Next weekend, Fr Ben St Croix will be holding a “charism school” at St Philip’s.
What are “charisms?” They are gifts of the Holy Spirit. Everyone has them. St Paul writes in, 1 Corinthians 12:4: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
In Romans 12: 6, St Paul adds “We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.” No one person, not even the priest (!) has all the gifts of the Spirit. So in order to work for the common good of all, we all have to bring to the table and use them for the “varieties of services” that God calls us to do. It requires us to “activate” those gifts, or charisms, that the Spirit has placed within us. We should exercise ministry in the church and in the world according to the particular gifts we have.
The trouble often is that many of us don’t know what our gifts are. Some of us think we don’t have any worthwhile gifts at all. That is why we need the charism school that Fr Ben is putting on next weekend. The school will lead us to discern what our gifts are, and how to use them in a ministry which gives joy to us and serves the “common good.”
The school begins at St Philip’s church at 7.30pm on Friday October 28th, through to 9.30 pm, then it continues on Saturday October 29th from 9.30 am through to 3.30pm. (Brown-bag for lunch).
I urge you with all my heart to come and take part in Fr Ben’s charism school!!