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Receiving the forceful wind may involve the humbling experience of speaking in tongues, 'as the Spirit (gives us) power to express (ourselves).' (Ac 2:4) Such a child-like attitude permits the Spirit to push aside the limitations we place on God and open us up to the full range of charisms. As we receive freely, so we are to give freely.
Like a supercharged car is designed for the open road and not the carpark, so the spirit-charged Church is designed to go to 'to the ends of the earth' (Ac 1:8; see also Mt 22:12) to bring everybody home to God.
* A supercharger forces more air into an internal combustion engine to get more power output.
Click on the first "Download" for Charisms in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Click on the second "Download" for a Powerpoint presentation on charisms.
Click on the third "Download" for footnotes on Pentecost from the New Jerusalem Bible.
The Spirit empowers God's People with charisms to bring Humanity home to God. As Jesus was able to walk the earth with the power to heal, deliver and change hearts etc., so collectively his followers can do the same.
We do not possess these charisms any more than we possess the water coming out of a hose. The Spirit controls the supply and the pressure; we can point the hose and control the nozzle.
There are several different lists of charism in the New Testament. This means that there is no set list. Rather, the Holy Spirit tailors the gifts to the situation.
Nevertheless, there are particular groupings around such things as prophecy, healing, deliverance, evangelism. St Paul encouraged the Church in Corinth to "be ambitious for the higher gifts" (I Cor 12:31). Instead of presenting the community with programmes, techniques and seminars, he encouraged them to love as God loves (See 1 Cor 13).
So practically what can we do?
Relate in the Church with the love of God.
Look to Jesus.
Do what seems right according to the Gospel.
Then thank God when the Spirit confirms our action with 'signs and wonders'.
However, the Church needs to be supercharged* as it was at Pentecost. This requires us to ask God to send the Holy Spirit like the forceful wind of Pentecost. How do we know that we have received the wind of Pentecost? We have received the wind when our actions reflect
the conviction that Jesus is Lord at the right hand of the Father,
that he has sent the Spirit with power to witness to the world
that he is returning as judge of humanity.
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