Father Deacon Paul,
First, I agree that a lay person must be strictly limited and totally under the auspices of a physically present clergy (bishop, priest or deacon) and be totally apart from a formal "public" liturgical service.
I do not know if you realize that you actually answered my question.
When it was said that it was wrong to think that lay people could access God's mystical power directly, it was meant to say that lay people could not minister the sacraments.
Now I understand!
OK, here are my thoughts in this regard.
First, there is a theological difference between East and West concerning the sacrament of Matrimony. In the East, the priest is considered the minister of this sacrament, in the West, the spouses are (although they must minister the sacrament to each other in the presence of an ordained clergyman for its validity).
And also, in the West, Baptism by lay people is considered valid in cases of grave necessity.
So, Western theology does include some sort of direct participation of the layity in the sacramental economy of salvation.
Having said that, I think the comment was made with specific regard to the sacrament of annointing of the sick. Concerning this sacrament, Eastern and Western thology are most similar. It is the priest, and only the priest the valid minister of this sacrament.
Other forms of prayer for the sick may include liturgical and non-liturgical prayers. Prayers can also be public or private.
A "healing service" within the Catholic Charismatic Renewal is generally to be understood as a public prayer event. It might be liturgical (although in this case, it is most likely to be called a "healing mass") or non-liturgical, and even when conducted by an ordained priest in good standing, this kind of service is NOT intended to be confused with or to substitute the sacrament of annointing.
I'm having a hard time trying to imagine a lay person conducting a liturgical healing service. I don't think I've seen these. When the service is liturgical, it is either the mass or a para-liturgy to minister the sacrament of annointing of the sick. In both cases a priest is required.
Generally, prayer services in the Charismatic Renewal are NOT intended to be liturgical or sacramental at all. These prayer services are NOT intended to replace the liturgical and sacramental life of the faithful, but rather to complement it with an ADDITIONAL form of communal prayer and with a specific spirituality for both communal and individual prayer.
In the Charismatic Renewal, the Eucharist, especially the Sunday Mass, remains the source and summit of Christian life. We just believe that our spiritual life benefits from having other, additional highlights during the week.
Now, you also mentioned supervision from an ordained clergyman as required for these things.
The answer is a most firm YES.
In the Renewal, this comes through several means:
The Charismatic Renewal world-wide has no governing body, just coordination teams. The Renewal is govenred at the diocesan level, and its operation requires approval of the Local Ordinary.
The Local Ordinary is asked to name a consulting priest, who will be his liaison with the diocesan board. He has voice, but no vote, as the Renewal is a lay movement, however, if he considers it pertinent, he can report irregularities to the Local Ordinary, who, of course, has full authority to override anything and everything the diocesan board decides.
The diocesan board has the mission to adapt the general guidelines of the Renewal into diocesan statutes, to ovresee that the statutes are upheld throughout the diocese and to provide coordination for the local groups.
The local groups are emminently parochial in nature, and they function under the authority of the pastor. Local groups are to observe the statutes and are required to receive visitation from the diosesan board or its delegates to supervise their operation.
Each Local Ordinary establishes which activities may or may not be performed within his jurisdiction and which of those allowed can only be performed with explicit approval and/or supervision of a priest.
As St. Paul commands, all spiritual manifestations are to be discerned to keep the ones that come from God, and reject the rest.
Although this discerning is complex, the Renewal has a rule of thumb that filters a good number of cases. The rule is three fold:
A spiritual manifestation may be from God if:
1. It is orthodox. That is, consistent with the Deposit of Faith as believed and proclaimed by the Catholic Church.
2. It is useful. It serves a specific purpose in building up the Church of God.
3. It is obedient. It submits itself to the legitimate authority in the Church (Bishop and Pastor).
If a spiritual manifestation fails to comply with any of these three points, it is NOT from God. If it complies with all three, it deserves a closer look.
I know all this is not particularly relevant to Eastern Christianity, but just as the West needs to be educated about the East, I think my Eastern brethren would probably be interested in knowing more about a movement that is much more popular in the West than in the East.
Shalom,
Memo
