The charisms

"Charism" is a Greek word which for St Paul meant any gift of the grace. Later on, this term was used to designate some particular gift of the grace that the Holy Spirit gives to somebody in order for him to be a sign of His presence and action in the Christian community, to make it grow in faith and charity, according to the word of the apostle, "the particular manifestation of the Spirit granted to each one is to be used for the general good". (1 Co 12, 7).

The charisms are the visible fruits of the emergency of charity. Thanks to this charity, we will give testimony to the Lord, we will perform the same deeds, with a conviction that touches the hearts and transform the lives. Contrary to the different gifts and ministries, the charisms are not permanent graces, but some instants of grace, some blows that we cannot order, because they come from the royal and loving freedom of the Holy Spirit. He blows whenever and wherever He wants. As during the Pentecost when tongs of fire rested on each apostle, the Holy Spirit distributes his charisms "at will to each individual" (1 Co 12, 11). It is up to the believer to make himself freely available and docile to His motions.

The charisms are diverse and numerous, and Paul lists a certain number of them : prophecies, tongs, interpretation, discernment, healing, etc (cf 1 Co 12, 8-9), but we can find quite a lot of them in the life of the Church, because they are first given for her good, and adjusted to all her necessities. There are charisms with effects, with extraordinary fruit of conversion, healing, miracles, foundation of religious Orders, etc..., and others more ordinary, more current and simple. For example, all the services that a Christian community may need, like welcoming, catechism, liturgical animation, gestion, assistance to the sick, etc. However, all those activities are truly charisms only when through them, the believers discern "something more", that does not comes from human qualities. This "I do not know exactly what" that allows the community to be more opened to the presence and the action of God. A charism is a "manifestation of the Spirit" which is tenuous and fleeting, but yet, one can recognizes his "voice", his strong, mild and indefinable presence.

Two examples

Among the innumerable charisms, we can choose two examples to try and understand what is this "the manifestation of the Spirit that is given to be used for the general good". During a liturgy or a gathering, a passage of the Bible can be read in such a way that this excerpt that may be well-known, receives a new significance in the heart of the listeners. The charism of "proclamation" is not the fruit of the elocution of a professional, even if it can help, but rather of an indefinable and real grace through which the Holy Spirit make this word actual, new and living. Or we can meet in a Christian assembly of prayer some persons who have what we can call "a charism of prayer". Not a personal grace to pray, but rather a grace to provoke the fervent prayer of the assembly by their own prayer. This shows that the charisms are not simply human gifts or qualities, and that they are not given first for the sanctification of the person who uses it, but for the good of others, for the growth of the Christian community in a stronger ahesion to the Lord.

The gift of tongues

This charism had been rather unknown by the Christians until its coming back in the Church since the last council Vatican II. At first, this charism may surprise and puzzle. It can have different forms, such as speaking, praying or singing in languages. Sometimes, one may recognize the words that are said, usually words of praise to God pronounced in a language unknown to the speaker, but this extraordinary phenomena is rare. More currently, some baptized people in deep prayer feel as if pushed to say sounds that they do not understand. What is the meaning of these "tongues" ? Sure, for saint Paul, for the one "who prays in a tongue, his mind derives no fruit of it" (1 Co 14, 14), this is why most often, to open the mouth to pray in tongues is an act of humility and trust. However, "his spirit may be praying, and he builds himself up" (1 Co 14, 4), the regular and personal prayer in tongues provides an inner spiritual growth, and a greater availability to the works of the Holy Spirit. The prayer in languages is the prayer of the one who recognizes that he does not know how to pray properly, and then "the Spirit comes to help us in our weakness... and the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings". (Rm 8, 26).

This prayer is also the one of those who experience how much God is worthy of praise, in all the languages, and far beyond all the languages. "He is inexpressible, the One that you cannot translate in any language. And if you cannot say who He is, and have no right to keep silent, what can you do but jubilating, opening your heart to a joy that will not have to seek its words, to your joy far beyond the limits of the syllables. (Saint Augustin, commentary on psalm 32).

Gifts, fruits, charisms are magnificent spread in the heart by the Holy Spirit. But we cannot restrain the work of the Holy Spirit to this three great types of manifestations. The work of the grace of the Spirit is multiple, it is a purification and a sanctification, an incorporation and configuration to Christ, a germ of eternal life. He is the seal, (2 Co, 1, 21, 22) (Paul VI), an eternal marked confered by certain sacraments (the baptism, confirmation and order) for the cult that we have to offer to the Father in spirit and in truth. The multiple and multiform grace of the Spirit is "this dynamism of whom the Church receives endlessly her own youth" (Paul VI), the dynamism of the Spirit which is a source of unity, beauty of the Church, fire of her charity, constance of her prayer, joy of her praise, and wait of her fullness. The Spirit of Pentecost is this living blow who endlessly renews the Church : "By the power of the Gospel He makes the Church keep the freshness of youth. Uninterruptedly He renews it and leads it to perfect union with its Spouse". (LG 4)