THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
by Fr. William Most
Grace is any gift from God to us. There are two great categories or
groups of graces: sanctifying, and charismatic.
<Sanctifying graces> are those that are aimed at making the recipient
holy. They include: <actual grace>, a grace He sent me at this moment,
to lead me and to enable me to do a particular good thing here and now,
and <habitual grace (also called sanctifying)> which actually does make
the recipient holy. It gives the soul the radical ability to take in the
face to face vision of God in the next life. Increase in sanctifying
grace means an increase in that capacity - for since the vision is
infinite, our capacity can never reach the limit of growth.
The other category is called <charismatic>. These graces are not aimed
directly an making the recipient holy. They are for some other sort of
benefit to the individual or the community. There are two kinds again:
ordinary and extraordinary.
Where do the Gifts of the Holy Spirit fit in? There are two groups of
them, one in the sanctifying, one in the charismatic category.
In the <sanctifying> category we find the <seven gifts>, which are given
along with sanctifying (habitual) grace.
In the <charismatic> category we find both the <ordinary> gifts -e.g,
the gift to be a good parent or a good teacher - and the <extraordinary>
gifts, those which are or seem miraculous, such as the gifts of healing,
of tongues, or miracles.
The <ordinary> charismatic gifts are widely given. The <extraordinary>
are given when and to whom the Spirit wills, as St. Paul tells us in 1
Cor 12. 11. They are not routine today, though they were in the first
generation Church, as we see from 1 Cor 12-14.
Some have claimed that these extraordinary graces are ordinary and were
ordinary for the first centuries. But the Patristic texts cited for this
view are few. Fairly clear are those of Tertullian, St. Hilary, St.
Cyril of Jerusalem. But the booklet, <Fanning the Flame> by Kilian
McDonnell (Liturgical Press, 1991). McDonnell admits on p. 18 that:
"Both Basil of Caesarea... and Gregory Nazianzus... situate the
prophetic charisms within the Christian initiation, though they are more
reserved in their regard than Paul." No quotes are given. Then we see a
remarkable admission on St. John Chrysostom, quoted on the same
page,"Chrysostom complained, however 'the charisms are long gone. '" St.
Augustine, in <City of God> (21.5), has to argue strongly that miracles
are possible, against those in his day who denied the possibility. He
says that if they want to say the Apostles converted the world without
any miracles - that would be a great miracle. If there were miraculous
gifts commonly around, Augustine would have merely pointed to them. But
he did not.
Those who make such an unsupported claim seem to mean that all Catholics
must be charismatic. But their evidence is lacking. as we just saw.
Further these persons seem to think that the special phenomena of
charismatics are simply actualizations - putting to work - of the gifts
of the Holy Spirit that all Catholics have. - So again they claim all
Catholics must be charismatic - -- They forget that the special
charismatic things belong to one category, the seven Gifts to another .
One cannot suppose graces from one side of the great divide will
actualize those from the other side.
They also ignore or deny the <principle of diversity of spiritual
attractions>: not all are attracted by the same sort of things, e.g.,
the fullest form of Marian devotion, while objectively the best in its
category, and the most complete imitation of the ways of the Father who
put her everywhere in His approach to us -- this is not to be demanded
of just all Catholics. Or again, St. Francis de Sales, was a very
refined gentleman; St. Benedict Joseph Labre was more like a filthy
tramp, almost certainly with body lice. Both followed the same basic
principles of the spiritual life-- but what a difference in the
secondary, in their approach! IN fact Pope Pius XII, in his great
liturgical Encyclical, <Mediator Dei> said in #108 (Vatican Library
translation):"Many of the faithful are unable to use the 'Roman Missal'
even though it is written in the vernacular... nor are all capable of
understanding correctly the liturgical rites and formulas... . they can
adopt some other method which proves easier for certain people". Cf.
also #179.
Vatican II, <Lumen gentium> 12 said of the extraordinary gifts: "...
they are not to be rashly sought, nor should one presumptuously expect
of them the fruits of the apostolic works; but the judgment as to
whether or not they are genuine, and as to their ordered use pertains to
those who are in charge in the Church... ."
Still further, the possession of extraordinary charismatic favors <does
not even prove those who have them are in the state of grace>. We think
of the frightening words of Our Lord Himself in Mt 7. 22-23: "Many will
say to me on that day [at the end]: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in your name, and in your name cast out devils, and have done many
marvels in your name? And then I will admit to them: I never knew you:
depart from me you workers of iniquity."
We turn now to the Seven Gifts of the sanctifying category. They are:
wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of
the Lord.
They each perfect certain basic virtues: Four of them perfect the
intellectual virtues. Understanding gives an intuitive penetration into
truth. In order to judge divine things, wisdom perfects charity;
knowledge perfects the virtue of hope; the gift of counsel perfects
prudence.
The other three perfect virtues of the will and appetite. The gift of
piety perfects justice in giving to others that which is their due. This
is especially true of giving God what is His due. Fortitude perfects the
virtue of fortitude, in facing dangers. Fear of the Lord perfects
temperance in controlling disordered appetites.
To illustrate the difference between things done with the Gifts and
those done with the ordinary virtues, we will take up the gift of
counsel.
There are three kinds of guides a person may follow in making his
decisions. 1)the whim of the moment. Aristotle in his <Ethics> 1. 5 says
that to act that way is a life fit for cattle. They do just what they
happen to feel like doing. 2)Reason, which in which in practice is
always aided by actual graces, which God gives so generously. -- we mean
acting in a fully reasonable way, and not just following the grooves as
it were. |For example suppose I see three options open to me. Ideally I
would make at least mentally a list of the good points and of the bad
points of each. The I would look over the whole board, and pick what
gives the best effect for me. Or if I come to think I need penance for
my sins, I would ask: How much have I sinned, so I can know how much
penance?; what kind of penance will fit with my health? with the
obligations of my state in life? And after several steps, a decision is
reached. This method is called <discursive, it moves from one step to
another>.
3)In this highest way a soul does not go from one step to another, in a
discursive process, but the answer is, as it were, dropped fully made
and complete into his mind by the Gifts.
This was the case of Our Lady, for example at the annunciation. If she
had been operating in the ordinary mode, she might well have reasoned:
Now my people have been waiting for centuries for the Messiah (as soon
as Gabriel said He would reign over the house of Jacob forever, even any
ordinary Jew would have known that He was the messiah). Now he is here.
I should share this news with others, especially the authorities in
Jerusalem. And what about my husband Joseph? In a short time he will not
be able to avoid dark thoughts. - But the Gospel shows she did none of
these things. God needed to send a special angel to tell Joseph. so the
Gifts can lead souls to points not contrary to reason, but far more
lofty than what reason would suggest.
Cf. the following from St. John of the Cross: (<Ascent> 3.2.10; cf.
<Living Flame> 1.4; 1.9 and 2.34): "God alone moves the powers of these
souls... to those deeds which are suitable, according to the will and
plan of God, and they cannot be moved to others... . Such were the
actions of the most glorious Virgin, our Lady, who, being elevated from
the beginning [of her life] to this lofty state, had never the form of
any creature impressed on her, nor was moved by such, but was always
moved by the Holy Spirit."
But there is a danger: a soul could mistake its own desires for action
of the Gifts, since the reasons are not clear to it. Reply:1) The full
and apparent action of these gifts does not appear until one is well
advanced in the spiritual life (latent assistance by them can come
earlier). 2) Ordinarily an inspiration via the Gifts leaves the soul not
fully certain - a signal to consult a director or superior. Uncommonly
they will give certitude, but only when a decision must be made on the
spot, and there is no time to consult.
When a soul acts with usual actual graces (<Ascent> 3.2.10) cf. the file
2Thomist) God is the most important actor, yet the faculties of the
human do churn out the result - hence it is easy to suppose the work is
done basically by that soul. But under the action of the Gifts, the soul
is more passive, and its own faculties contribute even less.
There seems to be a process somewhat parallel to this in the natural
order. For example, we could not take a young child, give him/her every
possible training in music, and so turn out a Mozart or other great
composer. No, something extra is needed. It seems that God, out of His
kindness to us, to provide us with works of inspiration (in a natural
sense) does take over some persons, and causes them to turn out
something beyond the reach of an ordinary person, even one with much
training. Thus also there is a report that Handel claimed inspiration in
writing his Messiah. And indeed some parts of it are so lofty they could
hardly have been composed by a person using the ordinary process. Thus
Aristotle says that Hector fought in battle in a way that was beyond
ordinary human powers.
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