PopeJohn XXIII surprised everyone by announcing the Vatican Council II in January, 1959 and officially convoking it on 25th December, 1961 with the exhortation to all faithful to pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit: “renew Your wonders in this day, as by a new Pentecost.” The prayer has been answered in a spectacular way with the gift of about fifty ecclesial renewal movements inculding the Catholic Charismatic Renewal that started after the Council.
The new Pentecost in the Catholic Church was experienced in 1967 in Pittsburg, USA. The CCR worldwide celebrated its fortieth anniversary in 2007. A growth from zero to 120 million Catholic Charismatics in 235 countries in about 40 years is something remarkable. With 12% of Catholics as part of it, there has never been a movemnet that has impacted so deeply the lives of so many Christians in so short a span of time.
Renewal movement initiated by the Holy Spiirt in the Church are meant for renewal of the whole Church, for instance, the Monastic movement that started in the fourth century helped all the people of God to grow into deeper spiritual life. The Dominican and Franciscan movements refreshed the thirteenth century Church to rededicate itself to live the values of the Gospel in simplicity and deep personal union with God. The Liturgical Movement that started later helped the Second Vatican Council to usher in liturgical renewal in the whole Church, espicially to bring the Holy Mass to the faithful.
It is to be noted that after renewing the whole Church, these renewal movements ceased to be separate entities and got integrated into the whole Chruch for the benfit of believers. Therefore, the Charismatic Renewal started by the Holy Spirit in the Church more than 40 years ago also is ‘like yeast that a women took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened” (Lk.13:21). To what extent has the Renewal succeeded to be leaven to the whole Church? Commenting on this, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa OFM Cap, Papal Preacher, theologian and charismatic leader, pointed out: “it is with infinite sadness that I see that the Charismatic Renewal has ended up confined to one part of the Church only, and regarded by the rest as something alien that they feel fully justified in keeping well clear of it.”
In the end of the 19th century, Blessed Elena Guerra, founder of the Oblate Sisters of the Holy Spirit called upon the Church continually to come back to the Cenacle, the Upper Room: “Pentecost is not over. In fact it is continually going on in every time and in every place, because the Holy Spirit desired to give Himself to all men and all who want Him can always receive Him, so we do not have to envy the Apostles and the first believers; we only have to dispose ourselves like them to receive Him well, and He will come to us as He did to them.” The pentecost that took place 2000 years ago was not ‘the full and final’ outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Pentecost is an ongoing experience and we should start praying fervently and look forward expectantly for a New Pentecost!
Pope Paul VI called for eternal Pentecost merely five years after the Catholic Pentecostal movement had started. During the General Audience on November 29, 1972 the Pope stated: “More than once we have asked ourselves what the greatest needs of the Chruch are,... what is primary and ultimate need of our beloved and holy Church?” His own answer turned out to be a very prophetic exhortation: “We must say it with holy fear because, as you know, this concerns the mystery of the Church, her life: This need is the Spirit, ... the Church needs her eternal Pentecost; she needs fire in her heart, words on her lips, a glace that is prophetic.” The Holy Father again made this exhortation in an article in L’Osservatore Romano: “ More than ever, the Church and the world need the miracle of Pentecost to be continued in history.”
Pope John Paul II said during his address at the Pentecost Vigil on May 29th 2004: “Thanks to the Charismatic Movement, many Christians have discovered Pentecost as a loving and present reality in their daily life. I desire that the spirituality of Pentecost be spread in the Church, as a renewed thrust of prayer, holiness, communion and proclamation.” Pope Benedict XVI concluded his homely at the final Mass of the World Youth Day in Sydney in July , 2008 with the prayer: ‘Through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, may this 23rd World Youth Day be experienced as a new upper room, from which all of us, burning with the fire of love of the Holy Spirit, go forth to proclaim the Risen Christ and to draw every heart to Him.”
Blessed Elena appealed to Pope Leo XII, “Holy Father, call the faithful to the Cenacle without delay! Imitating Saint Peter who goes ahead to make ready the Upper Room,
Let us all go into the Cenacle! “Let us turn to the Holy Spirit so that the Holy Spirit may turn to us.” The Church must continually come back to the Cenacle, the upper room, to be enlightened again and become a buring bush, as it was on the day of Pentecost. For Pentecost is not a one off event. The Church needs a permanent Pentecost. More than ever, the Church and the world need the miracle of Pentecost to be continued today. Everywhere the trumpet is being sounded about the need for the people of God to return to the upper room in intence worship, adoration and intercession. We are being called to awaken from slumber and be empowered anew by the Holy Spirit. Let us once again become pasionate adorers of the Lord and powerful instruments of intercession for the Church and the world.
NOVENA OF PENTECOST is a liturgical novena, as it was constituted through a Papal Decree and inserted in the Encyclical by Pope Leo XIII Divinum Illud Manus May 9, 1897. recommending this special prayer to Catholics at the Feast of Pentecost, Pope Leo XIII, wrote: “We decree and command that throughout the whole Catholic Church, this year and in every subsiquent year, a Novena shall take place before the feast of Pentecost, in all parish churches, and also, if the local Ordinaries fit, in other churches and oratories.”
The mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the twentieth century was an outcome of this renewed devotion to the holy Spirit introduced in the Church. Once again in recent years in many countries in Europe, groups and National Service Committees have started promoting Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit. The “Burning Bush’ Pentecost Novena - an initiative to help the people of God to return to the upper room in adoration and intercession - promoted by Ms Kim Catherine-Marie Kollins is becoming very popular in different parts of the world. As a preparation for the fortieth anniversary of the CCR , the National Service Committee of Brazil brought out a project for the revival of the spiritualily of Pentecost called, “Celebrating Pentecost” which includes a novena to the Holy Spirit. I have been sensing considerable burden that the Holy Spirit is calling the whole Church to return anew to the Upper Room in prayer and expectation for a new Pentecost!
The Church is the bride of the Holy Spirit. Fr Francis Martin wrote, “The Church is the bride, and she shows to the world that her spouse is alive by living by His power and receiving life from Him. There is a danger in our day that the Church will look more like a widow, alone and without resources except those possessed by any human organization.” The bride has every right to look forward expectantly for the bridegroom . When Pope Paul VI spoke at the official launch of Cardinal Suenen’s book, A New Pentecost, he departed from his prepared text to add these words; “How wonderful it would be if the Lord would again pour out the charisms in increased abundance, in order to make the church fruitful, beaufiful and marvelous and to enable it to win the attention and astonishment of the profane and secularized world.”
With this objective in view the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (ICCRS) has launched Operation Upper Room: ‘Pentecost of the Nations - For a New Culture of Pentecost’ as a priority project. It is an appeal to National Service Teams / National Service Committees across the world to observce 10 days prior to Pentecost as Pentecost preparation inviting people of God to return to the ‘Upper Room of Jesusalem’ in one heart and in constant prayer (Acts 1:12-14). In response to this appeal, the National Service Team in India has drawn up a plan to “Celebrate Pentecost” consisting of two parts.
Part I comprises of Solemn Novena with 9 days of prayer as preparation for Pentecost. It could include a variety of Upper Room events organised by the Regional Service Teams, Regional Coordinators, Prayer Groupss, Retreat Centres and Communities. The Events may include praise and worship, teaching on the Holy Spirit, testimonies, Eucharistic Celebration, Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit and other selected activities in the evening. It could also include 3-day Pentecost Tridum.
PartII is Pentecost Day Celebration in a unique way testifying under the power of the Holy Spirit to the culture of Pentecost. It could include teaching on Pentecost, testimonies, praise and worship, Eucharistic Celebration and solemn invocation for infilling of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost Vigil or on the Feast of Pentecost.
May the words of Pope Paul VI inspire and press us into action: ‘The Church needs her eternal Pentecost; she needs fire in her heart, words on her lips and a glance that is prophetic.” I appeal to all regions and parishes to take up the project, ‘Celebrate Pentecost’ with utmost urgency in order that we may soon experience a New Pentecost!