Catholic Charismatic, and Other Redundancies

It always amuses me to hear cradle Catholics talk about which flavor of Protestant is most Catholic. I think I have a simple answer to that: the Christian flavor. I really do completely believe that all that is true is to be found within the Catholic Church. That is not to say that we always have the most ardent lovers of Christ or the most obedient followers of Christ or the most passionate seekers after the mysteries hidden in Christ. But there is such a thing as the divinely ordained and preserved Magisterium, and within it, living and vibrant and growing Tradition that it is, all truth is to be found.

I am saying nothing scandalous, nothing that the Church does not teach, in saying that truth is also to be found among those not perfectly joined to the Church, and even among those not even joined by baptism or the faith of Abraham. So much more do our separated brothers share in a real, yet incomplete communion with the Catholic Church.

So, to the extent that non-Catholic Christians are true to their communion with Truth, they are most like Catholics. Or, good heavens, let's fairly qualify that by saying either the Catholic Church, or Catholics who are true to their communion with Truth. It is not, after all, a matter of which team we root for, but the degree of our participation in the fullness of the truth.

I used to like to say that my conversion story has something in it to offend just about everyone, in that my experiences don't line up nicely with anyone's doctrine. When I was 19 years old I very unexpectedly felt thrown into the lives of two small handfuls of charismatics. The shock of meeting the first handful led me to seek out the second handful. But the weird thing was I didn't know anything about any of them being charismatics at the time I met them. I spent some very intense weeks studying what Scripture had to say about Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the recorded experiences of people receiving the Holy Spirit. But it wasn't until one friend within this circle of people received this experience herself that my jealousy was stirred enough to actually seek the experience myself. I did not seek out someone to pray over me, nor was I swept up in any emotional prayer meeting. I literally followed the directions in a book, prayed the prayer, and received this experience of Pentecost.

At the time, all I knew was that God was way alive, and that a totally miraculous thing happened to me in response to simply asking for the Holy Spirit. It was very much an experience of "I was blind, and now, I see!" Theologically I would now say that it was the cracking open of the treasure chest of my Baptism. Ironically, at the time, as a rebellious Lutheran college student, I had rejected the validity of infant baptism. My theological misgivings obviously didn't bother the Lord any. I think He was waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting for me to finally come to Him and ask for help. And He knew just how I wanted and needed it: full blast.

So, where did the charismatic movement lead me? Ultimately, where all truth leads: to become a Catholic. I think of my 5 year sojourn among non-denominational charismatics as my bridge into the Catholic Church. It was among the charismatics that I first learned to care about what happened in society. It was among the charismatics that I first shared the faith with other people, believers or not. My very first sacramental understanding (not belief; that came earlier) came at the wedding of some friends at my church. I have often thought of myself as a tiny bit of a Quaker. And that's how I can say that I sensed the sacrament of marriage between these two friends. In a similar way, I also recall a Sunday evening service where our worship leader, himself a lapsed Catholic, led us through worship songs that paralleled the Mass, including a Sanctus. Everyone there knew that the Holy Spirit was present in a specific, powerful way that made us all yearn deeply. In hindsight I know it was a longing for the Eucharist. God is so good to come among His people in a way that He will be received. He is always calling everyone to come to Him.

I live in Steubenville, considered by many to be the Catholic charismatic haven. It is very curious to me, though, what people consider representative of "being charismatic". Often, people will point to certain styles of music (modern and repetitive), or raised hands in prayer. But that's like saying Attachment Parenting is all about holding a baby in a sling. (Hey, enough cans of worms for one post!)

If someone were to ask me today if I am a charismatic, I would smile and say "I'm Catholic." Which means, yes, I am charismatic, but no, I am not "a" charismatic. Isn't a partial definition of oneself an incorrect definition if taken to be the whole definition? To me, being a charismatic has melted completely to be of one substance with being Catholic. Without charisms, we simply have no Church, plain and simple. Magisterial authority is charismatic, it is a gift given to human beings by the Holy Spirit for the good and service of other human beings. To be Catholic is to be charismatic.

But. You don't "have to" speak in tongues to be a Catholic (and saying this I feel like I'm answering my 6-year-old's question "Do we haaaaaaaaaaaaave to go to daily Mass?" We don't have to, I say, we get to.) And we don't have to sing repetitive music and wave our hands in the air, but I will be patient with my young friends at Franciscan University who do this (even amidst liturgical quibbles over whether the orans position is legitimate for laity during liturgy). I am not going to go tell someone to put his hands down when Jesus might be healing him at that very moment from being abused as a child, while repeating "Come, Lord Jesus" for the 40th time.

We don't need cultural trappings and externals. We do need to be animated by the Holy Spirit daily or Christian life is impossible.