Refresh your life in the Spirit- an examination of Conscience

Charismatic Renewal has been a movement in the Catholic Church for over four decades and it's time to examine our Catholic Charismatic Conscience. How well are we living out the grace of being baptized in the Holy Spirit?

1. Have I experienced new life in the Spirit?

Has being baptized in the Spirit made a decisive difference in me? Fr. Raniero Cantalmessa, OFM Cap., the preacher to the papal household, says that he has had two lives: one before being baptized in the Spirit and one after. Has there been a "before" and "after" in my life? If not, have I REALLY been baptized in the Holy Spirit?

2. Have I experienced the Holy Spirit bringing me into a living relationship with the Father and the Son?

My wife, patti, likes to use Romans 5:5 as a definition of what it means to be baptized in the Spirit: "The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Do I have a sense of being a beloved child of the Father, crying out "Abba, Father?" (Romans 8:15)Scripture tells us that no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit. Is that a living reality in my heart? DO I know the Father and Son in a more intimate way?

3. Has my prayer life been significantly changed?

Actually a more basic question would be, "Do I have a real prayer life?" Do I give time to prayer every day? Is this like eating and sleeping for me? Have I experienced a greater sense of adoration, praise, and thanksgiving to the Lord? Have I entered into a charismatic dimension in prayer, that is, the experience of tongues, prophecy, revelation, guidance, impressions, etc?

4. Am I addicted to the Word of God?

Am I irresistibly drawn to the Word of God, Holy Scripture? Do I "eat and drink" the Word of God, like Ezekiel in the Old Testament and John in Revelations? In the early days of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, it was not unheard of for people to stay up all night reading Scripture. The Holy Spirit produces that hunger and desire for God's Word. Has there been that kind of attraction to Holy Scripture in my life?

5. Am I involved in any way in witness and evangelism?

One of the primary purposes of the outpouring of the Spirit was to give us the power to witness to Jesus. (see John 15:26-27, Acts 1:8) Do I have that impulse to share the good news, according to my life circumstances, wherever I am? Do I look for opportunities to bear witness in word and deed?

6. Do I meet together with other Catholic Charismatics for fellowship and support?

Scripture tells us: "Do not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some.." (Heb 10:25) We know that a way of getting a fire to burn out is to pull the logs apart. In a similar way, if we are pulled from each other, our fire will go out, both individually and collectively. Is some kind of regular Catholic Charismatic Renewal gathering an element in my life? If not, is my Holy Spirit fire still burning?

7. Am I willing to receive and exercise spiritual gifts?

We see especially in the Acts of the Apostles that there is a mysterious link between the coming of the Holy Spirit and the Charismatic gifts. When the Holy Spirit is poured out, there is an outbreak of of Charismatic activity. The spiritual gifts are given for the common good. (1 Cor 12:7) Scripture states that there are different kinds of gifts, for example: preaching, teaching, faith, miracles, healing, prophecy, revelation, discernment of spirits, giving money, exercising leadership, hospitality, works of mercy, administration, etc. Am I open to receiving and using the spiritual gifts? Am I contributing any gift to the Body of Christ?

8. Have I experienced a change in my moral life, my attitudes, and behavior?

Has there been a real break with serious sin still a regular occurrence in my life? Am I still attached to some deep character flaws, for example, in the use of my tongue? Do I still have what the spiritual writers call an 'affection for sin," a "pet sin that I am familiar with and can't bear to let go of, for example, a spirit of criticism? Am I better able to love God, whom I cannot see, and my neighbor, whom I can see, and is apt to be irritating?!

9. Have I exercised a change in my approach to the sacraments?

Do I receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Do I confess?) regularly, with true repentance and faith, as a means of spiritual growth? Has my experience of the Mass changed so that I enter into the liturgy, join with the priest, and make it my own offering and prayer? Have I experienced a change in my reception of the Eucharist so that it is a blessed time of Communion with the Lord and not just a routine formality?

10. Have I experienced a conversion in my mind?

Do I have a desire to learn what the Catholic Church teaches? Am I familiar with the Documents of Vatican II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church? Do I know basic Catholic Teaching? Do I try to read and understand what the Holy Father says? Am I well-informed? Do my beliefs influence my actions , my conversations, my vote? Have I not only put on the Spirit of Christ, but the Mind of Christ?

This can be a rather daunting examination! It certainly was for me. (...)

Let us trust in God's grace and remember that the Holy Spirit is a GIFT, which we cannot deserve or earn. Let us close by asking the Lord Jesus, the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, to baptize us anew and afresh in the Holy Spirit, with all the gifts and fruit that the Spirit brings. Amen!



--This examination comes from an article in the July/August/September 2010 issue of Pentecost Today, and was written by Al Mansfield.
You can find more information about the Catholic Charimatic Renewal Center at:
www.nsc-chariscenter.org