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| THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Image from familyatthefootofthecross.blogspot.com via google.com |
According to the online Catholic Encyclopedia, there are two kinds of Gifts of the Holy Spirit:
[T]he first are specially intended for the sanctification of the person who receives them; the second properly called charismata, are extraordinary favors granted for the help of another, favors, too, which do not sanctify by themselves, and may even be separated from sanctifying grace.
For our discussions we shall focus on the first class, those that are identified with virtues though some believe they are perfections of a higher order than virtues. These Seven Gifts are traditionally taken from this passage of Isaiah 11: 2-3,
On him will rest the spirit of Yahweh, the spirit of wisdom and insight, the spirit of counsel and power, the spirit of knowledge and fear of Yahweh: his inspiration will lie in fearing Yahweh. His judgment will not be by appearances, his verdict not given on hearsay.
The Seven Gifts are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord. They are fully present in the Lord Jesus Christ, the One whom Isaiah describes as the shoot that will spring from the stock of Jesse [Isaiah 11:1], but can be found in every Christian who is in the state of grace. That is why we can easily follow the inspiration of the Holy Spirit because of the infusion of these gifts, the way Christ Himself would. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states,
They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations [1831].
We shall discuss each one more deeply in the next seven weeks. However, as some form of introduction, we shall state a little about these Seven as follows:
[1] Wisdom. Called to be the perfection of faith. It is through wisdom that we properly value the things that we believe through faith.
[2] Understanding. Helps us penetrate to the very core of the revealed truths. It doesn't provide us the same clarity as understanding a mathematical equation but it leads us to be more certain about an article of faith, say the Holy Trinity, beyond what faith provides.
[3] Counsel. Called the perfection of the cardinal virtue of prudence. Prudence can be practiced by anyone even those who are not in the state of grace but when one is in the state of grace, prudence can take on a supernatural dimension and its fruit is what we call counsel.
[4] Fortitude. Is also a cardinal virtue and very different from foolhardiness or rashness. It is even a curbing of recklessness, that is, putting ourselves in danger unnecessarily.
[5] Knowledge. It also perfects faith. But while wisdom helps us penetrate divine truths and prepares us to judge things in accordance with that truth, knowledge gives us that ability to judge.
[6] Piety. This gift perfects religion. It is the instinctive affection for God that makes us desire to render worship to Him.
[7] Fear of the Lord. This confirms the virtue of hope. It is the desire not to offend God and the certainty of Him giving us the necessary help to fulfill it.
The simpler we are, the more responsive we are to receiving these gifts. For the Spirit is simple and these gifts are best expressed in simplicity.
[T]he first are specially intended for the sanctification of the person who receives them; the second properly called charismata, are extraordinary favors granted for the help of another, favors, too, which do not sanctify by themselves, and may even be separated from sanctifying grace.
For our discussions we shall focus on the first class, those that are identified with virtues though some believe they are perfections of a higher order than virtues. These Seven Gifts are traditionally taken from this passage of Isaiah 11: 2-3,
On him will rest the spirit of Yahweh, the spirit of wisdom and insight, the spirit of counsel and power, the spirit of knowledge and fear of Yahweh: his inspiration will lie in fearing Yahweh. His judgment will not be by appearances, his verdict not given on hearsay.
The Seven Gifts are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord. They are fully present in the Lord Jesus Christ, the One whom Isaiah describes as the shoot that will spring from the stock of Jesse [Isaiah 11:1], but can be found in every Christian who is in the state of grace. That is why we can easily follow the inspiration of the Holy Spirit because of the infusion of these gifts, the way Christ Himself would. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states,
They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations [1831].
We shall discuss each one more deeply in the next seven weeks. However, as some form of introduction, we shall state a little about these Seven as follows:
[1] Wisdom. Called to be the perfection of faith. It is through wisdom that we properly value the things that we believe through faith.
[2] Understanding. Helps us penetrate to the very core of the revealed truths. It doesn't provide us the same clarity as understanding a mathematical equation but it leads us to be more certain about an article of faith, say the Holy Trinity, beyond what faith provides.
[3] Counsel. Called the perfection of the cardinal virtue of prudence. Prudence can be practiced by anyone even those who are not in the state of grace but when one is in the state of grace, prudence can take on a supernatural dimension and its fruit is what we call counsel.
[4] Fortitude. Is also a cardinal virtue and very different from foolhardiness or rashness. It is even a curbing of recklessness, that is, putting ourselves in danger unnecessarily.
[5] Knowledge. It also perfects faith. But while wisdom helps us penetrate divine truths and prepares us to judge things in accordance with that truth, knowledge gives us that ability to judge.
[6] Piety. This gift perfects religion. It is the instinctive affection for God that makes us desire to render worship to Him.
[7] Fear of the Lord. This confirms the virtue of hope. It is the desire not to offend God and the certainty of Him giving us the necessary help to fulfill it.
The simpler we are, the more responsive we are to receiving these gifts. For the Spirit is simple and these gifts are best expressed in simplicity.
Next Tuesday: THE GIFT OF WISDOM
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