The Charismatic Graces

Chapter Six

Given that Catholics have adopted the Pentecostal heresy as the “Catholic Charismatic Renewal,” we should investigate the nature of the charismatic graces to see what they are, and more importantly, what they are not.

When we refer to charismatic graces we refer to a category of grace called gratia gratis data (grace freely given) which is different from gratia gratum faciens (grace making pleasing.) Father Scott Gardner, a traditional Catholic priest, provides a succinct explanation:

The graces which God gives to man may be divided into several categories. One of the divisions is between so-called gratia gratis data… and gratia gratum faciens… The former, often called "gratuitous grace," is used to signify those graces which are conferred on particular persons for the salvation of others. To this class belong such extraordinary gifts of grace as the charismata (prophecy, gift of miracles, gift of tongues) … the priestly power of consecration, [and] the hierarchical power of jurisdiction. The possession of these gifts is independent of the personal moral composition of their possessor… Gratia gratum faciens is used to describe the grace of personal sanctification for all men; both sanctifying grace itself and actual grace which prepares one for justification fall into this category. These graces are necessary for all, unlike the gratuitous graces. St. Thomas Aquinas, pointing out this distinction, deals with both categories of grace in the Summa in two separate sections of the II-IIæ called the "Treatise on Grace" and the "Treatise on Acts Pertaining Especially to Certain Men."¹

So, the charismatic graces, gratia gratis data, are gratuitous, meaning they are given freely and unmerited. Renowned Dominican priest-theologian Jordan Aumann (1916-2007) wrote about this category of grace: “Since [graces gratis data] do not form part of the supernatural organism [of the Christian life], they are not contained in the virtualities of sanctifying grace, and hence the normal development of the life of grace could never produce or demand them” (emphasis added).²

Now, Charismatics hold an opposite view, and believe that the charismatic graces should be a normative part of the Christian life, and that they can be asked for and received as a result of the fictitious “Baptism in the Holy Spirit.”

Blosser and Sullivan provide the evidence:

Those in the Charismatic movement typically expect that one of the effects of baptism in the Spirit will inevitably be “a Manifestation of the Charismatic gifts such as the gift of tongues.” This expectation that baptism in the Spirit will manifest itself in spiritually powerful Charismatic gifts, most notably in “tongues,” is replete throughout Charismatic literature and constitutes the powerful appeal of Pentecostal-Charismatic movements. Though there is some debate about whether the gift of “tongues” necessarily always follows baptism in the Spirit, it is generally considered nearly normative. For example, in the Life in the Spirit Team Manual (1979), which is used to lead Charismatic “Life in the Spirit” seminars, we read that a team member “should have yielded to the gift of tongues himself ”; that “when the Holy Spirit comes to a person… he discovers that he can pray in tongues”; that “tongues come when a person is baptized in the Holy Spirit”; that “everyone should want the gift of tongues.” Hence, speaking in “tongues” is treated as a normal expectation: “There are some people… who say that they do not want to have the gift of tongues. This is a wrong attitude. The person is placing limits on God’s working. . . . Everyone should want to have tongues.” In the book, Baptized in the Spirit and Spiritual Gifts, by Steve Clark… whose works are repeatedly recommended by the Life in the Spirit Team Manual—we read that a person is “not fully in the Spirit unless he has yielded to this kind of prayer [in ‘tongues’].” Again, in a book published by the Doctrinal Commission of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, authors Mary Healy and Peter Hocken state that wherever the Catholic Charismatic movement is “healthy and the exercise of the charisms is mature . . . the gift of tongues has become quite common, and in this sense ordinary, primarily as a gift of prayer and praise.” (Emphasis added)³

On the danger of asking for charismatic graces, especially the gift of tongues, Father Ripperger, an esteemed and renowned exorcist and Thomist, states: “The worst case of possession I have ever had was a woman who asked for the gift of tongues… I cannot tell you—when I was in the Diocese of Omaha, the first place I was an exorcist… I cannot tell you how many people I’ve had to clean up from the Charismatic Renewal, [despite]… the highest estimations I have of some of these people.”⁴

In another case, Adam Blai — a Catholic scholar consulted by the Diocese of Pittsburg who specializes in demonology — states: “We have a real full-blown possession going on fifteen years now in this country from a [lay] person who prayed over somebody else who had a demonic problem.”⁵

Gratuitous Graces Broken Down

The charismatic graces, or gratia gratis data, can be further broken down into types of graces within their own category. Father Ripperger, in his work The Charismatic Graces, includes a citation from Dominican Father Francis Cunningham, who summarized the divisions of charismatic graces in the same manner as Father Garrigou-Lagrange, perhaps the greatest Thomist of the 20^th century. It is important to note that Cunningham’s work, The Christian Life, was first published in 1959 and was a text compiled for advanced study in theology for university students.

Apostolic graces (gratiae gratis datae) - over nature these supernatural helps are ordered to the sanctification of others rather than of the recipient; e.g., prophecy, healing. Apostolic graces are provided to prepare some man to bring other men to God. Accidentally, they may aid in the recipient's sanctification, but that is not their primary function. Since only God can draw a man to himself by an internal movement of the will, the apostolic graces work externally by teaching and persuading. The enumeration of the graces (representative rather than exhaustive) is given by St. Paul (I Cor. 12: 8-10). St. Thomas explains them as means for proclaiming the teaching of Christ, and for persuading others to fix that teaching. Teaching and persuasion require three things: first, a knowledge of the doctrine; secondly, an ability to confirm the doctrine; and thirdly, the ability to propose the doctrine clearly and persuasively. Hence the apostolic graces are divided in this way: l) To ensure adequate knowledge of divine doctrine, there are three places: faith, knowledge and wisdom. 2) To enable the apostle to confirm his doctrine he should be equipped to do things that only God can do, and thus there are the graces of healing and miracles; and he should be able to disclose things that only God can know, and for this there are graces of prophecy and the discernment of spirits. 3) Finally, the apostle should be able to communicate his message clearly, and for this there are the graces of the gift of tongues and of the interpretation of speech.⁶

Let us unpack the three categories he describes.

According to the first category, there are gifts of faith, knowledge and wisdom, so we can assume that if true charismatic or “Apostolic” graces — that is, miraculous graces — are present, we would expect to see evidence of sound doctrine and knowledge of the faith. Yet, in our investigation of the Renewal thus far, we find that it is completely inundated with heresy, blasphemy and historical ignorance. Given these facts, we cannot accept the notion that the charismatic graces are widespread in the Renewal.

The second category speaks of miracles that confirm the supernatural origin of divine power, which would in turn confirm the faith being preached by the apostle. Well, Charismatics make a lot of claims about miracles, but claims are not proof. Furthermore, demonic forces can feign miracles, whether they be supposed miracles that manifest physically, or supposedly miraculous knowledge. Father Scott Gardner writes: 

To their own peril and to that of the whole Church, they completely discount the possibility that these extraordinary phenomena (which the CCR is trying to make ordinary) could be deceptions of the Devil, who does not mind in the least that people pray more in the short term if he is more likely to take them to hell in the end… It is well known that the Devil and his demons can produce prodigies which appear as miracles to unwary men, as in the story of Simon Magus and his "miraculous" levitation debunked by St. Paul. Therefore, it is extremely dangerous to accept any such extraordinary phenomena as divine at face value alone.⁷

Charismatics play “fast and loose” with the miraculous, and by doing so contravene the wisdom of Saint John of the Cross, who should be looked to as the authority on the subject, who says:

And I greatly fear what is happening in these times of ours: If any soul whatever after a bit of meditation has in its recollection one of these locutions, it will immediately baptize all as coming from God and with such a supposition say "God told me," "God answered me." Yet this is not so, but, as we pointed out, these persons themselves are more often the origin of their locution.⁸

In addition, Thomas Aquinas is clear that demons can “prophecy” (II-IIæ, Q.172, A.5); demons can foretell the truth (II-IIæ, Q.172, A.6); and, the wicked can work miracles under demonic influence (II-IIæ, Q.178, A.2). 

Christ Himself warned of the working of false miracles that will deceive the faithful:

For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) the elect (Mt. 24:24).

And, even if demons are cast out in the name of Christ, this does not mean that the person is a member of the Church and will be saved, but is an example of Christ’s mercy, that He would deign to heal a person despite the ignorance of the practitioner:

Not everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity (Mt. 7:21-23).

The third category concerns the communication of religious truth, which could be done miraculously with the miraculous gift of tongues. However, it is obvious that the pretend gift of glossolalia does not transmit any truth, and any attempt to interpret it is in vain.

Diabolical Inversions of the Charismatic Graces