Having pondered the gifts of fear
of the Lord, piety,
and
knowledge, we proceed to the gifts of understanding and
wisdom. Please remember that the quoted definitions are from
Father Jordan Aumann's Spiritual Theology.
Understanding is a gift "to give a deeper insight and
penetration of divine truths held by faith, not as a
transitory enlightenment but as a permanent intuition."
Illuminating the mind to truth, the Holy Spirit aids a person
to grasp the truths of faith easily and to penetrate the
depths of those truths. Such illumination, grasping, and
penetration allows one to enter a divine intimacy with the
Lord.
Of course, this gift does not entail a complete understanding
of the mysteries of faith, like fully comprehending the
mystery of the Holy Trinity or the Real Presence; rather, a
person understands that these mysteries are credible; that
they are compatible with and related to each other; and that
they are not unreasonable although they may surpass reason.
The essential quality of this gift is a "penetrating
intuition" - in a sense, the moving beyond the surface. This
gift operates in several ways: first, disclosing the hidden
meaning of sacred Scripture, as Our Lord did with the
disciples on the way to Emmaus (Lk 24:13ff); second,
revealing the significance of symbols and figures, like St.
Paul seeing Christ as the Passover Lamb (Hebrews) or the
image of the rock of the Exodus account that poured forth
water to quench the thirst of the Israelites (I Cor 10:4);
third, showing the hand of God at work in a person's life,
even in the most mysterious or troublesome events, like
suffering; and fourth, revealing the spiritual realities that
underlie sensible appearances, like penetrating the mystery
of the Lord's sacrifice in the offering of the Mass or
recognizing the presence of Christ in the holy Eucharist, as
did the peasant who said to St. John Vianney when asked about
what he was doing while sitting in Church gazing at the
tabernacle: "I look at Him, and He looks at me." This gift
brings the virtue of faith to perfection. Accordingly, St.
Thomas said, "In this very life, when the eye of the spirit
is purified by the gift of understanding, one can in a
certain way see God" (Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 69).
This gift also assists in understanding natural truths and
the use of created things but through a lens of faith. While
enjoying created things, a person understands that they not
only attest to His majesty as the Creator but also are gifts
from God to be used wisely. As such, a person understands
that all of creation is passing and has a sense of
detachment. Therefore, creation does not become an end in
itself, or created things idols, but one understands they are
gifts from Almighty God. Understanding, then, moves a person
always to be mindful to place God first in life, to be
generous in helping others in need, and to reject what is
useless. For example, some individuals may spend much time,
even hours, on Facebook or texting, but neglect daily prayer;
do they understand the fleeting satisfaction they crave will
not gain for them the sustaining friendship with Our Lord and
ultimately eternal life?
Given the gifts of knowledge and understanding which perfect
faith, the gift of wisdom perfects the virtue of charity.
Wisdom empowers a person "to judge and order all things in
accordance with divine norms and with a connaturality that
flows from a loving union with God." So while knowledge and
understanding enable a person to know and to penetrate the
divine truths, wisdom moves us to "fall in love" with them.
The Holy Spirit aids the contemplation of divine things,
enabling the person to grow in union with God.
This gift unites us to the heart of Jesus. Father Adolphe
Tanquerey taught, "This, then, is the difference between the
gift of wisdom and that of understanding, the latter is a
view taken by the mind, while the former is an experience
undergone by the heart; one is light, the other love, and so
they united and complete one another. Wisdom, withal, remains
the more perfect gift; for the heart outranges the intellect,
it sounds greater depths, and grasps or divines what reason
fails to reach. This is particularly the case with the
saints, in whom love often surpasses knowledge" (The
Spiritual Life, p. 630). For example, St. Therese of
Lisieux (declared a doctor of the church), had no formal
education in theology, and yet was wise to the ways of the
Lord, a wisdom gained through prayer and simple acts of love
offered to God.
While this gift contemplates the divine, it also is a
practical wisdom. It applies God's ideas to judge both
created and divine matter, thereby directing human acts
according to divine wisdom. Therefore, a person will see and
evaluate all things - both joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain,
success and failure - from God's point of view, and accept
them with equanimity. With wisdom, all things, even the
worst, are seen as having a supernatural value - for example,
giving value to martyrdom. Here a person arises above the
wisdom of this world, and lives in the love of God.
St. Paul captured well this gift of wisdom: "What we utter is
God's wisdom: a mysterious, a hidden wisdom. God planned it
before all ages for our glory.
Yet God has revealed
this wisdom to us through the Spirit.
The Spirit we
have received is not the world's spirit but God's Spirit,
helping us to recognize the gifts He has given us. We speak
of these, not in words of human wisdom but in words taught by
the Spirit, thus interpreting spiritual things in spiritual
terms. The natural man does not accept what is taught by the
spirit of God. For him, that is absurdity. He cannot come to
know such teaching because it must be appraised in a
spiritual way. The spiritual man, on the other hand, can
appraise everything. We have the mind of Christ" (I Cor
2:6ff).
Or consider St. John's first epistle: "God is love. Everyone
who loves is begotten of God and has knowledge of God.
He who abides in love, abides in God, and God in him.
Our love is brought to perfection in this, that we should
have confidence on the day of judgment; for our relation to
this world is just like His. Love has no room for fear;
rather, perfect love casts out all fear" (I Jn 4:7, 17-18).
Questions may be sent to Fr. Saunders, pastor of Our Lady of
Hope Church in Potomac Falls, at
straightanswers@ourladyofhope.net or Our Lady of Hope Church,
46639 Algonkian Pkwy., Potomac Falls, VA 20165.