Renewal and Ecumenism, continued
No doubt in the cardinal’s judgment, that the “Charismatic Renewal” has made a significant contribution to the Church, by virtue of its very origins, which were ecumenical and entirely centered on the rediscovery of a common faith in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We find ourselves in a sense at the heart of the life of the Church: communion in the Holy Spirit. Numerous pastoral initiatives and a great sense of hope sprang forth from this movement. We have only to think of the prayer groups, the ecumenical groups and communities of the Renewal, the conferences and ecumenical congresses, and the world week of prayer for Christian Unity.
The ecumenical current is likewise the object
of a new dynamism. It reminds Christians of all confessions that the Church must
be “one” in order to be faithful to itself: “That they may all be one, even as
you, Father, are in me and I in you” as well as in order to be credible: “so
that the world may believe that you sent me.” (Jn.17.21)
Unity is thus a major challenge in our day, and it behooves us to understand
just what it means and how it may be made visible.
The social commitment of the Christian
The third volume deals, in its first part, with the renewal in the Spirit and
the service of others, and rests on the important dialogue between Cardinal
Suenens on this topic with Dom Helder Camara, bishop of Recife, Brazil, and an
ardent defender of the “voiceless”, burning with a preferential love for the
poorest of the poor.
If there are indeed different charismas in the Church, these necessarily
complement each other, rooted as they all are in the person and Gospel of Jesus
Christ. Evangelization and humanization are inseparable, and we sin by omission
if we substitute one for the other.
This section discusses, among others, the method of “see – judge – act”
developed by Cardinal Cardijn, basic Christian communities, social movements and
the importance of mass media.
The charismatic movement cannot remain a stranger to the great social problems
of the world, just as social action cannot neglect the need for the light of the
Holy Spirit. Justice and peace in the world cannot be achieved any other way.