By DON FIER
“No one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God” (1 Cor. 2:11-12). These words of St. Paul to the Corinthians give us a glimpse of the wonders that can be ours through actuation of the infused gift of understanding, the second of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the gift we considered last week.
So deep and sublime are the sacred mysteries of our faith that no created being, no matter how intellectually gifted, can even begin to scratch their surface without supernatural assistance. While the virtue of faith gives us the ability to firmly assent to all God reveals and all that the Church authoritatively teaches, it is a knowing of darkness, a darkness that our mind naturally desires to penetrate because of the supernatural end for which we were created.
“Consequently,” says St. Thomas Aquinas, “man needs a supernatural light, in order to penetrate . . . what it cannot know by its natural light: and this supernatural light which is bestowed on man is called the gift of understanding” (Summa Theologiae [STh] II-II, Q. 8, art. 1).
As St. Anselm of Canterbury (1031-1109) stated simply, yet so profoundly in his Proslogion, “Faith seeks understanding.” About seven centuries earlier, St. Augustine said something quite similar, “I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe” (Sermo 43, 7, 9; as cited in Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], n. 158).
It is through the Holy Spirit’s gift of understanding that the theological virtue of faith is perfected to the extent possible in this life — it gives those in whom it is operative the ability to have deeper insights into divine truths held by faith. It was precisely the gift of understanding that was active in the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after Jesus’ Resurrection as “their eyes were opened and they recognized him” (Luke 24:31), and again after they joined the apostles in Jerusalem and “he opened their minds to understand the scriptures” (Luke 24:45).
The third gift of the Holy Spirit — as listed by the Prophet Isaiah — is that of counsel, which Fr. Jordan Aumann, OP, defines as: “To render the individual docile and receptive to the counsel of God regarding one’s actions in view of sanctification and salvation” (Spiritual Theology [SpT], p. 97). Just as the virtues of charity and faith are perfected by the gifts of wisdom and understanding, respectively, the gift of counsel perfects the virtue of prudence.
“Its function,” as Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, further explains, “is to enable a person to judge promptly and rightly, as by a sort of supernatural intuition, what should be done, especially in difficult situations” (Modern Catholic Dictionary [MCD], p. 229).
Before continuing, since the moral virtue of prudence and the supernatural gift of counsel are so closely related, it would be good to reflect briefly on prudence (a topic that will be treated more fully when we cover the moral life in Part Three of the Catechism).
One of the four cardinal virtues, prudence “disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it” (CCC, n. 1806). The Greek philosopher Aristotle defines prudence as recta ratio agibilium, or “right reason applied to practice,” and Fr. Hardon defines it as “the intellectual virtue whereby a human being recognizes in any matter at hand what is good and what is evil” (MCD, p. 448).
As stated in the Book of Wisdom, “The simple [man] believes everything, but the prudent [man] looks where he is going” (Wisdom 14:15).
Fr. Hardon identifies three stages of mental operation that take place as the virtue of prudence is exercised: 1) to take counsel carefully with oneself and from trusted others; 2) to judge correctly on the basis of all the evidence at hand; and 3) to direct subsequent activity according to the norms determined after a prudent judgment has been made (cf. MCD, p. 448). As such, the virtue of prudence can be seen to operate according to the dictates of reason enlightened by faith.
Suppose, however, a situation arises in which an unforeseen dilemma of grave importance manifests itself and “an immediate judgment is required, but there is neither the ability nor the opportunity to make the decision under the virtue of prudence” (SpT, p. 279). In other words, the judgment to be made is outside of one’s natural competence and experience, there is not time to consult another, and the right course of action is not evident.
It is in such situations that the gift of counsel can act spontaneously to clarify the whole situation. For one in whom counsel is operative, an inspiration from the Holy Spirit may come into his mind, “whereby man is directed as though counseled by God” (STh II-II, Q. 52, art. 1, ad 1).
Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, OP, advances an excellent general example in his work entitled Christian Perfection and Contemplation. It involves the moral dilemma of guarding a secret without violating the obligation to speak the truth — two duties in apparent opposition must be harmonized.
“Prudence is, as it were, perplexed,” says Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange. “It hesitates . . . about what answer to give so as to avoid a lie and keep a secret. In certain cases, only an inspiration of the gift of counsel will enable us to find the proper reply without in any way failing in the truth, and without having recourse to mental restrictions of dubious morality” (p. 277).
I am reminded of an account I heard in a moral theology class regarding St. John of the Cross seeking temporary refuge in a Discalced Carmelite convent in Toledo, Spain (founded by St. Teresa of Avila). John had recently escaped — in a near miraculous way — from Calced Carmelite friars who had unjustly imprisoned him in a tiny cell and mistreated him for several months. In the course of their search for the “escaped fugitive,” the friars appeared at the convent door and inquired as to the whereabouts of John.
Through a special prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Carmelite nun at the door was inspired with a response that did not disclose John’s presence: “It would be a surprise if you found any friar around here” (ICS Publications, God Speaks in the Night, p. 178).
Yet, at the same time, her duty to speak the truth remained unsullied, for indeed, it was a colossal surprise to even the nuns themselves that John had arrived earlier that day.
An inspiring example from Sacred Scripture of the promise of the gift of counsel is manifest in the very instructions of Jesus to His apostles as He sent them out to preach “as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matt. 10:16a): “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” (Matt. 10:19-20).
Such can be the experience for each of us if we are docile instruments of the Holy Spirit. We will also be given the capacity to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16b) when difficult situations arise where steadfast witness to the faith we profess seems humanly impossible.
The gift of counsel, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, corresponds to the fifth beatitude: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matt. 5:7). Following the thought of St. Augustine, the Angelic Doctor writes, “The beatitude of mercy specially corresponds to the gift of counsel, not as eliciting but as directing mercy” (STh II-II, Q. 52, art. 4).
Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange posits two principal reasons why counsel corresponds to the beatitude of the merciful: 1) mercy is necessary for us to truly know how to give fitting and useful counsel to those in need of it; and 2) whereas prudence hesitates in difficult circumstances in choosing between the rigor of justice and the compassion of mercy, the gift of counsel generally inclines us toward mercy.
Why? Mercy may encourage the sinner and will perhaps result in his re-entry into the order of justice (cf. The Three Ages of the Interior Life, p. 88).
Docility And Obedience
Many marvelous effects are produced when the gift of counsel is operative.
Fr. Aumann highlights some of the principal ones: 1) it preserves one from an erroneous conscience (especially important for spiritual directors, moral theologians, and preachers); 2) it provides a proper solution when one is confronted with unexpected, difficult situations; 3) it inspires those responsible for the governance of others with apt direction (e.g., religious superiors, parents, etc.); and 4) it increases docility and obedience in souls to their lawful superiors (cf. SpT, pp. 279-280).
How do we best dispose ourselves for actuation of the gift of counsel?
Again, Fr. Aumann lists special dispositions we should strive to cultivate: 1) practice profound humility so as to recognize weaknesses and ignorance; 2) practice patience with a reflective spirit, and know God will act in His time, not ours; 3) nurture mental prayer in an atmosphere of silence — withdraw at regular times from the noise and commotion of the world; and 4) be submissive and obedient to those with legitimate authority — an insubordinate, independent spirit prevents the Holy Spirit from acting (cf. SpT, p. 280).
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(Don Fier serves on the board of directors for The Catholic Servant, a Minneapolis-based monthly publication. He and his wife are the parents of seven children. Fier is a 2009 graduate of Ave Maria University’s Institute for Pastoral Theology. He is doing research for writing a definitive biography of Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)
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