105
Church.
108
They are not an inheritance, safely se-
cured and entrusted to a small group for safe-
keeping; rather they are gifts of the Spirit inte-
grated into the body of the Church, drawn to
the centre which is Christ and then channelled
into an evangelizing impulse. A sure sign of the
authenticity of a charism is its ecclesial charac-
ter, its ability to be integrated harmoniously into
the life of Godâs holy and faithful people for the
good of all. Something truly new brought about
by the Spirit need not overshadow other gifts and
spiritualities in making itself felt. To the extent
that a charism is better directed to the heart of
the Gospel, its exercise will be more ecclesial. It
is in communion, even when this proves painful,
that a charism is seen to be authentic and mys-
teriously fruitful. On the basis of her response
to this challenge, the Church can be a model of
peace in our world.
131.âDifferences between persons and com-
munities can sometimes prove uncomfortable,
but the Holy Spirit, who is the source of that
diversity, can bring forth something good from
all things and turn it into an attractive means of
evangelization. Diversity must always be recon-
ciled by the help of the Holy Spirit; he alone can
raise up diversity, plurality and multiplicity while
at the same time bringing about unity. When
we, for our part, aspire to diversity, we become
108
âCf. S
econd
V
atican
E
cumenical
C
ouncil
, Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church
Lumen Gentium
, 12.
