Ivory Coast: closing of the golden jubilee of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal

Marcel Ariston Wheat – Yamoussoukro

There were around 75,000 on the esplanade of the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, members of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, new communities and fraternities of Côte d’Ivoire, who came to give thanks to God for the golden jubilee of the existence of this “current of grace».  «As the Father has sent me, so I send you» (Jn 20:21), such was the theme of this celebration. Developing this theme before the mass, Mgr Alexis Touabli Youlo, bishop of Agboville, president of the episcopal commission for new communities and the new evangelization, invited the members to converge all their particular charisms towards and in the great charism that is the Church. For him, “a charisma which does not enter into the great charisma of the Church is no longer a charisma“. Through this teaching, Bishop Touabli stressed the need for friends of the Holy Spirit and clerics to work together. “Don’t do anything without them (the priests, Editor’s note), against them and the priests too, don’t look down on them or from afar, be with them“, declared the bishop, inviting the Ivorian charismatics to remain in the fervor for an evangelical ferment in Côte d’Ivoire, as they demonstrated during these “50 years during which the Charismatic Renewal was called in our country to put itself at the service of the breath of the Spirit, for the construction and influence of the Church of Christ», rejoiced Mgr Boniface Ziri, at the start of his homily.

Fraternity, condition for the authenticity of the evangelical announcement

This important moment of fervor and joy, happily coinciding with the feast of the Apostle Saint Andrew, gives us the opportunity to celebrate and live the call to fraternity, said Mgr. Ziri. “We celebrate Saint Andrew today because he was first a disciple, called freely by the herald of the reign of God. It’s important for each of us, it’s a grace“, said the prelate to the faithful gathered in the squares of the basilica of Yamoussoukro, evoking the prophetic dimension of fraternity in this time of ours. “Yes brothers and sisters, it must be emphasized forcefully, fraternity becomes the condition for the authenticity of the evangelical announcement (…) The mission in following Christ can and must be based on our capacity to all be brothers», affirmed Mgr Ziri. From this statement, the prelate will make an interpellation against what he calls “sin against brotherhood». «The feast of Saint Andrew calls out to Christians about their sin against fraternity and communion“, he said. This fraternity, according to him, remains the basis of the Church but at the same time, a challenge for Her.

A docile heart offers a wider scope for the Lord

Bishop Ziri also emphasized the docility of the heart to the action of the Holy Spirit. “The fruitfulness of the disciple depends on his ability to surrender completely to the will of God», affirmed the Bishop of Abengourou. “Only a heart docile and obedient to the Holy Spirit can offer a wider field of action to the Lord who wants through his disciples to carry the light of the Gospel further and everywhere“, he said. Thus, evoking “ the promptitude and generosity with which these brother fishermen responded to the call of the Lord, immediately abandoning their nets to follow him from the first word, without having seen any miracle, nor heard any promise of reward”the prelate formulated an interpellation “in relation to our lukewarmness, our hesitations, our purely human calculations in the face of the urgency of the mission», inviting the friends of the Holy Spirit, those who want “commit to the forefront of the Catholic faithful, for justice, truth and peace” has “follow in their footsteps».

Learn from your mistakes

Aware of the difficulties that could arise on their path as envoys of the Lord, the bishop, chairing the episcopal commission for the laity, the family and pilgrimages, urged the gathered faithful to “not to be afraid» and above all, to “not to let oneself be impressed by the attacks of evil which also works in the world and with great noise, gives the illusion of having the upper hand over divine works». «The Holy Spirit is with you, the Holy Spirit is with us“, he said. So he urged the assembly to learn from the mistakes of the past, evoking here the slip-ups that this charismatic movement has experienced in the past. “50 years of pastoral adventure, you have been sufficiently educated on the positive traits of the charismatic current to which you belong but also, you have been informed of possible slip-ups. There is necessarily a maturation that we acquire as long as we want to learn from our mistakes to gain wisdom and acquired experiences.“, he made them understand. Thereupon, the prelate invited the friends of the Holy Spirit to “trust in God who leads us, guides us and enlightens us from generation to generation», inviting them, in this enthusiasm, to “best build the Church, family of God».

Working to arouse a true appetite for God

The Bishop of Abengourou also urged the assembly to continue working for “a Church, more alive, more visible, more prophetic, in the midst of other religious communities“. We want “more dynamic Christian communities, more committed, more daring Christians, must arise in Africa and in our Ivory Coast, to be signs, witnesses, actors of peace, of integral community development through forgiveness, reconciliation which produces the communion of hearts, forces, human and material spiritual wealth» wished Mgr Ziri. Furthermore, the prelate insists on the importance of a “true appetite of God». «Let us together give ourselves the means to arouse in our modern and traditional African societies and among children, young people and adults, a true appetite for God, his gospel and all the Christian values ​​that flow from it.“, urged the prelate.

50 years of vivifying and announcing the wonders of God

Five decades of attentive ear to the Spirit, five decades of vivification and announcement of the wonders of God for the construction and influence of the Church of Christ. This is how Father Narcisse Zonon, national chaplain of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, spoke about the 50 years of charismatic renewal in Ivory Coast, saying he was satisfied with the contribution of this current of grace to evangelization in their country. “We have seen much fruit, the Renewal has brought a spiritual awakening in our Church, has renewed the faith of the faithful, allowing them to be of service to the Church, through their charisma and their ordinary service, for all this, we want to say thank you to the Lord», expressed Father Zonon. After the celebration of this golden jubilee, the perspective is to continue to emphasize training to be more “these witnesses of hope in a world tossed by contrary winds“, affirmed Roger Ango, national shepherd of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Côte d’Ivoire.