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Catholic Charismatic
RENEWAL
Serving the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Diocese of Covington
June-August 2008
Vol. 12, No. 3
CONTENTS
Sr. Chris.....p.2
Freedom: a fragile gift
that is so easily
shattered and lost.
Good
Spirits.........p.5
Calendar of
Events........p.6
The Regional Service Team is committed to serve the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in
our region by assisting Catholic prayer groups through networking, leadership training
and encouragement.
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LETTER FROM SR. CHRIS
Member
of
the
Regional
Service
Team.
Joy
the Holy Spirit. In John 16:22 we find Jesus saying, “No one
will take away your joy.” Only for those who daily walk with the
Lord, can there be true, lasting spiritual joy. Leon Bloy, a French
writer said, “Spiritual joy is an infallible sign of the presence of
the Holy Spirit in the soul.” It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit found
in Gal. 5:22.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Living in this year of 2008 with the
increasing different trials that we or
those we know or hear about are experiencing, is it not critical that we
have the joy of the Lord in our
lives? In his homily on April 27,
2008 Pope Benedict XVI explained
to 29 new priests that today a new
mission is beginning for them. Being missionaries of the Gospel, he
said, they must “proclaim and witness to joy.” He said that they were
called to bring the Gospel to all “so
that all experience the joy of Christ
and there be joy in every city.”
I believe that this is also a call to
each of us. Joy should be the normal experience of the Christian because of Jesus and the Holy Spirit,
but unfortunately it is not the experience of many. As Charismatic
Catholics we are indeed blessed in
having available the charisms and
fruits of the Holy Spirit in abundance. Jesus came to bring true
freedom, joy and peace to people
not only in the future, but here and
now.
Of course this joy is not a passing
fleeting worldly joy, but the joy of
Jesus says, “Abide in My love so that My joy may be in you.”
(Jn. 15:10) It is interesting that the word joy appears 60 times in
the New Testament and the word rejoice appears 72 times. A
word used this often must have some importance, as indeed joy
as a fruit of the Holy Spirit does have tremendous value for us
today.
As Christians we have joy because Jesus came to reveal the love
of our Father to us; and by His Passion, death and resurrection
made it possible for us to be restored to union with our all loving
God. Another reason for joy is that we can look forward to the
fullness of our inheritance. It is “an inheritance …kept in heaven
for you…until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice” (1 Pt. 1:4-6).
Another very important reason for joy is that our sufferings are
not meaningless. Peter says that “though now for a little while
you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials…you are
filled with inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving
the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Pt. 1:6-9)
Paul and Barnabas reminded the Psidians that “we must go
through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God” (Acts
14:22). So too must we.
Joy is not the same as happiness, although both are desirable.
Many people think of them as the same thing. But happiness has
to do with “happenings.” All we need to be happy is to have
things going the way we would like them to go. It is a pleasant
emotional response of gaiety to a pleasant situation or happening,
and is therefore incompatible with sorrowful or painful situations.
True joy, on the other hand, can be present in suffering and is
much more than a surface feeling. Being a fruit of the Holy Spirit, if one does not have the Holy Spirit they cannot have the joy
(Cont'd on P. 3)
(Cont'd from P. 2)
that comes from the Lord. They can have a different
type of joy, which is the same as happiness, but not
that internal joy that is put into our heart by the Lord,
that is always present and does not depend on the external circumstances we may be going through. It can
be a rejoicing in His loving Providence that always
works for good in guiding all of our life’s events,
whether pleasant or painful.
As charismatic Catholics we can find a joy in recognizing that all suffering is not just a hardship to be
stoically accepted, but is a part of God’s loving providence by which we share in the cross of Christ. Also
suffering results in a joyful hundredfold reward that
“does not disappoint”
(Rom. 5:5). Peter
Joy should be the
says, “Rejoice that
you participate in the normal experience
sufferings of Christ,
of the Christian
so that you may be
overjoyed when His
glory is revealed” (1 because of Jesus
Pt. 4:13).
and the Holy
We know that trying
to live these truths
Spirit...
each day is a long difficult process. St.
James says, “Consider it pure joy whenever you face
trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature
and complete, not lacking anything” (Jas. 1:2-4). I
remember in my younger years being perplexed by
how St. Francis of Assisi considered it “pure joy” to
be locked outside on a bitter cold snowy night and the
brothers not letting him in. He obviously had reached
a high degree of spiritual maturity in understanding
how suffering can be pure joy.
We too can move to a more mature level of spirituality in having joy even amid trials. Jesus said, “Ask
and you will receive, and your joy will be complete”
(Jn. 16:24) Jesus also prayed for us that His joy
might be in us and that our joy might be complete.
(Jn. 15:11). He also prayed so that we might “have
the completeness of My joy within them” (Jn 17:13).
Paul also repeatedly encouraged the early Christians
to have joy. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say
it again: Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). In the book of Hebrews we find, “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus,
Who inspires and perfects our faith. For sake of the
joy which lay before Him He endured the cross.”
(Heb. 12:2-3). Indeed we also need to keep our eyes
on Jesus and the joy that lies before us. The joy of the
Lord is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
How can we have this spiritual joy? Only by abiding
in the love of Jesus (Jn. 15:10-11) through daily,
prayerful reading of God’s Word, and through deep
personal prayer alone with the Lord, can we have the
fullness of His joy. Do we seek and hunger for quiet
time with our Lord? How often have we used the expression, “I don’t have time for prayer?” There is a
simple solution. We can take the time we would have
spent watching TV and spend it with the Lord instead.
Even though some TV shows may be Christian, they
can’t take the place of our one on one time of prayer
with the Lord.
There is no substitute for prayer time and no excuse
for not having it. If we wish to have joy, then we need
to pray. Something that will help our prayer life is the
desire “to be.” Being with Jesus is essential if we are
“to do” with Jesus. Many in the Charismatic Renewal
have been trapped with activism in their ministry.
Some have quit being faithful to the Lord in prayer
and quiet time. “In His presence is the fullness of joy”
(Ps. 16:11), and our ongoing encounter with the Lord
will result in ongoing joy.
It is joy that attracts others to our prayer meetings. It
is joy that can attract others to our Life in the Spirit
Seminars, because they want what we have. The
world cannot give the joy of the Holy Spirit. And yet
the people of the world need it so desperately!
I want to close with something else our Pope said to
the 29 new priests. He said, “If you are to be co-workers of the joy of others, of people who are often sad
and negative, the fire of the Gospel must burn in you,
the joy of the Lord must live in you.” Let us pray and
live such, that we too give witness to the joy of the
Lord!
In the Joy of the Lord,
Sister Chris
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Questions with difficult
answers!
Why does your nose run and
your feet smell?
If a mute swears, does his
mother wash his hands with
soap?
Do illiterates get the full effect
of alphabet soup?
If a turtle doesn't have a shell,
is he homeless or naked?
How can you tell when you are
out of invisible ink?
If olive oil comes from olives,
where does baby oil come
from?
If vegetarians eat vegetables,
what do humanitarians eat?
How come Superman could
stop bullets with his chest but
always ducked when someone
threw a gun at him?
If you choke a Smurf, what
color does it turn?
Just before someone gets
nervous, do they have cocoons
in their stomach?
If you admit to yourself that
you are in denial, are you
cured?
Why do they sterilize needles
for lethal injections?
And finally, Why do they lock
gas station bathrooms? Are
they afraid someone will clean
them?
How do
you know
that you
live in a
really bad
neighborhood?
The
church
has a
bouncer.
The Regional Service Team Newsletter is published four times a
year by the Regional Service Team for the Catholic Charismatic
Renewal.
It is specifically designed for prayer group leaders and their
members.
It is supported by an annual subscription fee of $10.00.
Editorial Team
Fr. Richard Dressman, Sr. Christine Edwards, SFP
Regional Service Team Chairperson
Sr. Christine Edwards, SFP
Archdiocese of Cincinnati Liaison Southern Region
Fr. Rick Dressman
Archdiocese of Cincinnati Liaison Northern Region
Veronica and Bruce Murphy
Diocese of Covington Liaisons
Harry Humpert
Joseph Bessler
Contributing Writers
Veronica and Bruce Murphy,
Sr. Christine Edwards, Joseph Bessler
Treasurer
Jerry Imsicke
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Any area happenings may be placed on this calendar. The next newsletter will
be in SEPTEMBER So any retreats, seminars, days of recollection, or other
special happenings from SEPTEMBER through NOVEMBER or later can be
advertised here.
HEALING SERVICES AND MASSES OF HEALING
St. Therese Church in Price Hill offers a healing Mass on the second
JUNE 4, (Wednesday) HEALING SERVICE 7:30 p.m., St. Thursday of each month. Call St. Therese for more information.
Ignatius Church, I-74 and North Bend Road, Cincinnati,
CHARISMATIC MEN’S PRAYER BREAKFAST Pleas note new
Ohio. Sponsored by Lighthouse Community. Call (513) 47laddress
LITE for more Information
.
JUNE 6, (Friday), Healing Mass, 7:15 p.m. Mother of God
Church, Sixth Street, Covington Ky
JUNE16, (Monday), Healing Mass, 7:00 p.m. St. Patrick
Church, Troy, Ohio.
JULY 2, (Wednesday) MASS OF HEALING 7:30 p.m., St.
Ignatius Church, I-74 and North Bend Road, Cincinnati,
Ohio. Sponsored by Lighthouse Community. Call (513) 47lLITE for more Information
JULY 21, (Monday), Healing Mass, 7:00 p.m. St. Patrick
Church, Troy, Ohio.
AUGUST 4, (Wednesday) HEALING SERVICE 7:30 p.m., St.
Ignatius Church, I-74 and North Bend Road, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Sponsored by Lighthouse Community. Call (513) 47l-LITE for
more Information.
AUGUST 6, (Friday), Healing Mass, 7:15 p.m. Mother of
God Church, Sixth Street, Covington Ky
July 12 (Saturday) 7:30 to 9:00 a.m., Perkin’s Restaurant,
North Bend Road at I- 74, Cincinnati, Ohio. For information
call Jerry Schmitt (513) 385-0513
August 9, (Saturday) 7:30 to 9:00 a.m., Perkin’s Restaurant,
North Bend Road at I- 74, Cincinnati, Ohio. For information
call Jerry Schmitt (513) 385-0513
September 13, (Saturday)) 7:30 to 9:00 a.m., Perkin’s
Restaurant, North Bend Road at I- 74, Cincinnati, Ohio. For
information call Jerry Schmitt (513) 385-0513
October 11, (Saturday) ) 7:30 to 9:00 a.m., Perkin’s Restaurant,
North Bend Road at I- 74, Cincinnati, Ohio. For information
call Jerry Schmitt (513) 385-0513March 8 (Saturday) 7:30 to
9:00 a.m., Perkins Restaurant, North Bend Road at I-74 ,Cincinnati,
Ohio. For information call Jerry Schmitt (513) 385-0513
CHARISMATIC RETREATS
AUGUST 23 (Monday), Healing Mass, 7:00 p.m. St. Patrick
Church, Troy, Ohio.
SEPTEMBER 3, (Wednesday) MASS OF HEALING 7:30
p.m., St. Ignatius Church, I-74 and North Bend Road,
Cincinnati, Ohio. Celebrant Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk.
Sponsored by Lighthouse Community. Call (513) 47l-LITE
for more Information.
SEPTEMBER 5 (Friday), Healing Mass, 7:15 p.m. Mother of
God Church, Sixth Street, Covington KY
SEPTEMBER 22, (Monday), Healing Mass, 7:00 p.m. St.
Patrick Church, Troy, Ohio.
October 17, 18, 2008 Internationally known Ralph Martin will be
speaking on “The Call to Holiness and the Call to Evangelization.”
Among many other accomplishments, Ralph is the president of Renewal
Ministries, which sponsors “The Choices We Face”, a widely viewed
weekly Catholic TV and Radio program distributed thoughout the world.
Sponsored by Lighthouse Renewal Center. For information or to register
call 513-385-0513 or 513-471-5483.
CHARISMATIC CONFERENCE
July 18 and 19, Friday and Saturday, Cleveland Catholic Charismatic
Conference. Magnificat High School 20770 Hilliard Blvd. Rocky River,
Ohio 45116. Toppic "Listen To Him" with Patti Mansfield, Deacon Alex
Jones, Fr. Robert Franco, and Bishop Richard Lennon. For information
calll 440-774-1191 or web site www.crmweb.org.
Retreats and Study Days
June 20, 21
June 23, 24
June 24, 25
June 27, 28
Jun 30, Jul 1
Living & Loving Your
Vocation
Gifts of the Spirit
Proclaiming God’s Word
Prophecy & Deliverance
Worship & Evangelization
Jul 1, Jul 2
Jul 4, 5
Jul 7, 8, 9
Intercession & Healing
How to renew Your Parish
Building Christian
Community
Jul 10,11,12 Hebrews
Jul 14, 15, 16 Discipleship, Leadership.
Redemptive Suffering & Mary
Jul 17, 18, 21, 22, 23 Silent Retreats and
Eucharistic Adoration
Sept 12, 13 Retreat for theDivorced
Sept 12, 13 Retreat:Widows &
Widowers
Sept 26, 27 Gospel of Life
Sept 29, 30. Oct 1 Maccabees
Sponsored by Presentation Ministries. For information or to register call 937-587-5464 or 513- 373-2397
Pledges & Subscriptions
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal Newsletter is a service provided by the Regional Service team.
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(Each person’s copy cost approximately $10.00 per year) Mail your subscription to:
Catholic Charismatic
Renewal Regional Service
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Friday July 18 and Saturday July 19
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Magnifcat High School
20770 Hilliard Blvd.,
Rocky River, Ohio 44116
Listen
to Him
with Patti Mansfield
Deacon Alex Jones
Bishop Richard Lennon
Fr. Robert Franco
' Vl
Cost and more information:
Call 440-774-1191 or
E-mail:
[email protected]
Web page: crmweb.org
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The Catholic Charismatic Renewal
Regional Service Team
1025 Carson Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45205
(513) 471-5483
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