By DON FIER
Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890) once said: “I am created to do something or to be something for which no one else is created. . . . God has created me to do Him some definite service. . . . I have my mission.”
Confirmation, which “completes the grace of Baptism by a special outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” is a powerful sacramental means provided by Christ for that very purpose: It prepares and equips the baptized “for active participation in the worship and apostolic life of the Church” (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], Glossary). The special gifts and graces it confers serve as powerful aids in enlightening one’s intellect to discern God’s specific mission for him and in strengthening his will to fearlessly carry it out.
The wondrous effects of Confirmation that we examined last week are concisely summarized in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: It confers “a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit like that of Pentecost . . . [that] impresses on the soul an indelible character and produces a growth in the grace of Baptism. It roots the recipient more deeply in divine sonship, binds him more firmly to Christ and to the Church, and reinvigorates the gifts of the Holy Spirit in his soul. It gives a special strength to witness to the Christian faith” (n. 268).
In his Basic Catholic Catechism Course, Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, states that “while Confirmation increases all the infused virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it primarily strengthens the virtue of faith” (p. 130).
He goes on to explain that the graces received in the Sacrament of Confirmation make our faith more clear, so we can differentiate between religious truth and error; more understandable, so we can grasp the faith more deeply; more certain, to increase our conviction; more zealous, to inspire us to share what we believe; more constant, to enable us to stand firm in the face of opposition or indifference; and more vital, so that we more authentically and steadfastly live up to what we believe, especially in the practice of charity.
Our focus for the next few installments will be the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, which were initially received by the Christian during Baptism. As we saw last week, these supernatural gifts became known to us through Revelation, most especially as revealed in the Old Testament Book of the Prophet Isaiah (see Isaiah 11:1-3).
In fact, as explained by Fr. Jordan Aumann in his classic work entitled Spiritual Theology (SpT), “The existence of the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be known to us only through revelation, since they are supernatural realities that completely transcend the light of natural reason” (p. 89).
How do we know the gifts of the Holy Spirit are fortified in Confirmation? As we saw two weeks ago when we examined the Latin Rite of Confirmation, the bestowal of the sevenfold gifts is explicit in the sacrament’s administration.
When the presiding bishop extends his hands over the confirmandi, he prays: “Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment [counsel] and courage [fortitude], the spirit of knowledge and reverence [piety]. Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence [fear of the Lord].” He then prays over each candidate as he anoints his or her forehead: “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Why are they called gifts? As explained by Fr. Aumann, “In general usage, a gift signifies anything that one person gives to another out of liberality and with benevolence” (SpT, p. 88). In other words, the recipient incurs no debt or obligation and the gift is bestowed out of love. That is not to say, however, that gratitude is not required of the receiver nor that good use of the gift is not demanded.
Such is the case for the seven gifts: They are freely and benevolently imparted by the Holy Spirit to assist us in achieving sanctification and to bring the theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity) and the infused moral virtues (supernatural prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance) to perfection.
What is required on our part? For the gifts to be operative we must remain in the state of sanctifying grace; furthermore, their efficacy in helping us advance toward perfection of virtue increases as we grow in grace.
Although we will not expansively cover the virtues until the moral life is treated in Part Three of the Catechism, it would be of benefit to preface further discussion of the sevenfold gifts with a brief overview of the infused supernatural virtues. In what ways are they similar and how do they differ from the gifts? As defined by the Catechism, “a virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good. . . . The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions” (CCC, n. 1803). The gifts, on the other hand, “complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them” (CCC, n. 1831).
Fr. Aumann, following the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas, lists the principal characteristics that are common to the infused virtues and the gifts. Both are operative habits which have the same efficient cause, namely God. Both reside in the human faculties and have right moral behavior as their object. Finally, both have the supernatural perfection of man as their final cause, the consummation of which is attained only in the world to come (cf. SpT, p. 92).
How, then, do the infused virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit differ? “The motor cause of the infused virtues,” explains Fr. Aumann, “is human reason — reason illumined by faith and prompted by an actual grace. The gifts operate under the impetus of the Holy Spirit, who actuates the gifts by direct contact” (ibid.).
In other words, the infused virtues lead one to act by natural reason aided by faith and grace whereas the gifts, on the other hand, are put directly into motion by the Holy Spirit. The operations of the infused virtues “are restricted to a human mode of action” while the gifts “operate in a divine or supernatural mode” (SpT, p. 93).
Important to note, however, is that even though the soul is passive under the influence of the gifts, there must be conscious assent of the intellect and free cooperation of the will.
Why are the gifts of the Holy Spirit — in addition to the infused theological and moral virtues — necessary for salvation? St. Thomas answers this question in his Summa Theologiae: “In matters directed to the supernatural end, to which man’s reason moves him, according as it is, in a manner, and imperfectly, actuated by the theological virtues, the motion of reason does not suffice, unless it receives in addition the prompting or motion of the Holy Ghost” (I-II, Q. 68, art. 2).
In other words, as a consequence of our weakened condition due to the effects of original sin, reason illuminated by faith is not always sufficient for us to discern God’s particular will for us.
Spiritual writers often use an analogy to differentiate these two ways of being led by the Holy Spirit. Progress in the spiritual and moral life is compared to rowing a boat as opposed to being carried forward by means of a sail. As described by Fr. Paul A. Duffner, OP, “The rowing (in which we retain mastery and direction of the boat) is much more laborious and slower; but with sails (given a favorable wind) the progress is made with much less effort and greater speed” (The Rosary Light & Life — volume 46, n. 3, May-June, 1993).
How often, even when doing our best to live holy and virtuous lives, are we perplexed by the course of action God desires for us, or for what good we should be lifting up in prayer?
Might it be precisely the gifts of the Holy Spirit that St. Paul is referring to when he says: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27)?
Indeed, “the wind [of the Holy Spirit] blows where it wills” (John 3:8); it is ours to remain in the state of grace and be attentive to His silent promptings.
Gifts And Virtues
Next week we will embark on a consideration of each of the gifts on an individual basis, following the order as enumerated by the Prophet Isaiah: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
An attempt will be made to identify the virtue (or virtues) to which each most closely corresponds, as well as their connection to seven of the eight beatitudes as specified in the Gospel of St. Matthew (following the thought of St. Augustine’s commentary on the Sermon on the Mount).
In closing, it is interesting to note that Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604) reversed the order of the gifts in his consideration, beginning with the least perfect and proceeding to the highest and most perfect:
“Through the fear of the Lord, we rise to piety, from piety then to knowledge, from knowledge we derive strength, from strength counsel, with counsel we move towards understanding, and with intelligence towards wisdom and thus, by the sevenfold grace of the Spirit, there opens to us at the end of the ascent the entrance to the life of Heaven” (Homiliae in Hiezechihelem Prophetam, II 7, 7). His view is supported in Sacred Scripture, which indicates that the gifts of the Holy Spirit begin with fear of the Lord and culminate in wisdom (cf. Prov. 9:10; Psalm 111:10).
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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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