Living by the Gifts of the SPIRIT with the Holy Angels

A few weeks after the Resurrection, St. Peter and six other disciples were on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, perhaps a bit restless and not knowing what to do with themselves. They had seen Jesus alive again, but now, He was nowhere to be seen. Peter announces, “I’m going fishing!”, and the others join in, “We will go with you!” (Jn 21:3) – as if nothing had happened, as if they could simply go “back to normal”! It is only at Pentecost that the Apostles are filled with the Holy Spirit in order to be strengthened and confirmed in their mission. They were suddenly transformed from weak and timid disciples into bold and fearless Apostles of the new life of love in Christ Jesus. From that moment onward, they lived no longer by their own human wisdom and strength, but by the Spirit of Christ.

By grace and in the power of the Holy Spirit, all the members of Christ’s Body, the Church, are transformed and conformed to Him, and called to continue His mission in the world – that is, to be Christ in the midst of men. “The Holy Spirit forms the human spirit from within according to the Divine exemplar which is Christ.… In thinking, loving, judging, acting and even in feeling, man is conformed to Christ, and becomes “Christ-like.” From then onward Christ is with us and works in us through the Holy Spirit” (John Paul II, Gen. Aud. = GA, July 26, 1989) The renewal in the Holy Spirit is a participation in His grace and power; still, this must be accepted and lived. “We have not received a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim 3:7). After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we should not want to go “back to normal”, to begin again with “ordinary time”; rather, we want to strive to live our spiritual renewal and mission as members of Christ’s Body with extraordinary love and joy, with the supernatural love and joy of Christ in and through His Holy Spirit.

The seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit received at Baptism and deepened by the Sacrament of Confirmation “are permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. …They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying Divine inspirations” (CCC 1830-31). Let us therefore look at each of these seven Gifts, in order to learn how we can better cooperate with them.

The Gift of Wisdom

Wisdom, as the highest of the Gifts of the Spirit: it is a participation in the highest knowledge, the knowledge of God Himself, for “the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor 2:10). But this Gift, deriving from our union with God in supernatural faith and charity, is more than just an intellectual apprehension. As the root of the Latin word for wisdom, sapientia, sapere = to taste, suggests, wisdom as a Gift of the Spirit is a certain taste or experience of God, of His goodness and love. Through charity, we are united with God, we have a certain connaturality (similarity in nature) with Him as St. Paul writes, “He who is joined to the Lord, is one Spirit with Him” (1 Cor 6:17). And from this union, the gift of Wisdom is derived, which deepens our experiential knowledge of God and makes us like Him whom we contemplate, as adopted sons in the One Son, Jesus Christ.

Further, since Wisdom “attains to God more intimately by a kind of union of the soul with Him, it is able to direct us not only in contemplation but also in action” (St. Thomas Aq. Summa Theol.= ST, II-II, 45, a. 3). Thus, wisdom is not only a contemplative Gift, but also active, changing how we live. It so interiorly transforms us that we see the world from God’s perspective and measure all things from eternal values and God’s law. “By means of His Holy Spirit, God makes known His own will, His plan for human life, much more deeply and surely than with a mere promulgation of a law in formulas of human language” (GA, March 14, 1990). Thus, through the Gift of Wisdom our actions arise from a renewed interior being, renewed in the likeness of Christ through His Spirit.

Wisdom makes us open for the grace of the Spirit and obedient to the precepts and wise plans of God for our lives; it brings to silence our disordered plans, desires and goals, which keep us from following the will of God. “I preferred her [wisdom] to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her” (Wis 7:8). It makes our service of God easy and pleasant, because our actions will arise quasi naturally from our deepened union with Him in charity, as St. Thomas writes: “The result of wisdom is to make the bitter sweet, and labor a rest” (ST, ibid.). Thus, St. Lawrence could joyfully joke with his tormentors about flipping him on the grill, and St. Thomas More could playfully ask his executioner to spare his handsome beard, which had committed no crime. Having “tasted” God deeply, nothing in this world could seduce them from serving Him, not even the greatest torments, and that, with gladness of heart. More than any other creature, Mary, the Seat of Wisdom, was open in humility for the working of the Spirit of Wisdom in her life, opening her heart, mind and womb to the Eternal Wisdom, Jesus.

The Gift of Understanding

The Gift of Understanding is based on the theological virtue of faith, and helps us to penetrate the truths of our faith more profoundly and with greater certitude. St. Thomas writes of this Gift, “Understanding implies an intimate knowledge, for ‘intelligere’ [to understand] is the same as ‘intus legere’ [to read inwardly]” (ST, II-II, 8, art. 1). Thus, through the working of the Spirit, we are able to “penetrate into the heart of things” (ibid.), to see beyond what is accessible to natural reason alone. In this way, for example, Our Lord opened the minds of the disciples on the way to Emmaus to understand all that was said of Him in the Scriptures, that the Christ was to suffer and only so enter His glory (cf. Lk 24:27, 32). It is also thanks to this Gift that the faithful have a certain intuition of divine things, a “sense of the faith’’ (sensus fidei), which preserves the body of the faithful as a whole from falling into error (though individual members can certainly fall into error). And our Pastors, the Pope and Bishops, are promised the divine light in teaching the faith: “The Advocate…will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (Jn 14:26). Thus is the Catholic Church guaranteed the certitude of faith, as the “Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth” (1 Tim 3:13).

Through this Gift, we understand not only the truths of divine things better, but are also enabled to penetrate more deeply into human events and the workings of Divine Providence in our own lives and in the world around us, seeing all as coming from and guided by the loving hand of God. Pope St. John Paul II writes, “Thanks to it one sees better the many signs of God which are written in creation. Thus is discovered the not merely earthly dimension of events of which human history is woven. One can even arrive at prophetically interpreting the present and the future: signs of the times, signs of God!” (GA, April 16, 1989).

Understanding helps us to walk ever more surely and faithfully in the light of faith, accepting the dark and mysterious ways of God in our lives by the Gift of His Spirit. We will understand the great grace of our own personal way of the Cross and grow in trust of Him, who “works all things for the good of those who love Him” (Rom 8:28). The Saints enjoyed this special light of Understanding, and walked confidently against the tide of the times, seeing all things in the light of God and eternity.

The Gift of Knowledge

By the Gift of Knowledge, we know and judge the true value of creatures in relation to the Creator. In contrast with Wisdom, whereby we see all things by the light of God, by Knowledge we see God through His creation. Creation is good, and God created the universe for man, in order to help him to see and recognize the goodness of God in it. One of the main sources of temptation is to turn from the Creator to created goods, absolutizing them as the final end (cf. Summa Theol. II-II, 9, a. 4). Thus, the godless man lives for pleasure, power and wealth, forgetting to give God the glory for the wonderful works of creation. Pope St. John Paul II writes, “Man discovers the infinite distance which separates things from the Creator, their intrinsic limitation, the danger that they can present, when, through sin, he makes improper use of them. It is a discovery which leads him to realize with remorse his misery and impels him to turn with greater drive and confidence to God, who alone can fully satisfy” (GA, April 9, 1989).

The Saints, like St. Francis, loved God in creation and made use of the consolation of creatures only in so far as they led to God. We see this especially in his “Canticle of the Sun”: “Be praised, my Lord, through all Your creatures, especially through Brother Sun, who brings the day; and You give light through him!” Thus, created goods should be loved, but for God’s sake, leading us to give thanks and praise to God, as it is written in the Psalms: “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims His handiwork” (Ps 19:2). “Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights…. Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you shining stars!” (Ps 148:1, 3). How often we feel the presence and majesty of God in a beautiful sunset, in an ocean view or from the heights of the mountains!

The light of Knowledge can illumine us regarding the words of Sacred Scripture, especially regarding the Gospels, where Jesus teaches us the true values on our way to God and the proper filial relationship to the Father. By the Gift of Knowledge, we “judge aright about matters of faith and action, through the grace bestowed on us, so as never to wander from the straight path of justice” (ST, II-II, 9, art. 3). Jesus came as Light into the world and by following Him and His word, we can also become light for others who lie in darkness, blinded by sin. Asking for this Gift, we too want to become bold defenders of Christian values and witnesses to God in a godless world.

The Gift of Counsel

While by the Gift of Knowledge we are aided also in making judgments about the actions to take, it is the Spirit’s Gift of Counsel which, corresponding to prudence on the natural level, aids our conscience in making concrete moral choices. Counsel, accompanied by the virtue of patience, aids us in discerning what leads to God’s glorification and our own salvation. As Pope St. John Paul II writes, the Gift of Counsel “guides the soul from within, enlightening it about what to do, especially when it is a matter of important choices (for example, of responding to a vocation), or about a path to be followed among difficulties and obstacles” (GA, May 7, 1989). We can exercise the gift of Counsel both by receiving and giving good counsel. Receiving it requires openness and humility, while giving counsel is aided by kindness and meekness.

The Angels in particular, as messengers of the Spirit, cooperate with and mediate the Gift of Counsel, as we see by the example of St. Joseph. Four times in the Gospel of Matthew we read that Joseph accepted the counsel and warning of an Angel in a dream regarding how he was to lead and protect the Holy Family (see Mt 1). Certainly there were many additional instances over the years, which were not recorded. St. Joseph had the readiness and docility of spirit to listen to the counsel of the Angel and act upon it immediately. He did not question or doubt, but in purity of heart, was able to discern the will of God in the voice of the Angel. In these dark and difficult times, let us ask Mary, Mother of Good Counsel, to implore this Gift for us and the Church, for our new Holy Father, Pope Leo, and for all the Bishops and leaders of the Church.

The Gift of Fortitude

There are many influences, both from within and without, which “war against the spirit”, attempting to force or entice us to abandon our commitment to God and the following of Christ. To resist temptations from within or unjust opposition from without, both in the little and great occasions of life, requires a firmness of spirit which often surpasses human strength. The upright life requires a “firmness of mind…both in doing good and in enduring evil, especially with regard to goods or evils that are difficult” (ST, II-II, 39, art. 1). In these situations, we must rely on the aid of the Holy Spirit’s Gift of Fortitude. The Holy Spirit instills a certain confidence in the mind of man, that he may not turn out of fear from doing good or suffering evil for God’s sake. Pope St. John Paul II writes, “The gift of Fortitude is a supernatural impulse which gives strength to the soul…in the struggle to remain consistent with one’s principles; in putting up with insults and unjust attacks; in courageous perseverance on the path of truth and uprightness, in spite of lack of understanding and hostility. (GA, May 14, 1989)

Fortitude is needed not only in suffering evil, but also in resisting our own temptation to oppress the weak. It is much easier to yell at a colleague or child, for example, than to control and discipline oneself, in order to correct or counsel with meekness. In the same sense, it is easier to make war than to make peace. Also in doing good, in following Jesus on the way of expiation and sacrifice for the salvation of souls, Fortitude is necessary to remain consistently firm in our purpose, even in the least situations of life. The sister of St. Therese of Lisieux testified in the beatification process that the most pronounced virtue she witnessed in her sister was fortitude, and this to a heroic degree. How many hidden, heroic “little” sacrifices of self-renunciation she exercised for the conversion of sinners and the sanctification of priests!

In the exercise of every virtue, fortitude as a cardinal virtue is necessary in order to remain on the path of goodness and love. But in trying situations which require the heroic virtue of the Saints, not just the virtue, but also the Gift of Fortitude is needed to give strength and firmness to our commitment to Christ and to the path of goodness and truth in daily life. After the example of Mary, the “strong Woman” beneath the Cross, we want to implore this Gift that we, too, may remain faithful to God on the little way of love with a willing and even joyful heart unto the end.

The Gift of Piety

The Gift of Piety, also called Godliness, aids us in living a loving, trusting relationship to God as our Father. St. Thomas states that by Piety we are moved by the Holy Spirit to have “a filial affection towards God, according to Romans 8:15, ‘You have received the Spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry: Abba (Father)!’” (ST, II-II, 121, art. 1). Jesus Himself has taught us to call God “Our Father”, to turn to Him with confidence in all our needs, to trust in His merciful forgiveness and His paternal, loving watchfulness over us. “Be not anxious of mind…for your Father knows what you need” (cf. Lk 12:29-30).

Piety also moves us to charity toward our neighbor for God’s sake, because we are all His beloved children. “With the Gift of Piety the Spirit infuses into the believer a new capacity for love of the brethren, making his heart participate in some manner in the very meekness of the Heart of Christ. The ‘pious’ Christian always sees others as children of the same Father, called to be part of the family of God which is the Church” (JPII, GA May 28, 1989).  Thus this Gift, united with the Gift of Fortitude, can also move us to heroic acts of mercy for God’s sake, like those carried out by St. Teresa of Calcutta. While secular humanism always runs the risk of self-satisfaction, condescension and pride, mercy practiced for love of God makes us humble, tender and cheerful in being allowed to serve others, knowing that it is not by our own strength or goodness that we serve, but by God’s Gift. Pope St. John Paul II describes Piety by the word “tenderness”: “With it, the Spirit heals our hearts of every form of hardness, and opens them to tenderness towards God and our brothers and sisters…. The Gift of Piety further extinguishes in the heart those fires of tension and division which are bitterness, anger and impatience, and nourishes feelings of understanding, tolerance, and pardon. Such a Gift is, therefore, at the root of that new human community which is based on the civilization of love” (ibid.).

Fear of the Lord

The last of the Gifts in the traditional ordering, the Fear of the Lord, is the first on the path to wisdom and the perfection of charity, as the Scripture says, “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps 111:10; Prov 1:7). St. Thomas distinguishes different types of fear. One is servile fear of punishment, which often serves as the starting point of a man’s conversion to God. Out of this fear, Adam and Eve “hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Gen 3:8). Much more noble and precious is that filial fear, by which one submits to God out of reverence and fears offending or to be separated from Him, just as a son fears to offend the father whom he loves. Pope John Paul II comments, “The Fear of the Lord certainly does not exclude the trepidation that arises from an awareness of the faults committed and the prospect of divine chastisement, but mitigates it with faith in the divine mercy and with the certitude of the fatherly concern of God who wills the eternal salvation of each one” (GA June 11, 1989).

The second kind of fear named by Thomas is the filial fear of reverent submission to God as our Father. This latter is the Gift of the Holy Spirit. This holy, reverential, loving Fear keeps us from sinning and transgressing God’s law from the motive of love. Not to submit to God, by presumptuously revolting against Him or contemning Him, is at the heart of pride, which was the cause of the fall of the demons. Isaiah records the prideful boasting and resulting punishment of Lucifer: “And you [Lucifer] said in your heart, ‘I will ascend into heaven…I will be like the Most High!’ But yet you shall be brought down to hell, into the depth of the pit!” (Is 14:13-15). As a remedy and safeguard against this spiritual pride, Jesus merited for us by the humiliation of His Passion the Spirit’s Gift of the holy Fear of the Lord. This Gift is at the origin of poverty of spirit, whereby we avoid prideful presumption and seek to serve God in humility, as our good and solicitous Father. Holy Fear is also at the origin of the virtues of temperance, chastity and the mortification of the senses. For by reverential Fear of offending, we “seek rather the things that are above” (cf. Col 3:3), and therefore shun the sins of the flesh. St. Paul writes, “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, making holiness perfect in the Fear of God!” (2 Cor 7:11). Let us pray especially to Mary, the Immaculate Bride of the Spirit, that she intercede for us this Gift of holy Fear.

The Spirit of Holiness and Love and the Holy Angels

Having meditated on all these beautiful Gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit which bring us to holiness, we naturally come to ask, how can we receive these Gifts, how can we dispose ourselves for them?! The first and simplest answer is prayer. By prayer we open our hearts and spirits for the working of God (and the Angels!) in our lives, consecrate ourselves to His service and grow in His love. To be able to pray, however, we also need a “clean heart”, loving contrition for our faults and the desire to detach ourselves from all that draws us away from God and His plan for us, principally from our own self: self-will, self-seeking, self-aggrandizement. Therefore, docility and humility also contribute greatly to being open for the lead of the Holy Spirit, to being ready and willing for His will, for working to His glory and the consolidation of His Kingdom on earth.

While by the Gifts, the Holy Spirit works directly in our will and intellect as “the Self-Gift” of God to men, the Holy Angels play an important role in that they both mediate the Gifts (see John of the Cross, Dark Night, Bk II, ch. 12) and help to dispose us to receive and work with them. For the Gifts come into play precisely in difficult situations, when we are called to practice heroic virtue. And especially in these moments, the Angels stand by us and aid us with their light, strength and encouragement, so that we may have the courage to say yes to the Cross, to accept and offer a sacrifice demanded of us out of love for God, to bear with generosity and surrender our share of the burden of Christ’s sufferings for the Church (cf. Col 1:24). “Rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ…blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Pet 4:13-14).

“The harder and the more impassable your path becomes, the more ardently you should love, praise and trust GOD, for you are on the way of the Cross, the right way to heaven” (Mother Gabriele, Maxims). Our trust and hope, even in the face suffering, “does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). Being faithful to the little way of love in every situation of daily life, especially when we are challenged to the utmost, we allow the Spirit of love to work in and through us. In this way we contribute the most toward the consolidation of His Kingdom here on earth, the Kingdom of love.

Sr. Maria Basilea