I heard the fantastic Archbishop Mark Coleridge speak yesterday and if you missed it, email editor@nzcatholic.org.nz to order a copy of the talk! Only $15…ok, plug over.
I want to discuss a bit further one particular part of his talk…his discussion of the Church in the future. He was describing how WYD provides a small glimpse to the future of the Church. One element that he identified was that the Church in the future would be more charismatic.
Hmm, seems like a reasonable thing to say. However, his explanation really took it deeper than the Joe Bloggs understanding of charismatic – happy clappies and tears all round.
Sometimes as a Church, we can function a lot according to ‘the jobs to be done’ – right from a parish level to the universal Church. On a parish level, this might mean efficiently dishing out the tasks of parish life: arranging the flowers, greeting parishioners at Mass, playing the music, reading the Word in the liturgy etc. Sometimes the desire to be all inclusive and make sure that everyone has a job to do and that everything gets done can lead to some rather strange matches of talent to task.
However, in +Mark’s ‘crystal ball’ vision as he called it, of a more charismatic Church, we would look to find the charisms of particular people, particular families, communities, parishes, schools, dioceses, cultures, countries indeed…charisms and talents gifted by the Holy Spirit…and nourish those to allow them to blossom.
The great catch of it all is this…every single person (and thus every community of persons also) has particular charisms to offer. No one has ‘missed out’ on God’s ‘santa sack’ as it were of the gifts and talents he wishes to lavish upon us. Further still, there is an divine logic to the collection of charisms around our community…handpicked and hand combined by Him. So, it makes sense to work with those!
In addition to +Mark’s discussion on charism, I had been listening to a good friend earlier that day speak about the way we sometimes unfairly put more value on certain charisms than others (just like the old sense that religious vocations were for ‘holy’ people and everyone else just got married).
Devotional charisms, evangelical charisms, academic charisms, missionary charisms…we all know these are beautiful charisms (aren’t all charisms beautiful!). When we think of charism, we often think of gifts like those.
However, I think we fail sometimes within the Church to truly affirm those charisms that don’t explicitly seem to involve as much ‘holiness’ and in fact are just as much the source of holiness when lived and done for God’s glory. I’m thinking of the charims like accounting, organization, hospitality, construction, public speaking, communications, using technology, cleaning…and any other thing that might seem just everyday and secular. This is what my friend was so beautifully adamant about – these are all great channels for holiness – and for the people with such charisms, that is where they find the most joy in serving the Lord.
I think we need to look ever more closely at what charism really means, the fact that we’ve all got them, and just what holiness really means too – that number-crunching accountant in the backroom is doing their bit for the Kingdom of God just as much as the one who faithfully leads the Devotional Group (the ‘boiler room’ of the Church one might say) every Tuesday night.
It’s all about letting the Spirit show us our niche, not trying to fit any old round peg into any old square hole! And a more charismatic Church in the future will be a church that really embraces that!
Tuppence said:
“The great catch of it all is this…every single person (and thus every community of persons also) has particular charisms to offer. No one has ‘missed out’ on God’s ‘santa sack’ as it were of the gifts and talents he wishes to lavish upon us. Further still, there is an divine logic to the collection of charisms around our community…handpicked and hand combined by Him. So, it makes sense to work with those!”
I’ve been a Christian since I was 27 – nearly 40 years ago, now – and a Catholic since I was 53. I have heard this many times, have worked together with a variety of “called and gifted” ministers – and must confess my scepticism.
To be sure, we all have gifts. We have natural endowments, which God intends us to use for His people. No question about that. But when I talk to the specialists in this subject they all assure me that they are not talking about natural gifts, but about special qualities that the Holy Spirit gives.
It may be so. I know the Scriptures that point to the idea.
It may be so, but when I am also told that we are all able to know what our own gifts are, indeed, ought to know them so we can exercise them well – well, no doubt it is my own fault and blindness that makes me unable to see any such thing in myself.
No doubt … or perhaps there is something about this idea that I don’t understand.
Almost certainly there are heaps of things I don’t understand. But I would love it if, somehow, sometime, I could be clarified on this – since many tell me it is of the greatest importance!
jj
John,
Where would you draw the line between what you call “natural gifts” and what you call “special qualities that the Holy Spirit gives” ?
In your own case your qualities of a warm humanity and intellectual accumen are readily apparant. Whether they are natural gifts or special qualities, I don’t know.
Or are you saying that you’ve never experienced in yourself an obviously supernatural gift eg healing someone thru prayer ?
Tuppence does seem to be using the word “charism” in a broad sense and most of her examples seem to be what one might call natural gifts.
God Bless
Christ asked:
Where would you draw the line between what you call “natural gifts” and what you call “special qualities that the Holy Spirit gives” ?
I don’t draw the line. Those who have told me I must have gifts of the Holy Spirit because all the baptised have are the ones who draw the line – when I ask them if they mean my natural gifts. I am told that, no, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are in addition to, distinct from, and quite possibly not even similar to, my natural gifts.
They explain that they do not necessarily refer to preternatural gifts (such as healing, etc) – but they say (people giving workshops on the subject) that these gifts are distinct, and recognisable.
Regarding my apparent ‘warm humanity’ and ‘intellectual acumen,’ I think you should have a chat with my children and co-workers before leaping at conclusions. Appearances can be deceiving
jj
Well, no doubt Christ did ask – but it was Chris whom I quoted
jj
Thanks Tuppence for the glimpse into part of Archbishop Coleridge’s talk. I won’t have the chance to hear him speak.
If I may make one criticism… In the interests of respect for the worthy Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn may I suggest he be referred to as ‘His Grace’ or ‘Archbishop Coleridge’ rather than the overly familiar ‘+Mark’? A bishop will usually sign letters and documents with +(name) but that’s not an invitation to call them such. I suppose we are so used to hearing priests called by their Christian name that we don’t know what to do when addressing a bishop.
I think the Archbishop makes an excellent point. I’ve had a Pentecostal-turned-Catholic friend say to me that it seemed the Priests are having to do and be everything, and wondered how this could be reconciled with the diversity we see in 1 Corinthians 12:
I think this is a good point. We see that the offices, ministries and “charismatic gifts” are placed side by side in St. Paul’s teaching, since all of them are in fact ‘charismatic’ in the sense of being the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
All the baptised partake in the three-fold ministries of Christ as priest, prophet and king, through the Baptismal which imparts these charisms primarily for consecration of the world. In Holy Orders, these become more directed toward the Church, so that their charisms are to sanctify, teach and govern her members.
Under the guiding and apostolic charism of the hierarchy, the lay faithful may also exercise their gifts fruitfully through obedience, primarily in lay apostolates – and this may be what was lacking in the situations in your past experience, jjen.
There are charisms all of us are given through baptism and confirmation, however. These are:
If we co-operate with them, they become second nature to us. St. Thomas, for example, possessed to very high degrees both the intellectual virtue of wisdom and the supernatural gift of wisdom, by which he could judge matters by a certain ‘connaturality’.
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
I think there’s your answer, John
It’s plain from observation that you have all 7.
God Bless
Thanks Tuppence, I also made the connection re charisms having listened to Archbishop Mark. God at work.
For those who may be interested you could check out: http://www.siena.org/spgifts.htm#whatcharism
The Siena Institue (Canada I think) offers a comprehensice Parish based program to foster the use and discernment of charisms both extra-ordinary and ordinary. In one sense it takes notion of charisms wider than the common understanding but it is all backed by Scripture and Tradition and is a wonderfully affirming course to do. Discerning charisms made huge difference in my own life and is a course I would warmly recommend, not just for those in early ‘life choice’ situations but at any age. Sherry Weddell came out to the Eucharistic Convention several years ago speaking about Laity and charisms. No sense of laity needing to ‘particpate’ more by mimicking the priests role, but rather a deep embracing of the Lay vocation and Mission and the charisms that go along with that for the building up of the Kingdom.
J
There are many aspects to charisms and gifts of course – and it is true that all the baptised have the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, at least in seed. These gifts dispose us to the perfecting of the supernatural virtues and flower in the Beatitudes.
In addition, there is the personal way that the Holy Spirit leads each person. This can happen via the seven gifts of course, but He is leading them on a particular path – and within this another aspect emerges, which may also have something of charism to it. Thus, St John was lead in a different way to St Peter. And when St Peter asked about St John – “what about him?” he is basically told that on that level of leading, it is between God and St John and not under the authority of Peter (that is: Peter does not ‘give’ anyone their vocation – he does help to discern them – as a vocation is received by the whole Church, but he doesn’t give the vocation as such).
Then there are the ‘charismatic’ gifts for the building up of the body, which are not in themselves sanctifying for the person who has them, but which are given for some purpose with regard to the community. These are secondary in relation to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which make us saints, but being secondary doesn’t make them unimportant.
Regarding giftings by the Holy Spirit – it is here that we joyfully welcome the legitimate diversity among us. The religious orders are a sign of it – with all their different charisms contributing to the coming of the one kingdom. We are one in baptism, in faith, in morals, in sacramental life – but we are diverse in callings, in giftings, in charisms – so that each in their own way reflects a unique aspect of God’s glory.
Natural gifts too are often assumed upwards by grace: for grace builds on nature. Peter the fisherman becomes a fisher of men. His natural generosity is taken up into supernatural generosity by the time of his martyrdom. His natural ‘wanting to be all for God’ is purified through being taught his need to rely totally on God and not on his own strength and way of thinking – but it is taken up and realised by grace.
But in the end, I think that we take a risk in focussing too much on the question: what are my gifts, what is my charism? In the end, we are called to love God and the specific neighbours that we are in contact with – and it is responding to that finality that we really discover our gifts, our charisms, our callings. Because those things are always means and keeping sight of the end will call for a realisation with all the means at our disposal.
poorclear said:
But in the end, I think that we take a risk in focussing too much on the question: what are my gifts, what is my charism? In the end, we are called to love God and the specific neighbours that we are in contact with – and it is responding to that finality that we really discover our gifts, our charisms, our callings. Because those things are always means and keeping sight of the end will call for a realisation with all the means at our disposal.
This has long been my own view. My feeling is that the charismatic gifts – being precisely not there to help me but to help others – may well be invisible to the person who has them – may, indeed, be best thus invisible.
I only bring the matter up because the occasional enthusiast (possibly using that word in two senses
) wants me to find out my own gifts, tells me that “… the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets” (I Corinthians 14:32), and thus infers that, mutatis mutandis, charismatic gifts are given for conscious exercise – like knowing that you have a new bicycle in order to ride it.
I have long since stop worrying about it. Some of my friends have not
jj