Posted on 05/02/2014 6:08:16 PM PDT by Coleus
CBN.com –A CALL TO PREACH
Father Cantalamessa, O.F.M., Cap., is a Franciscan Capuchin Catholic priest born in Ascoli Piceno, Italy and ordained in 1958. He is a former professor of history of ancient Christianity at the Catholic University of Milan. Father Cantalamessa’s life was transformed in 1976 when he was baptized in the Holy Spirit on a trip to Kansas City. “The love of scripture which results from receiving the Holy Spirit is unbelievable,” shares Father Cantalamessa. Then in 1979 he felt called to leave his teaching position to become a full time preacher of the gospel.
In 1980, John Paul II appointed him Preacher to the Papal Household. On July 18, 2013, he was confirmed by Pope Francis as Preacher to the Papal Household where he serves, preaching weekly during Advent and Lent to the pope and the cardinals, bishops, and prelates of the Roman Curia and the general superiors of religious orders. He is the only person who has preached to all the popes in the last thirty years. He speaks in many countries around the world, both to Catholic and Protestant audiences on unity and common evangelization. He has received an honorary degree in Law from Notre Dame University (Indiana), in Sciences of Communication from the University of Macerata (Italy) and in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio). Father Cantalamessa has published numerous books on spiritual fruit which have been translated into more than twenty foreign languages. When he is not engaged in preaching, he lives in a hermitage at Cittaducale (Rieti) in Italy ministering to a small community of cloistered nuns.
PRAYER = INTIMACY
On March 14, 2014, in Father Cantalamessa’s 1st Lent Homily, he shares about the importance of prayer. He says, “Jesus went into the desert to pray; He always withdrew into desert places to pray to His Father. He went there to be attuned, as man, with the divine will, to deepen the mission that the voice of the Father, in His Baptism, had made him perceive: the mission of the obedient Servant called to redeem the world with suffering and humiliation. Jesus went there, in sum, to pray, to be in intimacy with His Father.” Father Cantalamessa says, “One does not go into the desert to leave something – the noise, the world, occupations -- one goes there above all to find something, rather Someone. The believer goes into the desert, goes down into his own heart, to renew his contact with God, because he knows that Truth dwells in the interior man.”
“God is in love with us and He wants us to be in love with Him,” shares Father Cantalamessa. Speaking of his people as of a bride, God says: “I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her” (Hosea 2:16). “We know what the effect is of being in love: all things and all other persons withdraw, are placed in the background. There is a presence that fills everything and renders all the rest ‘secondary.’ It does not isolate from others, rather it renders one more attentive and disposed to others. Oh, if we men and women of the Church would discover how close to us, within our reach, is the happiness and the peace that we seek in this world! Jesus awaits us in the desert,” says Father Cantalamessa.
CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a movement within the Catholic Church which Father Cantalamessa refers to as, "a joyful experience of God's grace." The mission of this renewal is to educate believers on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ so they can walk in the Fruit of the Spirit. “Baptism in the Spirit is not a human invention; it is a divine invention. It is a renewal of baptism and of the whole of Christian life, of all the sacraments. It is a renewal of my religious profession, of my confirmation, and of my priestly ordination,” reveals Father Cantalamessa.
CHRISTIAN UNITY
Father Cantalamessa is very passionate about Christian unity. He speaks to leaders around the world on the importance of unity within the Church. He says that Christian unity is the work of the Holy Spirit. "Today as well, the Holy Spirit will be the one to lead us into unity, if we let him guide us," he said. “God has poured out the Holy Spirit in a new and unusual way upon millions of believers from every Christian denomination and, so that there would be no doubts about His intentions, He poured out the Spirit with the same manifestations.
At an evangelical gathering in January 2014, Kenneth Copeland Ministries received a personal video message from Pope Francis urging reconciliation between Catholics and Charismatics. He said he was joyful to see these individuals coming together to worship Jesus Christ the only Lord. And, to pray to the Father and to receive the Spirit. Pope Francis shares, “God is working all over the world. Sin has separated us, all our sins. We all share the blame. We have all sinned. There is only one blameless, the Lord. I am nostalgic that this separation comes to an end and gives us communion. We all have religious traditions, but we have to encounter one another as brothers. Let’s give each other a spiritual hug and let God complete the work that He has begun. The miracle of unity has begun. Let’s allow our nostalgia [learning] to increase so that it propels us to find each other, embrace each other and to praise Jesus Christ as the only Lord of history.”
CLERGY SUMMIT
Father Cantalamessa will speak at the Clergy Summit April 30th at Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA. Leaders from Evangelical, Charismatic and Catholic Traditions will engage in “official dialog” aimed at tearing down the walls between various confessions/traditions. The Summit intends to provide a concise vision from recognized leaders in these three Christian traditions who will outline their traditions and ecumenical goals (promotion of unity or cooperation between distinct religious groups or denominations of Christianity) so that clergy around the globe will have a resource and common understanding of their “brothers” point of view. Father Cantalamessa will articulate the Roman Catholic perspective and encourage Roman Catholic clergy to engage in training their laity to foster authentic grass roots ecumenical relationships.
Watch interview here and don't stop watching after the interview is over, the next video is an excerpt of Fr. Cantalamessa's talk at Regent University.
Pray for Christian Unity and to love thy neighbor.
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Uuugh, so does Father Cantalamessa believe in flopping around like a fish on the floor, barking like an animal, gold dust, and other such things, as the rest of the Kansas City prophets do?
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No.
the 700 club did a segment on Harry Reid when he became majority leader. It was very nice report but then Reid wasn’t well known for being a mentally deranged azzhat then.
It would be nice to get closer to Evangelicals. My experience with them from living in the South for a few years is that they are extremely hostile to Catholicism, but if they get to know you, they begin to moderate their opinions.
I think some of this is cultural, because much of the Evangelical movement comes from places that generally had very few Catholics, so their information came only from what some preacher or tract might tell them. Personal contact is probably the most important thing in this case.
I’ve been very edified over the years by Father Cantalamessa. He spoke here in Charlotte some years back. A cute but a bit difficult accent when speaking English, but he was very fervent.
I grew up in MS and have lived n AL since 1966. I can truthfully say not one minister mentioned Catholics. I have attended many different kinds of churches from Assembly of God to non denomination.
Amen!
AMEN!!! A HUGE Amen! I am thinking the days grow much shorter when God’s Church is reuniting! And greatly heartened by the thought!!! I am Baptist by preference, but I have no problem whatsoever in accepting a born-again Catholic as my brother or sister in Christ. This priest and his work make it just so much easier!!!
In Christ ALONE,
D. C. Wright
You hit it right on the nail.
I don’t think ministers usually talked about Catholics because Catholics were sort of a non-presence in those places...
I was just referring to my experiences here in the South, such as when I was talking with an Evangelical friend about going to church (I was just saying something I heard in the homily that morning) and she asked me when I had gone. When I said 7:00 am, she was horrified, because only Catholics have early masses or services and she asked me if maybe I was Catholic. She, like several other people I had met in this town, was shocked.
I was also very upset when some Evangelical or Pentecostal group used to drive a van around town and park it in front of the Cathedral...since the sides were painted with slogans like “Whore of Babylon,” “The Beast,” and even fouler things. They parked really early and did this so that parishioners could see it as they came out of mass. It was very upsetting; I’ve never seen Catholics parking outside of a Protestant church to harass the members!
But getting back to my friend, we had a cowboy preacher who came out to see her sometimes and hold a little service, which I had always attended, and he told her that it was OK if I was a Catholic and that I was still a Christian and could be her Christian friend. Since then we have become very good friends and I think she now knows that Catholics are Christians.
So I’m not saying that this is institutionally promoted (except perhaps among Hispanics, because I have read some seriously anti-Catholic material from Hispanic Evangelical groups), just that there are some attitudes that I had never met before. And I do think personal contact overcomes them. We then all realize that we are Christians, serious Trinitarian Christians who believe in the Resurrection and all that hard stuff.
We’ve got to get together and hang in there!
I watched the entire week of special prayer and speakers, the entire week of speakers available only on line that week are still available.
ALL speakers were fabulous I was blessed tremendously.
Am NOT Catholic but only Christian and really enjoyed the Preacher to the pope, was very powerful.
Catholics that are against the Charismatic wing of the Church would not like him...what they are missing
Yes Pat is very good 99.9 % of the time on the issues important to me
He does answer on air questions though and has respectfully disagreed with Catholic traditions and teachings not found in the Bible
Recently he has touched on purgatory etc
Today he lost me a bit on the age of the earth, but not going to stop watching, after all is not getting any younger
meant pat is not getting any younger, I believe the earth is around 9000 years old
Pat seems to have fallen for the turnip
Franklin Graham is with me
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