Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary time.
My dear Parishioners,
Peace! The sacraments in general are treated by the Catechism of the Catholic Church in at least seven (7) passages. The following is a reflection on articles 743 and 1831.
That the sacraments impart grace is but another way to say that God sends “the Spirit of His Son” into our very being (cf. Galatians 4:6). Each of the sacraments impart grace. In the Sacrament of Baptism, however, one of the particular graces includes “divine adoption,” how we are made adopted sons and daughters in the one only Son. This divine adoption makes us not only brothers and sisters to Christ but also with all of those others who have received the same Spirit of adoption.
While the outpouring of the Creator Spirit upon us in the Sacrament of Confirmation is often rightly highlighted, including the various “gifts of the Spirit,” one key sign of the Spirit’s powerful presence is the ability to cry out both “Abba, Father” and “Jesus is Lord” (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:3; Galatians 4:6). God has even more than this in store for us when bestowing the gift of the Spirit.
The Spirit which descended upon the Lord Jesus, anointing Him to preach the Gospel to the poor and to heal the contrite of heart is the same Spirit given us in the sacraments (cf. Luke 4:18; John 20:22). The seven (7) gifts of the Spirit are enumerated in Sacred Scripture by the Prophet Isaiah 11:2-3. For his part, Saint Thomas Aquinas, OP, treats the gifts in the Summa Theologiae I-II, Q., 68, A.1, 4-7.
The gift of Wisdom perfects our speculative reason and directs both our intellect and our affections. Wisdom considers the excellence of God. The gift of Understanding belongs to reason and perfects our speculative reason. Understanding penetrates the truths heard, refreshing the heart and enlightening its darkness so as to enlighten our minds. The gift of Counsel belongs to reason and perfects our practical reason. Counsel concerns matters of difficulty. The gift of Fortitude perfects us against fear of dangers and adversity which we face so often in our lives on Earth. The gift of Knowledge perfects our practical reason and allows us to instruct the ignorant in the ways of God. By God’s gift of Knowledge we are able to overcome the void of ignorance even in anticipation of the life to come. The gift of Piety denotes both the reverence and the worship which we render unto God our Father. Piety belongs to the appetite, that is, our desires, satisfying the inmost heart with deeds of mercy in this life and flowering in the fellowship of joy in the life to come. The gift of the Fear of the Lord corresponds to the virtue of temperance, helping us to refrain from evil pleasures in view of God’s excellence (cf. Proverbs 15:27). Fear of the Lord belongs to the appetite, that is, our desires.
How wonderful the blessings of God!
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr