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                Experiencing REVIVAL in the CATHOLIC CHURCH
                                      
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   What God is doing in our midst-
   
   A story of God's initiative and special actions
   
   Experience Catholic Revival at Presentation B.V.M.
   
   Please Sign our Revival Guest Book
   
   Copyright (c) 1995 By Monsignor Vincent M.  Walsh
   
                             Table of Contents
                                      
                   Chapter 1 - The Search and the Finding
                                      
                       Chapter 2 - The New Anointing
                                      
                         Chapter 3 - Holy Laughter
                                      
                      Chapter 4 - Other Manifestations
                                      
                   Chapter 5 - The Revival Prayer Meeting
                                      
                     Chapter 6 - Three Final Questions
                                      
  Chapter 1 - The Search and the Finding
  
   In Philadelphia, we experienced the powerful fire of the Holy Spirit
   through the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the early 1970's.
   Throughout that decade, the Renewal grew quickly, leading to large
   events at the Spectrum and our first three day Conference at the Civic
   Center in 1980. Although the large Conferences continued, the fire of
   the Spirit seemed to wane in the prayer groups. Few newcomers entered
   the groups and others stopped attending, so the size of the Renewal
   was shrinking throughout the late 1980's and early 1990's.
   
   Around 1985, I began reading about Pentecostalism outside the Catholic
   Church (which led to the book - What Is Going On? published in 1995).
   The Spirit's fire was growing al over the world. I wanted to catch
   some of this for the Catholic Church. However, nothing worked out
   until July 1994 when a group of us attended Rodney Howard-Browne's
   Signs and Wonders Campmeeting in Louisville.
   
   There we experienced the new Revival with extraordinary manifestations
   and testimonies. At every session, I found my heart expanding
   ("growing hungry" as they say) and on the final night of that Revival
   meeting I went to the first row and asked that the Spirit's anointing
   fall upon me.
   
   None of us who attended experienced any new manifestations ( which
   will be explained later) but as others viewed the video cassettes
   which we brought back, they experienced holy laughter, a common signed
   of the Revival.
   
    October 1994
    
   The real breakthrough came in October 1994 through a new prayer tongue
   that I received. This new tongue sounded funny and brought joy. Two
   days later at the monthly Men's Prayer Breakfast, I decided to teach
   this new tongue to the men. God had a total surprise waiting. As I
   prayed in this tongue, the men broke out in laughter and joy. They
   knew nothing about the Revival but I realized that the Revival
   anointing had broken out in our midst.
   
    The Weekly Prayer Group
    
   The most important gathering for the Revival was the weekly prayer
   group which, until October 1994, numbered around 30. With the new
   prayer tongue, the laughter broke out also in this group. About 20% of
   the people yielded to laughter, which would begin each week just a few
   minutes after the meeting began. Lots of questions came up. How do you
   have a prayer meeting with laughter going on? What about those who
   hadn't yet received the gifts? Whatever the problem with the new
   gifts, we had to be faithful to this new anointing. One evening, as we
   stood to end the meeting, a very simple repetitive prophecy came. "I
   touch you, I touch you." This went on for many minutes and the
   overwhelming presence of God just filled the group. No one moved. No
   one wanted to move. God had visited us. We were learning about the
   anointing.
   
    Growth of the Group
    
   Word quickly spread and new people began coming. Each week we added
   more chairs. With the new joy, the prayer meeting lasted longer. Also,
   people began arriving early just to get a seat. Some had to sit out in
   the hallway and up on the rectory steps. When the group numbered 90
   people for 3 weeks in a row, we made the reluctant decision to move to
   Church (February 1995). The meeting, even in the Church setting, went
   as well as ever. The crowds continued to grow. In May, I asked someone
   to begin to count so we would know the exact number. In July 1995, we
   went over 200 for the first time.
   
    What Is Happening?
    
   The numbers and growth are very important. People sense a new move of
   the Spirit. All know that they would never go back, that is, set aside
   or forsake this new anointing. They see these Revival experiences as
   deeper, quicker, longer-lasting and more powerful actions of the
   Spirit.
   
    Where Do We Go From Here?
    
   The Revival is a total surprise of the Holy Spirit. Our commitment is
   to go in the direction that the Spirit takes us. Right now, we try to
   make the prayer meetings at Presentation B.V.M. Parish as open to this
   new anointing as possible.
   
  Chapter 2 - The New Anointing
  
    Anointing
    
   The Old Testament is filled with people anointed by the Holy Spirit.
   When Samuel anointed David "The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David"
   (1 Sam 16:13)
   
   Jesus was anointed by the Spirit. In His first public homily, Jesus
   applied to Himself the words of Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is
   upon me. Therefore, He has anointed me." (Luke 4:18) The words
   "Christ" or "Messiah" mean the anointed one. Jesus' anointing was
   unique because He could share this special gift with anyone who
   believed in Him. Jesus said, "If I go, I shall send Him (the Holy
   Spirit) to you." (John 16:7). The great anointing of Pentecost Day
   fulfilled Jesus' promise and the prophecy of Joel "It shall come to
   pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out a portion of my
   Spirit on all mankind." (Joel 3:1).
   
    Modern Pentecostalism
    
   For centuries, many of the Pentecostal manifestations were little
   known. Only in 1901 when modern Pentecostalism began, did Christians
   realize that the Spirit's manifestations in the New Testament
   (especially the Acts of the Apostles) were available to all believers.
   Only in 1967, as Pentecostalism entered the Catholic Church (through
   the dream of Pope John) did thousands of Catholics begin to experience
   all the powers of Pentecost.
   
    The New Anointing
    
   In April 1989, this new anointing of the Spirit broke out in the
   ministry of Rodney Howard-Browne. Since then, many Pentecostal leaders
   have experienced the new anointing (sometimes called "The Blessing")
   and testify to its validity. Many Pentecostal Churches have moved into
   this Revival anointing. Presentation B.V.M. Prayer Group is probably
   the first Catholic group to be touched in this way. We hope that what
   God does in our midst will touch the whole Catholic Church. (No one
   has a monopoly on this anointing. It is meant to be received and
   spread just as the Baptism of the Spirit in Charismatic Renewal.)
   
    Experiencing the Anointing
    
   Religious experiences are a very important part of Catholic Church
   life. So, besides the external means of salvation and sanctification
   such as sacraments and hierarchy, there is "the hidden stream" of
   Catholic piety, the direct action of the Spirit upon the inner
   faculties of the person.
   
   Pentecostalism, as a movement within the Catholic Church, has always
   fostered these direct experiences of God through the Holy Spirit. What
   happens in our Revival group is not essentially different from what
   happens in any Catholic prayer group which allows the Spirit to
   manifest Himself in charismatic gifts. What is new and different are
   some of the manifestations, especially the very powerful and
   widespread gift of holy laughter.
   
  Chapter 3 - Holy Laughter
  
   This new anointing goes beyond laughter, just as Charismatic Renewal
   goes beyond praying in tongues. However, laughter is the most easily
   recognized (and sought) manifestation. Before July 1994, I knew people
   who experienced holy laughter. I didn't know that the gift could
   become so widespread.
   
   This laughter has a very important sign function. It points out that
   the Spirit is doing a new work. Just as praying in tongues was
   evidence of the Baptism of the Spirit and encouragement to seek the
   charismatic gifts, so laughter awakens us to the new anointing and
   encourages us to seek the more powerful Revival manifestations.
   
    Some Practical Points
    
   1) Most people yield to laughter by some contact with a Revival group.
   Just sitting in a group where holy laughter is present can trigger the
   gift (even at the first meeting). Many receive the gift through the
   laying on of hands. Some experience laughter by watching videos of
   Rodney Howard-Browne. In other words, people coming to a Revival group
   see and experience people laughing. They receive teaching on the gift
   and are prayed over so that the gift manifests itself.
   
   2) Many see other people experiencing this gift in the large prayer
   group but experience it for themselves in a smaller setting, or by the
   laying on of hands.
   
   3) Holy laughter is an abiding gift. Once a person has experienced
   this touch of God, they tend to experience it again and again, usually
   during a prayer gathering but also privately.
   
   4) The laughter can happen any time or any place, although the person
   can exercise some control over the gift. The greatest and deepest
   experiences occurs in the Revival group where praise and prophecies
   prepare the person for this manifestation.
   
   5) As the group continues to yield to the Revival manifestations, more
   of the members come into the gift of laughter. (In the beginning about
   15% had this experience. However, within 10 weeks almost 70% had
   received the gift. With so many newcomers, the percentage at this
   point might not be that high.)
   
   6) No reason exists why this gift cannot be for everyone just as the
   charismatic experiences of Baptism of the Spirit and praying in
   tongues were for all.
   
   7) Some people experience holy laughter at their first meeting. For
   others, it comes later. However, if the person stays around the
   Revival group long enough, they will probably experience the gift.
   
   8) Our experiences have shown that laughter has many purposes. (This
   is why laughter must not be set aside as an optional gift.)
   
   a) Laughter makes prayer much easier and invites the group to pray
   longer.
   
   b) Laughter lifts burdens and opens a person's heart quickly to God's
   action.
   
   c) This joy opens the person and the group to other Revival
   manifestations.
   
  Chapter 4 - Other Manifestations
  
   Once the laughter broke out, other new gifts of the Spirit came forth.
   To date, we have experienced the following:
   
    Simple Prophecy
    
   We had always sought eagerly the prophetic gift, just a St. Paul
   taught. In Revival, we found our prophecies becoming very simple and
   repetitive. They also were much more powerful, appealing less to our
   intellect and touching our souls directly.
   
    The Special Presence of God
    
   Through these simple and powerful prophecies, people would experience
   a special presence of God, as if His Spirit had come upon the group.
   This presence was sweet. We could "taste and see the goodness of the
   Lord". (Ps. 34:9). God's special presence was consoling, encouraging
   and upbuilding, all the effects that Paul had written about (1 Cor
   14:3). Many times, people could not physically move or more often
   would not want to move, so great was God's presence in the meeting.
   
    Dormition (Resting in the Spirit)
    
   This special presence often leads to dormition. We tell the people, if
   they are standing during the meeting, to be sure a pew or chair is
   behind them because we never know when the Divine Presence will put
   them into dormition. It is common during a meeting to hear people
   falling back into their chairs.
   
    The Laying on Hands
    
   With all of these manifestations in the meeting, we expect much the
   same to happen from the laying on of hands. We have prayer teams so
   that all who desire can have hands laid upon them. This simple faith
   act stirs up the anointing and deepens the manifestations.
   
    Drunk In the Spirit
    
   The special presence of God sometimes become so strong that the person
   is "drunk in the Spirit". That term is used because, to others, the
   person manifests the same outward behavior as someone who is
   physically drunk. In this spiritual drunkenness, the person might just
   sit in their pew, or if trying to minister, will not be able to speak
   (or be able to speak only in tongues).
   
    Healing
    
   Since the Revival has broken out, many have witnessed to quick, and
   seemingly miraculous, healings of many diseases. The many priests
   involved in this Revival have found a renewed faith in the healing
   power of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. From all that God has
   done, we expect more and greater healings to occur. This is a normal
   result of a group which is caught up more deeply into God's presence.
   
    Manifestations Not Yet Experienced
    
   There are other Revival manifestations, like running or dancing in the
   Spirit, which we have not yet experienced. Really, many of God's
   powers are still unfolding in our midst.
   
  Chapter 5 - The Revival Prayer Meeting
  
   With the new wine, God gave us new wineskins. When the laughter broke
   out and new manifestations came, the prayer meeting also had to
   change. In charismatic prayer, we praised God and listened for His
   word. The word gifts predominated. In Revival, the special presence of
   God predominates. Our goal is not just hearing God's word but
   "pressing in" and being touched by His glory and changed by His
   presence. The Revival Prayer Meeting is simpler. God's power is
   greater and quicker. We are still learning but a definite shift has
   happened. God's new glory cannot be communicated just by hearing a
   unique prophetic word. God's glory comes directly to the soul who
   experiences His special presence.
   
    New Simplicity
    
   The Revival shifts everything. Our people speak of a new simplicity
   and a greater equality among the members. In the Revival meeting we
   are all just taken up into God's presence. All of the ministries -
   prophetic, teaching and music, do not call attention to themselves but
   to God's presence. The ministries are at the service of the Lord who
   is so evidently among us.
   
    How To Receive The Anointing
    
   Although helping everyone to receive the anointing is our call, we are
   totally unable to teach this to anyone. Our consolation comes in
   John's first letter, "As for you, the anointing you receive from Him
   remains in your hearts. This means you have no need for anyone to
   teach you" (John 2:27).
   
   Leadership in a Revival group shifts from teaching people how to yield
   to spiritual gifts to encouraging them to yield to the anointing of
   the Spirit within. The Revival group provides the atmosphere of
   praise. God comes with His special sweet presence. The rest just
   happens in the individual's own spirit.
   
    New Words
    
   New experiences and new goals require new words that are heard in the
   meeting.
   
    1. Words for the anointing itself:
          + New wine
          + Living water
          + The glory of God
          + The presence of God
    2. Words used to encourage people to experience:
          + Press in
          + Take another drink
          + Let the glory come
          + Receive
          + Be filled
    3. Sentences used to alert the people to God's power:
          + The glory of God is here
          + The presence of God is all over this place
       
    Receiving
    
   God receives glory by pouring out His Spirit. We praise God by
   receiving His Spirit. It might sound backward but God calls us to
   Revival so we can receive. The praise leads to an outpouring and
   prepares us to receive. During the meeting, Jesus' words are often
   repeated, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22).
   
  Chapter 6 - Three Final Questions
  
    Why Revival?
    
   Why is this Revival taking place? Why is God giving us His special
   anointed presence? Everyone to whom I tell the story of God's gift to
   Presentation Prayer Groups has the same reaction. "Thank God. We all
   needed this." People struggle in their Christian life. They are
   burdened and broken. At this point, people know "We all needed this".
   In Revival God decided to do something very special. Revival is God's
   invitation, His helping hand stretched toward us.
   
    What If The Person Was Never Involved In Charismatic Renewal?
    
   Some people coming to Revival meetings have participated in
   Charismatic Renewal and others have not. Anyone who has not
   participated should do some reading (such as "A Key to Charismatic
   Renewal in the Catholic Church") and some viewing (the videotape,
   "Welcome to Catholic Pentecostalism"). They should also be prayed with
   for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and a yielding to tongues.
   
    Will This Revival Stay Within the Catholic Church?
    
   This same question was asked 25 years ago of Charismatic Renewal.
   During those years, the Renewal faithfully served the Church,
   awakening Catholics to the sacraments and leading many into Church
   ministries. This Revival will have the same effects. Like the Renewal,
   much will depend on the quality of pastoral care given by the priests.
   
   If you have any questions or comments please contact Key of David
   Publications at 610-896-1970