Updated Aug. 13, 2024
A prominent Guatemalan charismatic leader urged diocesan Catholics to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that people recognize God in them.
“Could it be that you are already confused with Jesus?” Dr. Pilar Sierra asked during her keynote talk to more than 300 people Aug. 10 at St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton.
PHOTO GALLERY: Charismatic Congress for Spanish-speaking Community
She told about a young boy who was mistaken for Jesus by an elderly woman when he helped her pick up apples she had dropped after a group of other children had pushed her.
“Could it be that your acts of charity and evangelization in the church are bearing such fruit that others see Christ in you?” Dr. Sierra asked during her keynote address at The Great Catholic Charismatic Congress, held by the Hispanic/Latino Catholic Charismatic Congress of the Diocese of Trenton. The event was dedicated to receiving gifts and understanding charisms, or special power from the Holy Spirit for the good of the church.
Dr. Sierra, who hosts the program “Psychology and Faith” on Channel Jesús TV on Emmaus Radio in Guatemala, has served on the Charismatic Renewal board for Guatemala for more than 20 years.
Reflect the blessing of God
The day began with the Rosary, Mass and charismatic prayer and worship. Crowds could be heard praising and glorifying the name of Jesus Christ as the speaker and music ministry guided the congregation in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to descend on every person there.
In her keynote, Dr. Sierra said receiving the Holy Spirit transforms people: Their faces, demeanor, and openness to others all change, reflecting the welcoming nature of Christ himself.
“I would like to communicate, and that is my prayer, that if your face still does not reflect the blessing of God, or the grace of God … you are lacking the Holy Spirit,” she said.
That is exactly what Hilda Palencia from St. Joseph Parish, Trenton said she was missing. “I hope to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit today. When we invoke him and we make the praises, we can feel that the Holy Spirit is with us,” she said.
Maria Bueno from Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Trenton, said she believes “everyone here learns to die to themselves and be reborn in the Spirit so that they learn to celebrate the miracles of heaven right here on Earth.”
“I hope that everyone can feel the presence of God … regardless of the cross (they) may bear, that they may help others to carry their Cross.” she said.
‘Only with the help of God’
David Aldazabal, a director of the day’s event and coordinator of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal prayer group at St. Ann Parish, Browns Mills, said he hoped attendees would come to understand that “through Baptism, we are all sealed by the Holy Spirit. I believe that by the end of today, participants will be able to recognize and embrace these gifts and charisms in their lives and families.”
Alfonso Rojas, a co-coordinator of the event who works with the Catholic Charismatic renewal in the St. Joseph Parish, Trenton, said the congress was held to people “come out energized (so) that they gain the necessary strength to continue on this journey. Because this walk in the Lord is long, but only with the help of God can we do it.”
Father Carlos Castilla, spiritual director of the diocesan Hispanic/Latino Catholic Charismatic Congress, said members of the charismatic ministry are “so committed, that they may have the gift of preaching, but they themselves don’t consider themselves preachers. They are afraid of a microphone. Instead, they wish to do more hidden tasks like preparing in the kitchen, but the Holy Spirit awakens in them the desire to be with Jesus in the Eucharist, in worship, in the worship of the Most Holy. And what happens with those kinds of people? They don’t preach, but their movements do. So even if they are in the kitchen serving food today, they are serving the Lord, and their charisms are evident.”
To get more information about the Hispanic/Latino Catholic Charismatic Congress of the Diocese of Trenton, please contact Father Carlos Castilla or Jossie Ramos, coordinator of Hispanic Initiatives for the Diocese of Trenton.