Devotion to the Trinity: the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
It is difficult to name another Catholic doctrine as a sacred antiquity like the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit that are subject to such benevolent neglect. Like most Catholics born around 1950, I learned their names by heart: “WIS -Dom, a -derstanding, coun -sel, strong -itude, knowing -ledge, -ety pie, and fear! Of the Lord ”Unfortunately, however, it was all my classmates and I learned, at least formally, about these mysterious powers that were to descend on us at our confirmation. Once he arrived and left on Confirmation Day, we were annoyed that we had not become the omniscient, omniscient, invincible millionaires Christi (soldiers of Christ) that our pre-Vatican II catechesis had promised.
The problem
Ironically, post-Vatican II catechesis has proved even less capable of instilling in young Catholics a lively sense of what the seven gifts are. At least the previous approach had the advantage of evoking the filthy prospect of the bloody death of a martyr at the hands of godless atheists. But alas, such a militant pedagogy came out of the window after the Council. But a stream of reports over the past few decades on the decline in interest in faith among new confirmants suggests that changes are not having the desired effect. Not that there were no bedbugs in the pre-Vatican II catechetical machine - there were plenty of them - but such a superficial paraphernalia hasn't even started to face them.
A recent article in Theological Studies by Reverend Charles E. Bouchard, OP, president of the Institute of theology of Aquinas in St. Louis, Missouri ("Recovery of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in moral theology", September 2002), identifies some specific weaknesses in traditional Catholic catechesis on the seven gifts:
Neglect of the close connection between the seven gifts and the cardinal and theological virtues (faith, hope, charity / love, prudence, justice, fortitude / courage and temperance), which St. Thomas Aquinas himself had emphasized in his discussion of the matter
A tendency to relegate the seven gifts to the esoteric realm of ascetic / mystical spirituality rather than to the practical and earthly realm of moral theology, which Aquinas had indicated was their appropriate sphere
A form of spiritual elitism for which the most in-depth study of the theology of gifts was reserved for priests and religious, who, presumably, unlike the illiterate masses, had the necessary learning and spirituality to appreciate and assimilate it
Neglect of the Scriptural foundations of the theology of gifts, especially Isaiah 11, where the gifts were originally identified and applied prophetically to Christ
The Catechism of the Catholic Church of 1992 had already addressed some of these issues (such as the importance of virtues and the relationship between gifts and the "moral life") but avoided defining individual gifts or even treating them in every detail - a only six paragraphs (1285-1287, 1830-1831 and 1845), compared to forty on the virtues (1803-1829, 1832-1844). Perhaps this is why catechetical textbooks have appeared in the wake of the new Catechism to present such a confusing set of definitions of gifts. These definitions tend to be imprecise rehashings of traditional Thomistic definitions or totally ad hoc definitions drawn from the author's personal experience or imagination. In light of these developments, it is helpful to review the traditional explanation of the Church of the seven gifts.
The traditional explanation
According to Catholic tradition, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are heroic traits which only Jesus Christ possesses in their fullness, but which he freely shares with the members of his mystical body (that is, his Church). These traits are infused in every Christian as a permanent endowment to his baptism, nourished by the practice of the seven virtues and sealed in the sacrament of confirmation. They are also known as the sanctifying gifts of the Spirit, because they serve the purpose of making recipients docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in their lives, helping them grow in holiness and making them fit for heaven.
The nature of the seven gifts has been discussed by theologians since the middle of the second century, but the standard interpretation has been that which St. Thomas Aquinas developed in the thirteenth century in his Summa Theologiae:
Wisdom is both knowledge and judgment on "divine things" and the ability to judge and direct human things according to divine truth (I / I.1.6; I / II.69.3; II / II.8.6; II / II.45.1 -5).
Understanding is the penetration of intuition into the very heart of things, especially those higher truths which are necessary for our eternal salvation - in effect, the ability to "see" God (I / I.12.5; I / II.69.2; II / II. 8,1-3).
Counseling allows a man to be directed by God in matters necessary for his salvation (II / II.52.1).
The fortress denotes a mental firmness in doing good and avoiding evil, particularly when it is difficult or dangerous to do so, and in the confidence to overcome all obstacles, even fatal ones, by virtue of the certainty of eternal life (I / II. 61.3; II / II.123.2; II / II.139.1).
Knowledge is the ability to judge correctly on matters of faith and right action, so as never to stray from the right path of justice (II / II.9.3).
Piety is, primarily, to reverence God with filial affection, paying for worship and duty to God, giving due duty to all men because of their relationship with God, and honoring the holy and non-contradictory Scriptures. The Latin word pietas denotes the reverence we give to our father and our country; since God is the Father of all, the worship of God is also called piety (I / II.68.4; II / II.121.1).
The fear of God is, in this context, a "filial" or chaste fear that we worship God and avoid separating ourselves from him - as opposed to "servile" fear, for which we fear punishment (I / II.67.4; II / II.19.9).
These gifts, according to Thomas Aquinas, are "habits", "instincts" or "dispositions" provided by God as supernatural which helps man in the process of his "perfection". They allow man to transcend the limits of human reason and human nature and participate in the very life of God, as Christ promised (John 14:23). Aquinas insisted that they are necessary for man's salvation, which he cannot achieve on his own. They serve to "perfect" the four cardinal or moral virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance) and the three theological virtues (faith, hope and charity). The virtue of charity is the key that unlocks the potential power of the seven gifts, which can (and want) lie dormant in the soul after baptism, unless one does so.
Since "grace builds on nature" (ST I / I.2.3), the seven gifts work synergistically with the seven virtues and also with the twelve fruits of the Spirit and the eight beatitudes. The emergence of gifts is favored by the practice of virtues, which in turn are perfected by the exercise of gifts. The correct exercise of gifts, in turn, produces the fruits of the Spirit in the life of the Christian: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, modesty, self-control and chastity (Galatians 5: 22-23 ). The goal of this cooperation between virtues, gifts and fruits is the achievement of the state of bliss eight times described by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5: 3-10).
The Spiritual Arsenal
Instead of perpetuating a strictly Thomistic approach or an approach based on contemporary and culturally conditioned definitions, I propose a third way of understanding the seven gifts, one that incorporates the biblical material of origin.
The first and only place in the entire Bible where these seven special qualities are listed together is Isaiah 11: 1-3, in a famous messianic prophecy:
A sprout will emerge from the stump of Jesse, and a branch will sprout from its roots. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and power, the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. And his delight will be in fear of the Lord.
Practically every commentator on the seven gifts over the past two millennia has identified this passage as the source of the teaching, yet no one has noticed how intact these seven concepts were with the ancient tradition of Israel's "wisdom", which is reflected in such books of the Ancient Testaments such as Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Canticle of Canticles, Psalms, Ecclesiastical and Wisdom of Solomon, as well as certain parts of the prophetic books, including Isaiah. This material focuses on navigating the ethical needs of everyday life (economics, love and marriage, raising children, interpersonal relationships, use and abuse of power) rather than the historical, prophetic or mythical / metaphysical themes usually associated with the Old Testament. It does not contradict these others.
It is from this world of practical, pragmatic and daily concerns, rather than from the realm of ascetic or mystical experience, that the seven gifts have emerged, and the context of Isaiah 11 reinforces this frame of reference. Isaiah's balance describes in loving details the aggression with which the "sprout of Jesse" will establish his "peaceful kingdom" on earth:
He will not judge by what his eyes see, or he will decide by what his ears hear; but with justice he will judge the poor and decide fairly for the meek of the earth; and he will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked. . . . They will not hurt or destroy my holy mountain in all; for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Is 11: 3-4, 9)
Establishing this realm implies thought, planning, work, struggle, courage, perseverance, perseverance, humility, that is, getting your hands dirty. This earthly perspective is fruitful from which to observe the role that the seven gifts play in the life of mature Christians (or of mature age).
There is a tension within Catholicism, as in Christianity in general, which focuses on the afterlife with the exclusion - and damage - of this world, as if detachment from temporal things were only a guarantee of eternal life . One of the corrective measures of this type of thought issued by Vatican II was the recovery of the biblical emphasis on the kingdom of God as a concrete reality which not only transcends the created order but also transforms it (Dei Verbum 17; Lumen Gentium 5; Gaudium et spes 39).
The seven gifts are indispensable resources in the struggle to establish the kingdom and are, in a sense, a by-product of actively engaging in spiritual warfare. If a person does not bother to adequately equip themselves for battle, it should not be surprising to find themselves defenseless when the battle is brought to their doorstep. If my classmates and I had never "acquired" the "mysterious powers" that we had anticipated, perhaps it is because we never took up arms in the struggle to advance the kingdom of God!
The seven gifts are an endowment to which every baptized Christian can boast from an early childhood. They are our heritage. These gifts, given in the sacraments to allow us to develop through experience, are indispensable for the good progress of the Christian lifestyle. They do not appear spontaneously and out of nowhere but gradually emerge as the fruit of a virtuous life. Nor are they withdrawn from the Spirit when they are no longer needed, for they are perpetually necessary as long as we fight the good fight.
The seven gifts are designed to be used in the world for the purpose of transforming that world for Christ. Isaiah 11 vividly describes what these gifts are for: doing what you are called to do in your own time and place to advance the kingdom of God. The specific and personal details of that call are not brought into focus until the his very limited and unequal place in the scheme of things (fear of the Lord), accepted the role of member of the family of God (piety) and acquired the habit of following the specific indications of the Father to live a divine life (knowledge) . This familiarity with God generates the strength and courage necessary to face the evil that inevitably meets in one's life (fortitude) and the cunning to move one's strategies easily to match - even anticipate - the many machinations of the Enemy (adviser).
Soldiers of Christ
These considerations are mainly addressed to Catholics of the adult cradle who, like me, were not sufficiently catechized (at least as regards the seven gifts). Due to the constant controversy in the Church in general over the right age to receive the sacrament of confirmation, the malaise of inadequate catechesis will probably continue to afflict the faithful. The lack of attention to the synergistic relationship between virtues and gifts seems to be the main culprit in the failure to develop gifts among the confirmands. Catechesis aimed only at acquiring knowledge or simply promoting "random acts of kindness" without a solidly evangelical organizational principle will simply not cut it off from this (or any other) generation of young people. Centering prayer, the diary, guided meditation or any of the other popular pseudo-pedagogical plots in many current catechetical programs cannot compete with the seductions of the culture of death.
The path to a mature appropriation of the spiritual arsenal represented by the seven gifts must be trampled as soon as possible, and the seven virtues can serve today, as they have done for most of the history of the Church, as excellent guides along that path. Perhaps it is time to resurrect the traditional image of the baptized as "soldiers of Christ", a phrase that has been anathema for Catholic catechetical materials for decades. Despite the fact that the post-Vatican II zeitgeist has militated against the notion of "militancy" in all religious matters, this position has been proven to be misleading - by an honest assessment of what Sacred Scripture has to say about it and world events throughout our lives. The overthrow of the Soviet Union, for example, would not have occurred without John Paul II's nonviolent militancy in pursuit of a legitimate goal. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are our spiritual weapons for the spiritual warfare of everyday life.