Grace of Christian Renewal

Evangelizing Catholic Culture with Father David Tickerhoof

The Grace of Christian Renewal ~ Episode 29

The grace of Christian renewal begins with faith in a living God. In the last podcast, I reviewed the initial development of the Charismatic Renewal and what has happened to the movement to this point. We surely want to thank God for the wonderful works of grace that have been available within this movement. Yet along with the Charismatic movement and other programmatic offerings of spiritual and pastoral renewal in the Church we need to ask ourselves the question, are these opportunities in and of themselves sufficient to bring about a mature or completed experience of the Church’s Grace of Renewal? For the sake of this presentation I would like to answer, they are not! And if not, is there something we can consider that may move us forward in this consideration?

The Christian Renewal begins with this book:

This inspiring book by Father David Tickerhoof, Third Order Regular (TOR), on the role of Merciful Penitents in the Renewal and Reform of the Church

Father David’s book is available! “Evangelizing Catholic Culture,” get your copy today.

Christian Renewal:

What most did not seem to understand was the fact that this outpouring of special grace was simply the initial experience of the Church’s Grace of Renewal. The activity and special presence of the Holy Spirit was intended by the Lord to move into a full and complete experience of the glorified Lord by each individual Christian. In other words, much more was intended to happen after the initial experience and empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Which gifts are the practical application of the Pentecostal Experience in the daily life and activity of Christians? How might we identify the complete experience of the Church’s Grace of Renewal?

At times in the Charismatic Renewal, individuals tended to over concentrate on the Holy Spirit as the central reality of spiritual transformation. For sure that concentration is necessary, but if it becomes excessive or overdone other dimensions of the process of growth and transformation are neglected. When a person exercises a balanced approach to the grace of spiritual transformation three powers become one: The power and gifts of the Spirit, the power of the Cross of Jesus, and the power of the Resurrection. Therefore, the power of the Cross of Jesus and the beautiful splendid experience of the glory of the Resurrection comes into play in addition to the work of the Holy Spirit. For a mature and most effective experience of the life and power of grace involves a threefold power of the Spirit, the Cross, and the power of the Resurrection. This is what is meant by the Church’s Grace of Renewal. This is what Pope Benedict XVI Identified as the main message of the Second Vatican Council. Pastoral theology identifies this threefold experience as the Paschal Mystery, which includes the effects of the death, Resurrection, and the Pentecostal experience. When Jesus appeared in the splendor of his glorified state in the Upper Room on Easter Sunday night, he showed the disciples his wounds, and breathed on them to receive the power and commissioning of the Holy Spirit: “On the evening of the first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, Peace be with you!” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me so I send you”, and when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” (Jn. 20:19-23)

The Father and the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. After that momentous occasion when Jesus appeared on earth, it was no longer the historical Jesus before his resurrection. It was now the splendor and power of the glorious Jesus risen from the dead. He now radiated the glorious power of heavenly reality. Jesus still bore his wounds magnifying the mighty power of the Cross. And he was filled in a new manner with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. All the spiritual gifts were incarnated in the person of the risen glorious Son of God.

At times in the Charismatic Renewal, individuals tended to over concentrate on the Holy Spirit as the central reality of spiritual transformation. For sure that concentration is necessary, but if it becomes excessive or overdone the other dimensions of the process of growth and transformation are neglected. When a person exercises a balanced approach to the grace of transformation, the power of the Cross of Jesus, and the beautiful experience of the glory of the Resurrection comes into play, in addition to the work of the Holy Spirit. For a mature and a most effective experience of the life and power of grace involves a threefold power of the Spirit, the Cross, and the Resurrection. This is what is meant by the Church’s Grace of Renewal. This is what Pope Benedict XVI identified as the main message of the Council. Pastoral theology identifies this threefold experience of grace as the Paschal Mystery, the effects of the Death, Resurrection, and the experience of the Power and gifts of the Holy Spirit. And we see this reality symbolized on the night of the Resurrection by Jesus, when he appeared in his splendid glorified state of being, showed the disciples his wounds, and breathed on them to receive the power and commissioning of the Holy Spirit. (Jn.20:19-23)

Therefore, the conclusion is that it is necessary to develop a renewal program in a retreat or seminar atmosphere, which integrates all three renewing powers of grace and the charismatic gifts for individuals, who want to participant in a specifically designed program that will achieve the necessary objectives of the Church’s grace of spiritual renewal.

May We Pray for Christian Renewal!

Dear Lord, we are so grateful for the wonderful outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our life. In the Church, there are many brothers and sisters who are hungry for the transforming power of the Holy Spirit that will bring sanctification and holiness in their human lives. We humbly seek your wisdom and understanding, which will help us serve our brothers and sisters in their journey of holiness and peace. We pray this prayer in the name of Jesus through the heart of his mother, Mary, the Mother of the Church. Amen.

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