From: Saint John Roman
Catholic Church
Isaiah told us the seven gifts
of the Holy Spirit: Is 11:2 “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the
spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit
of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”
They are: wisdom,
understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
These seven gifts, part of sanctifying grace, complete and perfect the virtues
of those who receive them. They make us docile in obeying divine inspirations
without need for reflection but always with full consent. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are greater than the
theological and cardinal virtues. The virtues operate to the limits of human
power and volition, but the gifts bring divine assistance. We are to pray to the Holy Spirit and ask for one of
these gifts. If He gives us a gift, we may ask for another, and so
on. The practice of virtue, enabled by the gifts seven
gifts of the Holy Spirit, bring us the Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Wisdom
The gift of wisdom leads the soul of those who have it
to see things from God’s perspective. Wisdom is fullness of knowledge through
affinity for the divine, as when a person comes to know Christ’s Passion
through suffering. It is also love, which inspires contemplative reflection on
what we believe and directs the mind to judge according to its precepts. The
gift of wisdom supplements the virtue of faith and shields us against
folly.
The virtue of charity is part of wisdom; it inspires
contemplative reflection on the divine mysteries, enjoys thinking about them,
and directs the mind to judge all things according to their right
principles.
Wisdom is distinct from faith. Faith is assent to the
defined articles of Catholic belief. Wisdom goes farther to a certain divine
penetration of these truths. Wisdom is first and highest among the seven gifts of
the Holy Spirit. Wisdom is also one of the Five Intellectual Virtues.
Understanding
The gift of understanding gives to the mind of those
who have it a charisma for apprehending Christ’s public revelation easily and
profoundly. More specifically, the gift of understanding helps
those who have it penetrate to the heart of revealed truth even when they do
not fully understand its entire meaning. It gives great confidence in the
revealed word of God and leads those who have it to reach true conclusions from
revealed principles.
Understanding is greater than faith. Faith is assent
to the defined articles of Catholic teaching. Understanding goes farther
because it gives insight into these defined articles of belief. The gift of
wisdom exceeds the gift of understanding in that it shows us God’s
perspective. Understanding is also one of the Five
Intellectual Virtues.
Counsel
The gift of counsel perfects in those who have it the
virtue of prudence. It enables them to judge promptly and rightly, as by
supernatural intuition, what should be done in difficult situations. It
primarily enhances one’s own prudent conduct, and only secondarily that of
others.
The Holy Spirit speaks to the heart through the gift
of counsel and shows those who have it what to do. Christ gave His followers a
gift like counsel when He told them, Mt 10:19 “When they deliver you up, do not
be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say
will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit
of your Father speaking through you.”
Fortitude [Cardinal Virtue]
The virtue of fortitude, or courage, is firmness of
spirit, steadiness of will in doing good despite obstacles in the performance
of our daily duty. It suppresses inordinate fear and curbs recklessness.
Because fortitude also moderates rashness, it is the special virtue of pioneers
in any field.
Fortitude is the obverse of temperance. Where
temperance limits inordinate desire for major pleasures such as food and drink
or the marital act, fortitude limits inordinate rashness and fear in the face
of major pain that threatens to unbalance human nature. Fortitude is one of the Four Cardinal Virtues; the others are
prudence, justice, and temperance.
Gift of the Spirit: The
gift of fortitude brings to those who have it a dauntless spirit of resolution,
firmness of mind, and indomitable will to persevere with a quiet faith in God’s
providence that overcomes all obstacles. It also brings courage to persist in
the practice of virtue despite trials, illness, persecution or external
failure. A Catholic who becomes fervent in God’s service will soon be condemned
by the world, but the gift of fortitude will sustain him as he walks toward the
Cross.
Knowledge
The gift of knowledge perfects the virtue of faith. It
enables those who have it to judge the whole spectrum of creatures and objects
from a supernatural viewpoint. Through infused knowledge the faithful can see
God’s providence in whatever enters their lives and put creatures to the right
use. The gift of knowledge is often called “the science of
the saints” because it enables those who have it to swiftly discern between the
impulses of temptation and the inspirations of grace.
Piety
The gift of piety perfects the virtue of justice
toward God. It infuses an instinctive love for God and devotion to those who
are consecrated to God. Piety arises from the Holy Spirit’s supernatural
communication, rather than from effort or acquired habit. The gift of piety enables those who have it to see God
as a loving Father. St. Paul told us, Rom 8:14 “All who are led by the Spirit
of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall
back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry,
’Abba! Father!’ it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that
we are children of God.”
The gift of piety also infuses in those who have
it an affectionate obedience to God because they love Him so much.
Fear
of the Lord
The gift of fear of the Lord confirms in those who
have it the virtue of hope and infuses profound respect for God’s glory and
selfless love for God. It protects from sin through dread of offending
God. This gift has nothing to do with servility or fear of
punishment. We express fear of the Lord in a perfect Act of Contrition.
