Giving expression to life in the Spirit

'Hello friends, I'm actually at Brunswick East, Our Lady Help of Christians Church, at the moment. And we've just celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal here in our Archdiocese of Melbourne. Cardinal Knox, then Archbishop Knox, one of my predecessors, established the Charismatic Renewal here in our Archdiocese 50 years ago, on this weekend. And so we just had this lovely celebration of the Eucharist. And as you can see all the people behind me, they’re all gathering for a bit of celebration following the Sunday Eucharist.

Pope Francis has established a new way in which the worldwide Charismatic Renewal can be present within the life of the Church, and he has called it CHARIS – c, h, a, r, i, s – Charis, and that word is actually the Latin word for “grace”. So charis is grace, or “gift” is another way of interpreting that word. And so we have essentially the grace of the gift of the Holy Spirit that is present within the life of the Church, and we get some other words from that word “charis” like for instance “charism” – a particular calling, giving expression to the life in the Spirit in one's personal life. We also use that often enough in terms of religious life as well, the charism of a founder of a religious congregation.

But also, and more importantly, is the word "eucharis", where we get our word “Eucharist” – the thanksgiving that is offered in the great gift of the Lord, the greatest gift that we have here on earth... The Lord in the Eucharist, in His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity given to each one of us.

So in that one little word "charis", established by Pope Francis as a way in which the Catholic Charismatic Renewal throughout the world might be organised, is that gift – that grace – given to all people in the Holy Spirit.

Until next week. Bye now.'

—Archbishop Peter A Comensoli