All around us is chaos, division, and hardship, but we must not be discouraged by the state of things. Fear is not for us! We are merely passing through. We are on our way to heaven. "When these things begin to come to pass," says Jesus, "look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand" (Lk.21:28).
St. Augustine notes in his City of God that the Church, "like a pilgrim in a foreign land, presses forward amid the persecutions of the world and the consolations of God." The "consolations of God" include the gifts, and fruits, and the abundant blessings of the Holy Ghost. Some of these gifts are given for our personal strengthening and sanctification, called in Latin, gratiae gratis datae.
These are the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost: Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. There are also the fruits of the Spirit, usually numbered as twelve, although there are many more.
Then there are gifts, gratiae gratum facientes, extraordinary gifts that are given to individuals not for their own personal use, but for the building up of the whole community of the Church. These are called charismata, or charisms, or the charismatic gifts. These are the gifts spoken of by St. Paul in the Epistle today. What are they?
They include the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, special faith, the grace of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, the discerning of spirits, diverse kinds of tongues, interpretation of speeches, besides the gifts of apostles, prophets, doctors, helps, and governments (1 Cor. 12).
This is not an exhaustive list, because we would have to include dreams, visions, apparitions, bi-location, and more. In the matter of healing, for instance, we may not always be able to depend upon the usual medical services, but we will always be able to pray for healing. And some individuals are given the grace of healing by God. The saints in particular often had that gift.
St. Augustine is not noted as a healer or miracle worker since his special gift was a brilliant intellect, which he used for the good of the Church. At first, St. Augustine thought that some of the charismatic gifts mentioned in the Epistle today, like miracles and healing, were for the good of the Church at its beginning but were no longer necessary for the Church in his time.
He would come to change his mind on this. Once, when he was suffering from a severe toothache, one of his fellow monks suggested that he pray for a cure. He did so reluctantly, and was healed, to his genuine surprise.
At a certain time the relics of St. Stephen were brought to St. Augustine’s cathedral in Hippo, and on two successive nights, while the people were at prayer in the presence of the relics, two people, a brother and sister, were marvelously healed of serious illnesses. The holy Bishop, St. Augustine, changed his mind about the charismatic gifts, realizing that they were available to the Church in every age.
Unfortunately, the charismatic gifts are often given a bad name by bogus faith healers and miracle workers who line people up in rows to be "slain in the Spirit." Even St. Paul had to correct the Corinthians for the abuse of the charismatic gifts that were common in the early Church. One must beware of the sin of presumption, expecting God to work signs and wonders when they are not necessary.
In the recent past, not a few religious orders said that ‘the spirit’ was leading them to kick the habit of wearing the religious habit, just as many priests stopped wearing the cassock. This same ‘spirit’ also led to some priests running away to get married or to nuns abandoning their vocation for worldly pursuits. These foolish decisions must be attributed to the spirit of the times or the spirit of the world rather than to the influence of the Holy Ghost.
We need the gifts of the Holy Ghost now more than ever; they belong to the Church. Understand that the gifts of the Holy Ghost are like the sails on your boat. When there is no wind, you have to pull hard on the oars to get where you are going. You can get very tired and lose courage. But when the breath of the Holy Ghost blows on your sails (the gifts), you move along with little effort.
St. Paul advises: "…the Spirit also helps our weakness. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself pleads for us with unutterable groanings. And he who searches the hearts knows what the Spirit desires, that he pleads for the saints according to God" (Rom. 8:26,27).
Depend on the Holy Ghost and pray with confidence. The breath of God will blow on your sails. With the Church you will pass through the persecutions of this world on your way to the heavenly mansions, strengthened by the consolations of God
