As we draw closer to God and work on our interior lives, various aspects of the spiritual life are emphasized in specific spiritualities and charisms.
While no one charism or spirituality can contain the depth of the spiritual treasury of the Church, each one does highlight and help the Church appreciate and receive grace from a specific area of her spiritual treasury. And so, diversity is needed when we speak of the spiritual life and how we can approach God. The Church is enriched by the array of charisms and spiritualities within her.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: “In the communion of saints, many and varied spiritualities have been developed throughout the history of the churches. The personal charism of some witnesses to God’s love for men has been handed on, like ‘the spirit’ of Elijah to Elisha and John the Baptist, so that their followers may have a share in this spirit.”
The gift of a charism to the Church is an invitation to explore some area of the spiritual treasury. It often includes some type of creative retrieval of some aspect that has been overlooked or neglected. The holder of a charism is highly regarded by the Church. In the vast majority of cases, the person with a charism becomes the founder of a religious order, ecclesial movement, or some universal apostolate that is grounded and inspired by the charism.
While discernment is always needed, charisms are regularly given to the Church and various spiritualities develop around them. Charisms are one of the ways in which the Holy Spirit builds up the Church, renews her, and brings her back to the fresh waters of the interior life.
The Catechism gives some guidance: “A distinct spirituality can also arise at the point of convergence of liturgical and theological currents, bearing witness to the integration of the faith into a particular human environment and its history.”
Some charisms and spiritualities are found at crossroads and within a set of historical and cultural circumstances. In such cases, we need to know the context so we can understand what’s been given and properly interpret and apply them to the life of the Church.
There are some charisms and spiritualities that are only given for a set period and oftentimes fade away or develop into something else.
The Catechism teaches: “The different schools of Christian spirituality share in the living tradition of prayer and are essential guides for the faithful. In their rich diversity they are refractions of the one pure light of the Holy Spirit.”
All charisms and spiritualities participate in the overall living tradition of the Church. It is the living tradition that tempers and enhances them, allows a harmony to exist between different emphases, and brings them into a beautiful and united mosaic that reflects the presence of God and his call for us to have union with him.
While some believers may feel a spiritual closeness with the Benedictine spirituality, others will feel a call to the Franciscan spirituality, while others are attracted to the Dominican spirituality, and the list goes on. There are many schools of Christian spirituality and they have each been given to us so that everyone can be guided in the spiritual life and pursue a closer relationship with God.
The Catechism points us to the Holy Spirit: “The Spirit is truly the dwelling of the saints and the saints are for the Spirit a place where he dwells as in his own home since they offer themselves as a dwelling place for God and are called his temple.”
The Holy Spirit gives charisms and spiritualities through the holy ones. It is the soul that welcomes God that can become an instrument of spiritual reform and renewal. If the Holy Spirit is welcome, then he can come and bring forth God’s work.
The Spirit cannot be restrained. He cannot be stopped. He will search and find the souls who will permit him to work and he will dwell with them and bring forth new charisms and new spiritualities to reinvigorate the Church and inspire all people to again seek the presence of God in their lives.
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