Transcript

Hello, my name is Father Gregory Pine, and I'm a Dominican friar of the Province of Saint Joseph.

This is Pints with Aquinas.

Recently, I've been asked a handful of questions about the Holy Spirit, such as how important the Holy Spirit is for one's spiritual life or how to focus more on the Holy Spirit in said spiritual life.

One of those particular questions that I find fascinating is whether the gifts of the Holy Spirit are necessary or the type of thing that we should try to cultivate.

There are a lot of cool things to be discussed under this particular heading, so I thought it was worth a video.

So let's get after it.

Here we go.

Okay, so the first thing to distinguish is between the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are described in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, specifically in chapter 11, I think it's verses 2 and 3, and then those that are described in the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, specifically in chapter 12. In the first case, we're dealing with the gifts of the Holy Spirit which come to us with sanctifying grace.

So when we are baptized, or sometimes in anticipation of that baptism, we're given the gift of grace, which is like health of the soul, our partaking of the divine life.

With that comes the virtues like faith, hope, charity, infused prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, along with other things that come in their wake.

And also the gifts of the Holy Spirit—there's other stuff besides, but we're just going to focus on that.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, piety, fortitude, and the fear of the Lord.

These gifts of the Holy Spirit are necessary for salvation; they're the types of things that just accompany the life of grace.

Grace is health of the soul, and if you're going to go to heaven, you've got to be healthy because that's the way in which we come to partake at present of the divine life.

There's no real formal distinction between grace and glory.

That's a complicated way of saying that what we experience now, the divine life that we experience now, is what we will experience in heaven, just more permanently, stably, and fixedly, without any fear of loss or without any fear of diminution—however you pronounce that word.

Not important.

It is kind of important.

Okay, so these gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be cultivated, right?

They're to be lived with a kind of insistence or with a kind of intensity.

So what are they?

Well, when we talk about the virtues, we're talking about a gift of God poured into our lives, which informs or kind of gets into the cracks or into the nooks and crannies of particular aspects of our human lives.

So we say, you know, we have a human soul, but our soul acts through different—sometimes you'll hear it said powers, sometimes you'll hear it said faculties.

Basically, you have an intellect, you have a will, you have emotions, and you're going to engage with reality through those different powers, and you have virtues.

which inform those powers or which kind of heal and elevate those powers so that you can act stably and permanently for the good in a way that becomes easy, prompt, and joyful.

It's basically what we're talking about when we talk about the life of virtue.

Virtues have a way of infusing reason into the whole of your life and making it so that you can see what is true, and then you can love what is good in its proper order.

Now, the virtues are those gifts of God whereby we act in a human way.

This is one way of describing them, and here I'm going to go a little bit fast and loose, but know that there is a big debate about this subject.

I'm not going to do it justice, but if you're interested, you can find out more in a variety of places.

So when we act through the virtues, we act in a human way or by a human mode.

Faith, hope, and charity—these things come to us from God, but they capacitate us or empower us to act as human beings according to this divine gift and by this divine power, but ultimately in a somewhat human way.

Whereas when we act by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it's as if we act by a divine mode or in a divine way.

So the virtues, you know, they kind of capacitate us for human action, whereas the gifts of the Holy Spirit open us up to a kind of divine inspiration or breath or instinct, or whatever you want to call it—a variety of ways to describe it.

So there's this sense that with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, there are certain activities or certain operations in the spiritual life which kind of go beyond our power, and yet we can rely upon God to supply what we need in order to carry them out.

So like a classic example is, when we act by prudence, we're acting by our light.

We're taking counsel with wise people, we're consulting our own experience, we're trying to project the decision into the future, we're making good snap judgments, we're reasoning through the process as we are sensitized to principles, we're cautious, we're circumspect as we execute.

Okay, cool.

When we act by the gift of the Holy Spirit, counsel—which perfects the virtue of prudence—it's as if our minds are opened up to the divine reasons in the matter.

So you might say to yourself, I should definitely live in this particular neighborhood because it's closer to work, and because there are a lot of good Catholic families, and because it's safe, and you know, you list off all the reasons.

It makes total sense, right?

But then you get a kind of sense that maybe it would be better if I lived in this neighborhood.

I might have to pay just a touch more; there might be things about it that are less than ideal, but I feel drawn here.

And it's not just like indigestion; it's like the Lord is giving me simple confirming signs, and I feel confident that this is blessed.

So that would be kind of divine breath or inspiration or instinct, and as we get in the habit of following these things, then we get in the habit of being better led by God.

Okay, the nature of these inspirations is also debated.

I'm not going to wade into that debate, but know that there are people who think that it's part of the ordinary course of human life, and other people think that it's more spectacular or special.

I tend to be somewhere in the middle, towards ordinary, so I think that these promptings come often; they come thick and fast, and that we can become more and more sensitized to them.

Okay, so these are the gifts of the Holy Spirit described in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 11, verses 2 and 3. Again, they are wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, piety, fortitude, and fear of the Lord.

They're necessary for salvation because they're part of the life of grace.

So grace is kind of spelled out or articulated in the life of virtue and the life of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as the fruits of the Spirit and the Beatitudes.

It's another subject; if you're interested, you can look at the end of the treatise on virtues in the Prima Secundae of the Summa Theologiae, which, you know, you're watching this video, so that's your favorite book.

Cheers!

Okay, so that would be the first.

All right, now the other one would be the gifts which are described in the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, specifically in chapter 12, when he's talking about the governance of the Church or the kind of management of ecclesial life.

The high point of this discussion is the long song or praise of love in the 13th chapter, which is often read at weddings.

But St. Paul is talking in the 12th chapter about the organization of ecclesial life, specifically when it comes to the exercise of these gifts.

Okay, so here he lists things like tongues and then discernment of tongues or discernment of spirits, prophecy, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, mighty deeds.

So we're talking about what we often call charismatic gifts or charismatic graces, or gifts of the Holy Spirit is another way that we refer to them.

St. Thomas' language when he talks about these uses the words gratiae gratis date—that'd be the plural form—and he thinks that all graces are gratiae gratis date, which is to say grace is freely given.

He thinks that some of those graces make us pleasing.

He uses the term singular, gratia gratiam faciens, and that would be the things that pertain to sanctifying grace that we described just now.

So that would be grace, virtues, and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

When he says, Well, these are just gratiae gratis date, he's saying that they're freely given, but they don't necessarily make us good; they don't necessarily make us pleasing.

They don't pertain to those things over here which come with sanctifying grace.

So you are not given this at baptism necessarily; you might be.

This is often part of the way in which these charismatic gifts, these charismatic graces, are explained.

We hear in the early Church, on the basis of scriptural testimony and of apostolic fathers and some of the early apologists, that when many Christians were baptized, it seems that they would have spontaneously received these gifts and the exercise of them.

But after, like, it seems the fourth or fifth century, they fall out of common usage, or at least we hear less testimony about them.

Now, mind you, theologians are writing treatises about these gifts, but they don't seem to feature as prominently in ecclesial life.

But with the late 19th and early 20th century, we see them come roaring back.

Now, mind you, there's a long history, especially in Protestantism, of awakenings in the 17th and 18th centuries.

But with the 19th century, we see stirrings in the Catholic Church.

So like in the late 19th century, Pope Leo XIII prays for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and then in certain Pentecostal churches, you see that prayer answered.

This is how the stories are counted: Topeka, Kansas, in the early 20th century is a kind of epicenter of that movement.

Then you have, especially in the 50s and the 60s, more of this, and that's in the late 60s, I think, is when the Catholic Charismatic Movement begins with the Duquesne Weekend.

So at Duquesne University, there was this kind of born-in-the-Spirit retreat, or there was a retreat calling down the Holy Spirit, and then those who were present came spontaneously into the practice of certain of these gifts.

You see it picked up with different movements like Cursillo or different covenant communities, many of which are still in existence.

Here you can think about like City of the Lord in Phoenix, in San Diego, or the Word of God Community in Ann Arbor.

There was a covenant community associated with Franciscan University of Steubenville for a while, and Steubenville continues to be a place where the charismatic movement is alive and well, from what I understand.

So again, described in 1 Corinthians 12, tongues, interpretation of tongues, discernment of spirits, prophecy, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, and mighty deeds are the typical ones that are listed.

I apologize if I've gotten that list for any reason wrong.

I should have brushed up a little bit more before I recorded this video, but alas, here we are.

The idea with these is they don't necessarily make you holy.

So then what's the point of them, Father Gregory?

Well, they're for the edification or for the upbuilding of the Church.

Okay, so they testify to the power of God at work in the Church's life, and these particular gifts or graces work towards the conversion of those who might otherwise be skeptical or suspicious.

But also, just to note, the Holy Spirit is made manifest in power, so it's a matter of manifestation and communication of that ecclesial life to those within and to those without.

Here, just a helpful kind of addendum or corollary to this is that you can exercise these gifts and not be in a state of grace.

It seems to be the case that that is true.

So you can exercise these gifts and not be in a state of grace.

They're not necessarily associated with holiness.

They can be, and we see that in the lives of many saints, but it is not necessarily the case.

So that's just a reason to say, okay, in the 20th century, you have a lot of new ecclesial movements starting up, many of which are good, some of which are not so good.

You see problems with things like guruism, obedience, or sexuality, chastity, things like that.

It's like, okay, it seems this person had a charism to found this ecclesial movement, and yet this person is not holy.

How does that work?

This gives us a conceptual tool for understanding how that might be.

Now, there are tons of other factors that can play into this, so that's not the whole explanation, but that's one of the things that’s at stake.

Okay, so then how about the question of necessity when it comes to these?

Strictly speaking, these are understood, it seems, in the broad Christian tradition as not necessary for salvation.

Some people will hear that, and they will be offended; they will be incensed.

I'm now going to explain why.

Just taking our cues from St. Thomas Aquinas in the second part of the second part of the Summa Theologiae, you'll hear it called the Secunda Secundae.

He divides the treatise into those things which pertain to all and those things which pertain to some.

The first 170 questions of that treatise concern faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, and then all of the associated virtues that go with them, the gifts of the Holy Spirit which perfect them, and then the vices opposed to them, and then how they're taken account of in the Ten Commandments.

He goes through that in each treatise.

And he says that these things are necessary for salvation—so grace, virtues, gifts of the Holy Spirit, fruits of the Spirit, and Beatitudes are necessary for salvation; they pertain to all.

But then he says there are certain things which pertain to some.

So they’re for the Church entire, and they’re a good thing for the individuals involved who exercise them, but they don't necessarily pertain to all persons.

He starts with questions 171 to 178 concerning these charismatic gifts, these gratiae gratis date.

Then in questions 179 to 182, he talks about the two kinds of forms of life: the contemplative life and the active life.

It seems here he's kind of working his way towards religious life, but he's not limiting himself to religious life in this particular consideration.

He's just saying some people live a more contemplative life, more in the way of the speculative intellect, and then some people live a more active life, more in the way of the practical intellect.

Then with questions 183 to 189, he turns to states of perfection, and there he treats the episcopacy and then religious life.

Okay, so that gives you a basic sense.

I was thinking, if not necessary, then what role do they serve?

Well, I think there are lots of good things in the Christian life which aren't necessary, right?

Or they're not necessary for every particular individual.

It's the type of thing that some people can do, and some people cannot do, and it's okay.

So like religious life—it's in the same treatise as religious life, and I think that's a good example because religious life is something to which you are called personally and particularly.

It represents God's predestinating grace for this particular individual.

So I think that a vocation is God stirring up certain virtues in your life, kind of bringing them together or coalescing them in a particular shape which suits you for a life that will redound to God's glory, your salvation, and the salvation of those to whom you're sent, whether in the hiddenness of a monastery or in the apostolic life of a preaching charism, whatever it is.

So religious life is for some; it's not like everyone's called to religious life.

And those who fail to live up to the call can then get married—not the case.

I think it's something different because I think God loves us in different ways, and this is just what we mean by the mystery of predilection.

So I think that the charismatic graces, the gratiae gratis date, are like that.

They're things that are given to certain people, and so I wouldn't want to insist too much on them as being for all people because I don't think that's true, for one.

But I also think it puts an inordinate pressure on individuals to exercise those gifts as if they were necessary to salvation or as if they were kind of part and parcel of Christian experience, which I don't think is true.

Another example that I came up with—this is a worse analogy, but somewhat helpful to clarify—is I think it's like going to Medjugorje.

So the Vatican has said that the first few days of the Medjugorje apparitions are, you know, they're up to snuff, right?

That they're in keeping with public revelation.

There's no judgment as to the legitimacy of the entire—gosh, at this point, 42 years' worth of apparitions, right?

But it's a thing where people go, they derive fruit from it, and there are often conversions that eventuate from the pilgrimages that are led there.

You just see that redound through the life of the Church in very beautiful ways.

So I myself have been to Medjugorje multiple times.

My parents led pilgrimages to Medjugorje for a while; my dad continues to lead them.

I think it's good, you know?

I think it's good.

But like when I'm in conversation with people and they're like, Oh, you've been to Medj?

they become uncomfortable.

I'm like, Hey, listen, I think it's a good thing for those who have gone.

I'm glad to have gone.

You don't have to go.

You know, I don't think it's the type of thing—because when you insist too heavily upon something that is optional, you give the impression that it's necessary, and you often produce the exact opposite in terms of reaction.

So I think that with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, they are good.

The charismatic graces—they are good.

They're wonderful for the upbuilding of the life of the Church when you see them exercised responsibly and inspiredly.

It's something of just awesome, awesome, awesome magnitude.

Boom for it!

But I don't think that it should be insisted upon as if they were part and parcel of normal Christian experience or ordinary Christian experience, nor that they were necessary for salvation, or that it's the type of thing to which we're all called.

We just need to try harder or force the issue.

So that is an answer to the question of whether or not it is necessary to have the gifts of the Holy Spirit in your life in order to be saved or in order to be a good Christian.

To the former, the gifts that are described in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, which come with the life of grace and virtue—yes.

To the latter, those that are described in 1 Corinthians 12, which do not necessarily come with the life of grace nor are they coupled with it in the strict sense—no, no.

But that they are good and that their exercise should be encouraged, and perhaps you might find testimony of the Church's power therein, both in your witnessing to it and even in your exercising it.

So that is what I prepared.

Boom!

The earth is round.

It's actually an oblate spheroid, regardless.

So this is Pints with Aquinas.

If you haven't yet, please do subscribe to the channel, push the bell, and get email updates when other sweet videos come out.

Also, I contribute to a podcast called Godsplaining with four other Dominican friars, and we're going to dedicate special episodes throughout the course of the Easter season to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

So starting on Divine Mercy Sunday and then making our way through Pentecost, we're going to meditate on wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, piety, fortitude, and the fear of the Lord.

So if you're interested in the theme and you think you might benefit from that, do check it out.

And then I wrote a book; it's called Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly.

This question of how the virtues relate to the gifts is taken up there with respect to prudence and counsel—what a random example I took!

So that's all I got.

All right, know my prayers for you.

Please pray for me, and I look forward to chatting with you next time on Pints with Aquinas.