The Early Church was a community filled with great signs and wonders, the works performed by the Holy Spirit through the believers. You cannot understand these phenomena without grasping the intense life of that beginning community. Today, even Catholics do not enjoy a community. After mass, they often return to their individual lives.

In the beginning, the Spirit’s fire led the people to fuse their lives. They became a family, joined as brothers and sisters. They praised God together. They shared their stories and they gathered others. In this intense sharing, they experienced the Spirit’s powers. He healed. He prophesied. He raised up teachers and leaders. Within the community, all of these powers were expected. The people had intense faith. If they withdrew from the community, they returned to a world without faith, and they lost these manifestations. Experiencing the Spirit’s powers depends on the closeness and fervor of the community of believers.

The Spirit wants to restore these powers. Catholics must understand and be willing to join regularly with others. This is the secret of true Church renewal.