Charisletter June 2014

Transcription

1 Charisletter June 2014 Volume 15 - Issue 6 A Night to Honor Bishop Thomas Flanagan You are Cordially Invited to Attend an Evening Called to Serve with the Holy Spirit Hosted by: More info on page 4 In this Issue: From the Staff... 2 Night of Renewal..5 English Service Commi ee News... 3 Prayer Groups/Healing Masses..7 Night to Honor Bishop Flanagan.. 4

2 Most Rev. Thomas J. Flanagan Liaison for CCCR Father Bob Hogan, BBD Associate Liaison CELEBRATING 2 LIAISONS FOR CHARISMATIC RENEWAL Msgr. Enda McKenna: Fr. Enda is celebrating his 50th year as a priest. He was the Archbishop s Liai- son for Charismatic Renewal in San Antonio from A Jubilee Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, June 8, 2014 at 11:15 am at St. Mary s Parish, Fredericksburg (307 W. Main St., Fredericksburg, TX 78624). There will be a reception following the Mass at Holy Family Center. Bishop Thomas Flanagan: The night to honor Bishop Tom ( Called to Serve with the Holy Spirit ) will be July 12, 2014 at St. Mary Magdalen s Jubilee Hall at 7:00 pm. This evening will include dinner, music, testimonies and a silent auction. The Catholic Center for Charismatic Renewal and the Knights of Columbus are co-sponsoring this event. Tickets can be purchased from the Center ( ). There are a limited number of tickets, so please contact us soon. You must register and pay for your ticket by June 27. Registering early is appreciated. Tickets are $50.00 per person, and will support the ministry of the Charismatic Center and the Knight of Columbus. Bishop Tom has given so much to the Charismatic Center. This is a great opportunity for us to show our appreciation for him. Please set aside this date and contact us to get your tickets. Please let all the people in your prayer groups know about this event and encourage them to attend. Hosting National Liaisons Conference for Catholic Charismatic Renewal: I am very thank- ful for the members of St. Mary Magdalen s English Prayer Group for helping me (Fr. Bob) in hosting this yearly event from May 5-9, Special thanks to Cathy Schafer for being the overall coordinator and for Frank and Michelle Cantu for providing the music for praise and worship times. Life in the Spirit Seminars: We encourage all prayer groups to offer a Life in the Spirit Seminar every year. We are happy to help you with this. This month there have been Seminars at Resurrection of the Lord Church, St. Thomas More Church, St. Anthony (Elmendorf) Church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church (Selma) and a mini-seminar at St. Peter, the Apostle Church (Boerne). Let s continue to help people to come into a deep relationship with the Holy Spirit for the transformation of their lives and for empowerment with charisms (spiritual gifts) to do the Lord s work. Thanks to all the people who helped with these Seminars. Leadership Training Days: We had 5 hour sessions on April 25 and May 10 for prayer group lead- ers. 70 people attended. If you missed these sessions, but would like the information that was passed out, contact Fr. Bob Hogan (fr.hogan@cccrsa.net or ). Consecration of the Archdiocese to the Holy Spirit: At the time of this writing the Archdiocese has not yet given us all the information about this event. We do know is that the consecration by Archbishop Gustavo will take place on June 7, 2014 at 7:00 pm at St. Rose of Lima Church (9883 Marbach Rd.). As we are now in the novena (9 days of prayer) of Pentecost let us pray for our archdiocese for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. JUN 2014-Page 2

3 News from the English Service Committee By: Karen Adams, Co-Chair At long last, the celebration of Pentecost is upon us. Hallelujah! That first Pentecost must ve been totally amazing and awe-inspiring, and yet, we who ve been baptized in the Spirit have had a personal glimpse of it. It was a powerful, life-changing experience for those in the upper room, and for us as well. It is an experience Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller wants everyone to encounter as he prepares to consecrate the City of San Antonio to the Holy Spirit on June 7 th at 7:00 pm at St Rose of Lima Church. The Archbishop explains: Consecration means to set aside for a sacred purpose. I am inviting you to entrust yourself to the Holy Spirit so that through this profoundly personal commitment your heart will be opened to his gifts so that He will enlighten and strengthen your faith and lead you to faithful discipleship. As charismatic Catholics we have been graced to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and to have already embarked on the journey to entrust ourselves to Him and to flow in the gifts which He has bestowed. But, no matter where we are on our faith journey, there is always more--more to learn, more to grow, and more to share with our family, friends, and those we encounter in our daily lives. Being faithful disciples involves not only our personal growth in faith and sanctity, but also entails sharing the faith, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, with others. We have been given a tremendous gift, but with that gift comes the responsibility to share it with others to evangelize and disciple (or teach) others how to live out their faith. The consecration of the City of San Antonio to the Holy Spirit should offer you plenty of opportunities to initiate discussions on the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church, in walking out our faith, and in your personal life. Many people know of the Holy Spirit, but do not know Him. Here is your opportunity to tell them and make the person of the Holy Spirit come alive to them. Begin to plant those seeds. Consider inviting members of your family and friends to a prayer group meeting or the Night of Renewal on the 21 st. Perhaps there will be opportunities in your parish to support activities related to celebrating the consecration. You may even be called upon to lead or coordinate these activities. The CCCR is available to assist you with teaching resources to help in this regard. Anything you can do to further the knowledge and understanding of the Holy Spirit, especially during this time, will be greatly appreciated. As we ourselves prepare to celebrate Pentecost, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller also invites us to pray a special Rosary of the Holy Spirit which you can find online at: And to pray the Novena to the Holy Spirit for the seven gifts from June 1st-8 th. May the fire and power of the Holy Spirit poured out on that first Pentecost be with you now and forever! Ven. Holy Spirit Ven JUN 2014-Page 3

4 A Night to Honor Bishop Thomas Flanagan You are Cordially Invited To Attend an Evening Called to Serve with the Holy Spirit Join us for the Celebration Great Food - Music - Auction Master of Ceremonies: Deacon Pat Rogers Director of Communication Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas St. Mary Magdalen Church Jubilee Hall, 1700 Clower St, SATX Tickets $50 per person - Group Tables of 10 available Register by June 27th Saturday, July 12, 2014, 7pm - 9pm Seating is limited - Reserve Tickets or Table of 10 - Cash/VISA/MasterCard Check payable to: CCCR (note on check: Bishop s Night) Mail to: Catholic Center for Charismatic Renewal, 1707 S. Flores, SATX For Ticket/Registration info: Lalo Gamboa (210) Hosted by: For Ticket/Registration info: (210) There will be a Silent Auction benefi ng the Catholic Center for Charisma c Renewal and Knights of Columbus in conjunc on with this dinner honoring Bishop Flanagan. We are solici ng everyone s help in obtaining items for the auc on. We are looking for new, non-perishable items; merchandise or gi cer ficates (in the $23-$300 range). The auc on/fundraiser can only be as successful as the items donated allow! If you have an item for auc on, please contact Lee or Yolanda Hohmann at JUN 2014-Page 4

5 Praise and Worship with JMJ EMBRACE THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Join us for a Spirit filled night embracing the Holy Spirit! St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, 4401 S. Flores St., SATX Speaker: Mario Ortiz - New Braunfels ********Music: JMJ Band (Family Music Ministry) Witness: Chris Rodriguez - Youth Staying Connected Host Parish: St. Leo s Prayer Group, CCCR Zone 4 In Association with the Archdiocesan Catholic Center for Charismatic Renewal and Bishop Thomas Flanagan, Liaison For more information contact: / Night of Renewal Saturday June 21, :00 pm Fellowship To Follow! Youth Invited! JUN 2014-Page 5

6 AN ANY-TIME STUDY by: Carmen Frankel, Co-Chair, English Service Committee After all you have heard ANY TIME YOU ARE BLESSED! Remain Blessed is a study I came across last year and want to share with you as spiritual food. All Good Graces to All! Experienced an Encounter with the Holy Spirit? Have you exercised your right to remain blessed? Invited the Holy Spirit to be your guide for the day? Of course you have! ANY TIME! Matthew 13: 15 You have ears TO hear; your ears are blessed. You have eyes TO see; your eyes are blessed. God has conferred upon us the right to work in the Gifts of healing! OUR RESPONSIBILITY - Firstly, Jesus appeals to us to come to him. Read Matthew 11:28. He supplies what our souls need to work with the Holy Spirit and to be pleasing to God the Father. Amen Secondly, Jesus commands in V29a for us to take His yoke, showing our inabilities to achieve anything on our own, including in the area of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, Jesus consoles and comfort us V29b and V 30. In Jesus appeal, God is creating a deeper work in us; deeper than we could ever accomplish on our own. To understand that we are justified in Christ through faith from what he accomplished on the cross and resurrection (Galatians 3:1-5, and 7-14). It s YOUR action of RESPONSIBILITY to stay in His Grace. Remaining blessed in His Grace is not work or duty; it is a JOY, knowing we are justified in Christ and accepted by God as HIS children. It makes sense then, that we are now partakers with God. We want to remain in His grace with love toward Him. Just as we would want to be in the company of our loved ones here on earth. Jesus will enable us to walk a new life; to carry a new covenant with him. The Holy Spirit will empower us with grace to remain with Him. The mis-understanding has never been with God s part of the covenant. It has always been on the part of man who could not keep the promises. They never could; that was not God s plan. His plan is salvation. It was ONLY JESUS who kept the laws of the first Covenant perfectly! Everyone in Christ can keep the covenant perfectly in Jesus. Jesus made the New Covenant possible with his perfect life. Jesus is the guarantor now! PURPOSE - For what purpose? For our own self -satisfying, self seeking and self-accomplishing needs? In the Spirit, Jesus heard the cry of the poor and heard their need to be healed. Evil spirits work in the agony and pain of those whom need to be healed. When these menacing spirits encounter Christ they know they will be cast out. The man possessed by 2,000 unclean spirits tormented cruelly cried out all night, ripped off his clothing in violent bouts of anger, cut himself with stones, lived in filth and no one came to help him. Satan had made him his property of torment for all to see. (Mark 5:2-7) What a different man he became when Jesus set him free. Right now there are similar demonic oppressions working in entire generations that are flooded by legions of unclean spirits. Rebellion is commonplace and accepted as normal behavior in a society that has run wild with greed. There is such a rapid disintegration of morality. Many are harassed by a wicked thought life; committing needless sin; tormented by evil spirits during the night; hearts held in captivity by fear, dread and terror; many blinded by the lie that they can work thinks out on their own; not to mention the physically infirmed. Cries from the multitudes are heard every day in heaven and on earth. In Luke 9:1-2 we are summoned to heal the sick and cast out devils. Cries of despair are coming form all parts of the world right now. We have authority in the name of Jesus over Satan s tactics that keep God s people sick and tormented. Does your heart have compassion for the hurting? That compassion is hearing the Spirit telling you to use the gifts, not to be afraid to pray for healings and deliverances. There is light in the dark-times we live. We are the light! Commissioned by Christ to work in God s love for them and set captives free. Jesus is speaking of works that are manifested of God, not of our ability. By the Grace of God in us, through Christ who lives in us and for us through baptism when we became new creatures. and by the Holy Spirit who works through us in the baptism of fire at confirmation. Jesus made the choice to give us the means to help others, and by his sacrifice of body, blood and water we are made ready and able. Now it is our choice. Yes! Then now we are ready to find out more about healing!! Gifts Of Healing-A Sign Gifts - listed in 1 Corinthians 12. Gifts of healing, an extraordinary charism, are supernatural enablements given to a believer to minister various kinds of healing and restoration to individuals through the power of the Holy Spirit IN THE NAME OF JESUS. Supernatural Enablements: Gifts that Say (Holy Spirit Vocal Power) are: Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues and Prophecy. Gifts that Do (Holy Spirit Visible Power) are: Faith, Healings and Miracles, Gifts that Reveal (Holy Spirit Power to know) are: Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge and Discernment of spirits. Different Types: The gift is described in the plural - "gifts." Since there are different types of illness, there are different types of healing as well. The gifts of healings are not the same thing as medical knowledge or practices that help people who are sick. Rather, these healings are supernatural; the abilities to restore someone to health are the works that are entirely of God. God Himself has said: I am the Lord who heals you (Exodus 15:26). 1 The Lord restores a person to physical, mental or spiritual health, usually as a direct answer to prayer. The healing can be instantaneous or gradual. 2 Healings are not meant to substitute for natural ministries of healing exercised by the medical profession. We are, however, encouraged to seek prayers for healing. (James 5:14-15). Some believe that healing was specifically for the purpose of confirming Gods Word before the Bible was completed that once the New Testament was finished the gift was withdrawn. Therefore it only had a limited use and duration. However, it is nowhere expressly stated that the gift of healings was only for a limited period of time. The Catholic Church has confirmed the ongoing gifts of healing in the life of the Church. THE DO S Conform To Scripture: Indeed God is still granting the gift of healing to certain individuals; those who practice it must conform to the principles set down in Scripture. Those who exercise the gift must be judged as to their testimony for Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, there is much that goes on today under the name of divine healing that is nothing more than fraud. Some who claim to have the gift exercise it on a limited basis. Many believe there is no replacement of missing limbs, decayed teeth, hair for baldness, etc. Many of the "healings" are of the inward or psychosomatic variety, however, we never want to limit the Holy Spirit! Always have a heart for miracles. Biblical Standards: 1. Whenever someone claims to have the gift of healing, he should be judged according to the biblical standards and not be "blindly" followed. 2. One who heals with Gods power will have no fear of being investigated and have the healing documented. 3. There is also the doubt, the possibility, that those who are healed are healed because of something other than a supernatural work of God. The symptoms may be psychosomatic, or the healing that takes place may be a natural occurrence. We are not to judge the healing, we are to pray and praise in thanksgiving for the healing, however it may have come all is in God s control. Draw Attention To Jesus: Finally, someone who genuinely has the gift of healing will draw attention to Jesus Christ and not to himself. In summary, the gift of healing is the supernatural ability to restore someone to health. All healings, Miraculous healings, healings of faith, come from the healer, Jesus. JUN 2014-Page 6

7 There will not be a Charisle er mailed out for the month of July. St. Cecilia Catholic Church 125 W. Whittier San Antonio, TX CCCR Prayer Groups / Masses Mondays: 7:00 pm (Bilingual) Flame of Love, Mar n Family Music Ministry Info: Isabel Mar n, Tuesdays: Mass at 10:30 am (Praise & Worship starts at 10:00 am), CCCR Chapel Upper Room Prayer Group 2 nd Tues: Anoin ng of the Sick Mass with Bishop Flanagan Info: Helen Pickard, Tuesdays: 7:00-9:00 pm, CCCR Chapel Ministerio Católico Carismá co, La Barca de Pedro Info: Sandra and Francisco Gonzalez, Wednesday/Miércoles: 7:00 pm (Bilingual), CCCR Chapel Capilla/Chapel del CCCR, Tree of Life Prayer Group *Every 1st Wed: Healing Mass at 7:00 pm Info: Eleanor Huron, Thursday/Jueves: 10am, Capilla de CCCR Sala Alta Prayer Group, *Every 2nd Thurs: Healing Mass at 10am, Musica de Pedro Gama; Info: Lucy Sifuentes, , Juanita Losteguin, You are invited to receive the Anointing of the Sick on First Friday, June 6, :00 Noon For more information, please call office at Friday: Miracle Hour 10am-11am; Healing Mass at 12pm Noon, (Bilingual), CCCR Chapel Info: Laura Montoya, Friday: 7:00-9:00 pm, CCCR Chapel Mountains of Praise, Youth Ministry Prayer Group Info: Rudy & Delfie Garcia, ************************************************** For all other prayer groups, please go to our website: Charisletter Subscription/Renewal Order I want to subscribe/renew for: 1 year: $12 2 years: $24 Other: $ Name: Address: Phone #: City: State Zip: Please make checks payable to: CCCR and mail your payment to 1707 S. Flores, SATX We also accept VISA or Mastercard: #: Exp Date: JUN 2014-Page 7

8 Archdiocese Catholic Center for Charismatic Renewal 1707 South Flores Street San Antonio, TX Phone (210) Fax: (210) Website: by His Spirit NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN ANTONIO,TX PERMIT No MISSION STATEMENT The Mission of the Charisle er is to serve and be a voice for the Catholic Center for Charisma c Renewal whose mission is to highlight the role of the Holy Spirit in the Archdiocese of San Antonio. We do this by describing upcoming events and publishing ar cles that will instruct and inspire the faithful for a more in mate rela onship with the Holy Spirit. We emphasize the importance of: U Understanding the charisms of the Holy Spirit (spiritual gi s). N Needing to create a lifestyle exemplified by the use of the charisms. I Ini a ng and promo ng efforts within the church to understand the use of charisms as an essen al aspect of the life of the church. T Teaching the faithful about the charisma c founda ons of Catholicism. CALENDAR OF EVENTS JUNE 10 - Anointing of the Sick Mass, 10:30am, CCCR 12 - Healing Mass, Sala Alta PG, 10a-12p, CCCR 21 - Night of Renewal, 6:30p-9p, St. Mark the Evangelist Helpful Numbers: CCCR-Youth Office: (210) Chariscenter USA: , Website: For General Catholic Information: Archdiocese of San Antonio: (210) Y Yielding to the Holy Spirit who creates a culture of unity through obedience rooted in love.