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Charismatic is a Greek term for charisms or gifts. Used in Catholic terminology it is understood to be gifts which are liberated and empowered by the Spirit of God through the Sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation. The Spirit dwells in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful, as in a temple (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19). In them He prays and bears witness to their adoptive sonship (Gal. 4:6; Rom. 8:15-16 and 26). This awareness of the Holy Spirit praying within us took a greater consciousness in recent times within the Catholic Church with the birth of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR). The CCR began at a retreat for college students at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in February 1967. The students had spent much of the weekend in prayer, asking God to allow them to experience the grace of both baptism and confirmation. The students, that weekend, had a powerful and transforming experience of God, which came to be known as 'Baptism in the Spirit' . The account of the weekend and the experience of the Spirit quickly spread around the college campus, then throughout the world giving birth to numerous prayer groups and “Charismatic” communities which today give visible expression of the Charismatic ‘Revival' in the Catholic Church.

Some theologians explain this ‘ Baptism of the Spirit' as being powerfully conscious, in a new way, of the graces which are received in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation; especially the loving presence of the Trinity within us; the peace of Christ, and the joy of the Holy Spirit. This experience has called many to “ re-discover Pentecost as a living and present reality in their daily lives .” (Pope John Paul II, Pentecost 2004)

Charismatic Prayer is founded on an experiential encounter with God through the Holy Spirit.. “ As God gradually reveals himself and reveals man to himself, prayer appears as a reciprocal call, a covenant drama. Through words and action, this drama engages the heart… .” (CCC 2567). The charismatic renewal evaluates positively the role of experience in the New Testament and in the Christian life. In the New Testament communities, the Spirit was a fact of experience before there was a developed doctrine of the Spirit, the doctrine developing in the light of the experience. The experience of receiving the Spirit was not something that persons were generally unaware of. With some immediacy, the Spirit was perceived and experienced: " Is it in vain that you have experienced so many favours? . . . Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by the works of the law, or by hearing with faith?" (Gal 3:4-5). This experience of God breaks forth with spontaneity in praise and thanksgiving in words or song, repentance, worship and intercession. It makes all forms of prayer, devotional or contemplative, intimate and personal. It is expressed with the ‘ oran ' posture and even dancing for it engages the heart lost in LOVE with God, with the peace of Jesus and the joy of the Holy Spirit. The focus is centred on expressing gratitude and praise of God's faithfulness and love from the daily experiences of life.

Testimony : Before I experienced the CCR, prayer was focused more on petitions. Now I have learnt to praise God in all things and I have begun to see God working in news ways in my life. ( Jacob Tan)

Since the emergence of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, many have attributed this form of prayer as a “Pentecostal” way of praying. But this intimate experience of God is very often seen in the lives of the saints. : " All powerful, most high, most holy and sovereign God, Father holy and just, Lord of heaven and earth, because of Thy sake we give Thee thanks ..." This is part of the opening prayer of St. Francis of Assisi thanking God for the Person Jesus. (Franciscan Spirituality by Valentin Breton, O.F.M.)

The intimacy with God leads St. Theresa of Avila in her book ‘the Interior Castle ' to say, “ Our Lord sometimes bestows upon the soul a jubilation and a strange kind of prayer, the nature of which it cannot ascertain. I set this down here, so that, if He grants you this favour, you may give Him hearty praise and know that such a thing really happens. I think the position is that the faculties are in close union, but that Our Lord leaves both faculties and senses free to enjoy this happiness, without understanding what it is that they are enjoying and how they are enjoying it. That sounds nonsense but it is certainly what happens. The joy of the soul is so exceedingly great that it would like, not to rejoice in God in solitude, but to tell its joy to all, so that they may help it to praise Our Lord, to which end it directs its whole activity .” ( Interior Castle Chpt. VI/6)

These experiences of the Holy Spirit break forth in the joy of God's faithfulness and the certitude of His love once committed to conversion. Even in deepest trouble, despair and loneliness, the same Spirit which inspired so many in the Scriptures and now dwelling in us sustains us by recalling God's promises and faithfulness as we us read the psalms and scripture. “The prayer of the psalms is always sustained by praise; that is why the title of this collection handed down is so fitting: “The Praises.” Collected for the assembly's worship, the Psalter both sounds the call to prayer and sings the response to that call: Hallelu-Yah! (Alleluia), “Praise the Lord.” (CCC 2589)

St. Paul says, “ Be filled with the Spirit, and speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs; sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord; and give thanks everyday in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father ” (Eph. 5:18ff). In charismatic prayer meetings, people praise God with songs, the gift of tongues, prayers, clapping, dancing, the raising of hands, and every kind of musical instrument, as well as with personal testimonies of God's blessings and action in their lives.

Catholics in general are more familiar with silent worship than with exuberant praise, hence it is important to teach people that the biblical prayer of PRAISE is different in style from WORSHIP.

"To praise" means to EXPRESS one's appreciation, admiration, approval, etc., of God and his deeds, whereas "to worship" means to INTERIORISE these same sentiments and surrender oneself to God's loving will. Hence good worship calls for silent adoration and contemplation, whereas good praise calls for vibrant expression!

The Bible teaches Christians to praise God uninhibitedly, with "loud shouts" or "joyful noise" (Ps. 27:6; 42:4;66:1;95:1), with clapping (Ps .47:1), dancing (Ps. 150:4), musical instruments (Ps. 98:5), raised hands (Ps. 63: 4;134:2), etc. The reason for such freedom in praise is: "God takes delight in his people" (Ps .149: 4)!

The charismatic experience of prayer has a resurrection quality about it that is joyous and triumphant. This is experienced especially in trials and sufferings. According to St. Paul , the experience of the Spirit also takes place in human weakness and lowliness; “ Therefore I am content with weakness, with mistreatment, with distress, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ; for when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong .” (2 Cor. 12:10); “ The Spirit too helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in speech ”. (Rom. 8:26) “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you ” (1 Thess:5:16).

The experience of the Spirit is also the experience of the Cross. Charismatic prayer expresses itself in a continuing metanoia (conversion) and in the joyful acceptance ‘ that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love God ” (Rom. 8:28)

Testimony : By constantly praising God in all circumstances and thanking Him even in the most negative circumstances I have been led by the Holy Spirit to repentance and a deeper trust in God in transforming me . (Gerry)

Testimony : A sister by the name of Ruth who has just discovered that she has rheumatoid arthritis says, “ my God is a faithful God ” and she continues to sing praises to God, certain of His love for her even in her pain.

Charismatic prayer is not a new form of prayer. Though some may be emphatic in its ‘loud' praises and the external postures of prayer, authentic Charismatic prayer flows from a renewal of life in the Holy Spirit who is the source of all prayer . “ When the Spirit given to us at baptism emerges into consciousness, there is frequently a perception of concrete presence. This sense of concrete, factual presence is the perception of the nearness of Jesus as Lord, the realisation at the personal level that Jesus is real and is a person, that he fills the believer with that personal “I” who is Jesus .” ( Malines theological CCR document I). It is this rediscovery of a personal God and a new found openness to the charisms of the Holy Spirit such as prophecy, healing and tongues that has created an expectancy that God is alive and wants to do great things in our lives today. It is this faith expectancy that is the heart of Charismatic prayer