First Charismatic Prayer Meeting
After Jesus’ death the apostles, the Blessed Mother, and some other women retreated to the Upper Room in fear. In the Pentecost account on the Acts of the Apostles, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm that filled the Upper Room. Tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of those in the room. Everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in different tongues, as the Holy Spirit gave them the ability. The apostles felt the manifestation of God’s presence and an empowering boldness from the Holy Spirit. Peter, who had previously denied knowing Jesus, was now speaking boldly about Him and what he accomplished for mankind on the cross. Through his preaching, he presented the people with a picture of the risen Jesus that brought many to conversion. Christians continually prayed for the outpouring of the same Spirit.
The Charismatic Renewal grew out of a 1967 retreat of faculty and students from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. The students prepared themselves through prayer, reading the Acts of the Apostles, and the book “The Cross and the Switchblade”. Some attendees experienced a movement of God’s Spirit called being “baptized in the Holy Spirit” and became infused with the Holy Spirit. The attendees developed a commitment to prayer, a personal relationship to Jesus, and a yearning for a deeper knowledge of Scripture and the faith. They felt a greater urge to proclaim the Good News to others and to use the gifts and charisms of the Holy Spirit to bring all of these to fruition. See More…https://youtu.be/H5EJuksm47M
It was a blessing to hear some of the attendees share their experiences at the 50th anniversary in Pittsburgh in 2017. Read more….
