that Jesus’ promise is fulfilled. Those gathered there were baptised in the Holy Spirit and received the charisms. From that time until today the Wind of the Spirit would carry Christ’s disciples, in fearless witness to the Gospel, to the ends of the Earth. God breathed life into our first parents, not only a human life but also a spiritual life enabling them to live with Him forever. They set a greater price on their human life, however, and their spiritual life began to ebb away. Similarly after his resurrection Jesus breathed life into his Apostles. He gifted them and us with that spiritual life and friendship again. To all those who had let him down during his trial and all of us who have let him down so often since, he gives new life in the Holy Spirit. He removes the barriers and gifts us with his Shalom. This is not just peace, but a new way of life - the Christian way of life. This is the call and the power, to love God, self and neighbour -and share with all, the peace that this brings. This is the purpose of the Charisms.

In Baptism of the Spirit we receive a rejuvenation of what we already have and are. We are all called to this same service, but in different ways. This often includes for us the laying down of our lives, as it did for those others so long ago. Christ promised that we would receive power, the power to let go of the fear we have, the fear symbolised by the locked door of the Upper Room. We have many fears - the fear of risk, the fear of remembering past failure; the fear of the truth and of self knowledge; the fear of where I have been and what I have done, of my unfaithfulness and sin, the fear of falling apart, of being ridiculed, isolated and different from those around me.

The coming of the Holy Spirit freed them from the prison of their fear

If I had been a Jew and in that Upper Room I would have understood the signs. I would have grasped the message so clearly. At the transfiguration, the three apostles saw Moses the law giver- symbolised by the fire of the commandments, and Elijah the prophet, symbolised by the wind and the breeze. These were the symbols of the old covenant alongside the beginning of the new. Fear had closed the Apostle’s minds and now they had hidden away in the Upper Room. Into this fear came the power of the spirit; the power of fire and wind. As the apostles remembered what they had seen and heard; they re-membered themselves in to the story, into Christ, into the Truth, into the New Covenant and into each other. The coming of the Holy Spirit freed them from the prison of their fear and gifted them with new life and the faith that Christ lived, and his promises were being fulfilled. The Holy Spirit at Pentecost proclaims God’s reign in our lives and the world. It brings us into Trinitarian Communion with each other- we are no longer alone, no longer individuals living for ourselves - we are a new creation, (2 Cor 5;17), a new self (Col 3;9). In one sense in Baptism in the Holy Spirit, I do not receive anything new, other than a new realisation of who I am and what I have. A conviction that I am called by God and gifted for the job.
• What I “realised” before in my head, now by the spirit of truth coming with power, I make “real” in my life.
• I receive the power to overcome all of my barriers of doubt, lack of tangible and expectant faith.
• I receive the power of new life, a living baptism, a living faith and an experience which is so real that I cannot deny it - and one for which I am willing to die and rise over and over again.

I was baptised a Roman Catholic and grew up attending Mass, going to Parish missions, knowing the catechism and obeying all the rules. I trained as a teacher and taught in a Catholic primary school. In R.E. I taught the children what I had been taught and taught it how I had been taught. I did not teach it as a life giving force because I myself had received no life from it. It was just information in my head. In the same way I had no interest in talks or courses which might have deepened my faith, because I felt I knew it all. When crisis hit my life, however, I found out that the Faith I had was not strong enough, nor real enough, to keep me afloat, and I sank. Suddenly without me consciously asking for it God came into my life. He gave me guidance and authority, dignity and assurance. He showed me gifts I never knew I had and he put scary opportunities my way where I could use them.

My choice whether I respond to the Holy Spirit or not.

It was my choice, however, whether I chose to respond or not; but I was so convicted and so supported and affirmed that I found it hard not to step out. The more I responded, the more I learned and the more I developed. The greatest gift I received - and I have come to understand now that I have many - was a love of the Bible. It is, and has been, my constant companion, guide and friend over many years. The bible is my gateway to prayer and discernment. It also helps me to understand the story of the Holy Spirit in the world and the Church, together with my ongoing part in it. Bishop Joe Grech, from Australia, says that Pentecost was the sign for us of the on-going power of the Spirit, but that it is in our Baptism, where we see the reality of it in our everyday lives. I like that. Charismatic Renewal is a sign for the world of what is continually happening in our Baptism. It has brought it once again to the surface, revealing for us in a new way what was already there. I see no conflict in these two ways of looking at it. It is highlighting the possibilities of what could be, of what I could be, of what the Church could be.

Are we, am I, making the most of the chance?

The gifting we receive in the Charisms are the fruits of our Baptism and as we have already noted, these come to fruition in love (1 Cor. 13) This is God’s love being manifest in me so that I may transmit this life to others. This is a great responsibility. Three times Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” “Then feed my lambs, feed my sheep”. He also warns us that this way of service will lead us to places where we do not want to go. The love that Jesus asks of us, is not an emotion and the gifts he gives us are not given to make us feel superior to others. They are shown in going where we most often don’t want to go and serving others, especially those we do not know, or those we do not really like. We might like to ask ourselves now:

•  Am I doing this?
•  Where am I doing this?
•  Who am I accountable and obedient to in doing this?

We need to be equipped

God calls us and sends us to serve His people, to be Christ in the world. For this we need to be equipped; and part of this equipping is being open to receive and use the tools which God provides for the job. Our personal and spiritual giftings are unique to each one of us. To receive and use these gifts takes an openness and willingness on our part to hone them well. We need to be open to take advice from others, and be accountable in their use and obedient to the leadership we place ourselves under. “For the exercise of their apostolate the Holy Spirit gives the faithful special gifts, allotting them as he wills….for the up-building of the Church. From the reception of these Charisms, even the most ordinary ones, there arises the right and duty to exercise them.. for the good of the Church and in the freedom of the Holy Spirit..” VATICAN II - Laity Doc 3.

The Charismatic Gifts - Charisms - are many and go well beyond those named in Scripture. We cannot earn them, nor manufacture them, we can only accept them in humility the way Mary did at the Annunciation. This is true Baptism in the Holy Spirit. When Mary meets Elizabeth each calls out the gifts of the other- each recognises grace living in the other. This is our calling in serving each other to bring out what is there and to bring Christ to birth in our lives and in the World. On Pentecost Sunday 18th May 1986 Pope John Paul II published his encyclical on the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and the world. This was a completion of a trilogy of encyclicals - the other two being ;”God the Father- Rich in Mercy”, and “Jesus the Redeemer of Man.” The Pope quoted Jn 14:26 when Jesus says that another counsellor will come to continue Christ’s work. The Pope said that at Pentecost the Apostles, now gifted and strengthened for the work, were commissioned to go out and proclaim Jesus as Lord.. He then went on to say that this commission is for us all, so that every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord. (Phil. 2;11). To carry out this commission we need to reflect on:

•   What is being asked of me?
•  Why it is being asked?
•  Am I willing to respond?

In writing to the Corinthians Paul notes three types of service through the Charisms - Inspiration, Revelation and Power.
In my next few articles I hope to look at these more closely as we continue our journey together.

May I conclude with the that special Trinitarian prayer “ May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all” Amen

Pat Kennedy has a Masters Degree in Pastoral Theology. She is a member of the English NSC, the chairwoman of the Hexham and Newcastle Diocese DST, where she is clerk to the Council of the Laity and works in Adult formation.