October Reflection>

YEAR OF SAINT PAUL

By Fr. Bob Hogan, BBD

Fourth in a series of Reflections on

the Life of Saint Paul

For the Jubilee Year of St. Paul

June 28, 2008-June 29, 2009

Paul as a Theologian of Charismatic Renewal

Charismatic Renewal is meant to be a renewal of the charisms (gifts of the Spirit). However, even more fundamentally, it is meant to be a renewal of the “gift of the Holy Spirit,” himself, in all of his manifestations. St. Paul proclaimed to people the experience of “renewal in the Spirit” (baptism in the Spirit) through Jesus Christ, but he also wanted to help them to understand, and enter into, the full implications of this gift. This is the role of a theologian. Let me give you a brief summary of Paul’s profound reflections on the gift of the Holy Spirit. I hope you will read all the Scripture references, since I can only reflect on a few of them.

1) Rebirth and Renewal: Paul teaches that God “saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior” (Titus 3:5-6). From this initial experience of the Holy Spirit Paul unfolds the full richness of the gift of the Spirit.

2) Love: “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom 5:1-5; see Eph 3:14-21; 2 Tim 1:6-8).

3) Power and Conviction: “For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction” (1 Thes 1:15; see Eph 3:14-21; 2 Tim 1:6-8).

4) Divine Inheritance: “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a Spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through which we cry, Abba, Father! The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom 8:14-17; see 2 Cor 1:21-22, 3:1-6; Eph 1:13-14).

5) The inner experience of the Holy Spirit also includes freedom and transformation (2 Cor 3:17-18), a new mind and wisdom (Rom 12:1-2, 1 Cor 2:6-16, Eph 1:15-23, 4:11-24), joy and peace (Rom 14:17, 15:13), fellowship, participation, unity with the Spirit (2 Cor 13:13, Phil 2:1-2).

6) Prayer: The Holy Spirit activates prayer in us. He intercedes and prays in us (Rom 8:18-27). We are called to pray in the Spirit (Eph 6:18-20); worship through the Spirit of God (Phil 3:3); pray in tongues (1 Cor 12:10) and experience prophecy through the Spirit (1 Thes 5:16-22). We experience the word of God as the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17).

7) Moral Living: We experience the Spirit overcoming the flesh, and producing the fruit of the Spirit in us (Rom 7:14-25, 8:1-12; Gal 5:13-26, 6:1-10).

8) Community and Ministry in the Spirit: The Spirit forms us as the body of Christ, the Church, and empowers us with charisms (spiritual gifts) for the building up of the body of Christ (Rom 1:11-12, 12:3-8; 1 Cor 12, 13, 14; Eph 4:1-16). We participate in the glorious ministry of the Spirit (2 Cor 6:4-10). We minister with signs, wonders, demonstrations of power, and mighty deeds (Rom 15:18-19, 1 Cor 2:1-5, Gal 3:1-5).

Wow! In this Year of St. Paul let Paul, the theologian, lead us into the full understanding, and manifestation, of the gift of the Spirit in our lives and in the church!