Saturday, December 17, 2011

The Charisms: Some tips and notes

Some tips:

Discovering our spiritual gifts helps us to be used by God to the full potential that we were created for, resulting in great contentment and confidence in the Lord.

Knowledge of spiritual gifts helps in a division of labor and, consequently, in increased growth in the body of Christ. Not knowing our gifts will result in loss of time and energy.

Knowledge of the gifts we possess helps us to know where we fit in the body of Christ.

We should study the different gifts and have an eager desire to receive them, but should be willing to accept God’s timing in giving them.

We should experiment with different ministries in order to check if we have the gifts related for the same.

We can seek the prayerful opinion of a close friend, a spiritual director or a marriage partner to help us evaluate what gifts we have.

Sometimes a word of prophecy can help us in knowing our gifts.

We can also discover our gifts by checking our persistent desires and abilities.


Some facts:

The gifts of the Spirit were manifested even before Pentecost, but before then they were given to a few people for a specific purpose. Here are some people in the New Testament who were filled with the Holy Spirit: John the Baptist (cf. Luke 1:15), Mary (Luke 1:35), Elizabeth (Luke 1:41) and the apostles (Matthew 10:1-8).

Every gift comes from the Holy Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 12:4) and God operates every gift (1 Corinthians 12:6).

Every believer can have a gift (1 Corinthians 12:11) and one person can have all gifts (John 3:34, Romans 15:29).

Gifts should be used where needed (1 Corinthians 12:12-31, 1 Corinthians 14:1-40).

Gifts can be received by faith and prayer (1 Corinthians 14:1, Mt 7:7-11) and we can choose which gifts we need (1 Corinthians 12:31, I Corinthians 14:1 & 12).

We know when we have received them, when the Spirit manifests them through us to accomplish the intended purpose (1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28-31).

Gifts are to continue throughout this age (Matthew 28:20).

Gifts are permanent (Romans 11:29) and can be exercised at will (1 Corinthians 14:26-32).

Gifts can be misused (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) and also can be exercised in a backslidden state (Ecclesiastes 2:9-11).

Gifts can be neglected (1 Timothy 4:14) and must be used when needed (1 Corinthians 12:7, 1 Corinthians 14:17, 26).

Finally, the Catechism teaches: "It is in this sense that discernment of charisms is always necessary. No charism is exempt from being referred and submitted to the Church’s shepherds. "Their office [is] not indeed to extinguish the Spirit, but to test all things and hold fast to what is good," so that all the diverse and complementary charisms work together "for the common good" (CCC 801).

Friday, December 16, 2011

The Charisms: 9 - The Interpretation of Tongues

This is a gift that complements the gift of tongues. The Holy Spirit enables the person with this gift to interpret tongues into a language known to the congregation and it is an important gift because, as Paul says, that there is no edification if people cannot understand what is spoken. "If in a tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is being said? For you will be speaking into the air" (1 Corinthians 14:9).

He advises people to remain silent if there is no interpreter. "If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn; and let one interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let them be silent in church and speak to themselves and to God" (1 Corinthians 14:27-28).

Like prophecy, a tongue that is interpreted builds up the church (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:5). We need, therefore, to pray for the gift of interpretation so as not to still the gift of tongues. "Therefore," Paul urges, "one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret" (1 Corinthians 14:13).

Thursday, December 15, 2011

The Charisms: 8 - The Gift of Tongues


Shortly before Jesus ascended into heaven He commanded his disciples to go and proclaim the good news to all creation. He told them that one of the signs that would accompany them would be "new tongues" (Mark 16:17), or "new languages" that they had not learned. We see them doing this to amazing effect on the day of Pentecost when God poured out His Spirit upon them.

There are two types of this gift, which is unintelligible to the user, unless he has the accompanying gift of interpretation (see The Gift of Interpretation of Tongues): one is the ability to pray in tongues; the other the ability to speak in tongues.

Every believer can receive the gift of praying in tongues, which is a lovely way of communicating with God. "For," as Paul writes, "those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God; for nobody understands them, since they are speaking mysteries in the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 14:12).

When a person prays in tongues he does not use his human intellect, "for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, 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). Through tongues, we utter mysteries in the Spirit, build ourselves up, praise the Lord, thank Him, and give signs to unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14:2,4,16,22).

Speaking in tongues is a rare gift, whereby people hear the speaker speaking in their own language. We see this demonstrated in Acts 2, when the apostles "were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability" (Acts 2:4).

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The Charisms: 7 - The Gift of Discernment


It would be easy to recognize Satan if he appeared like his hackneyed stereotype: with horns, tail and pitchfork. On the contrary, he "disguises himself as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14), sometimes masquerading as God’s own chosen ones. Jesus warned of this. "False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect," he said (Mark 13:22). To ensure that we are not led astray, we need the gift of discernment, which is the ability that God gives us to distinguish whether a certain behavior, teaching, prophecy, ailment or action is from God, an evil spirit, or our own human spirit.

We see an interesting episode in Mark 8:31-33, when Jesus told his apostles that he "must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again". Peter took Jesus aside and began to scold him, telling him that such should not be. But Jesus, in turn, rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." Jesus discerned the spirit behind the words of Peter as not being from God.

Paul was blessed with the gift of discernment. On his second missionary journey, he travelled to Macedonia, along with Silas. While there, Paul came across a servant girl who kept following them, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God; they will make known to you a way of salvation." Paul discerned that the spirit was an evil spirit and commanded it to come out of her (Acts 16:16-18). It did, much to the chagrin of the girl’s employers, who used to use her "gift" to make money.

The gift of discernment does not help us to expel demons, as Paul did, but it is useful in the ministry of deliverance, where we need to discern whether a person is possessed or simply ill. It is also needed in instances where witchcraft, Satanism and occultism may be involved, in identifying demonic influence, if any, behind lying, infirmity, and unclean behavior.

The gift of discernment, in its more powerful forms, can reveal the name of a demon troubling somebody, the number of demons infesting a person, as well as which one of them is the strongest and has the greatest authority. We see Jesus demonstrating this when he delivers the possessed man in the country of the Gerasenes (see Mark 5:1-20).

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The Charisms: 6 - The Gift of Prophecy


The prophet Amos declared: "Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). Moses expressed the desire: "Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!" (Numbers 11:29). Paul encouraged the Corinthian Christians to seek spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. "Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy" (1 Corinthians 14:1).

Our God is a God of revelation. Regular people do not get access to God’s secrets but his secrets are revealed to his servants, the prophets. A prophet utters words inspired by God, a message to a person or the Christian Community. He speaks on God’s behalf, communicating the mind of God and what God thinks of a current situation or His intention for the future.

The purpose of prophecy is to encourage and build up the church. This is done when words of comfort are spoken from the mouth of God. "On the other hand, those who prophesy speak to other people for their building up and encouragement and consolation. Those who speak in a tongue build up themselves, but those who prophesy build up the church" (1 Corinthians 14:3-4). In the book of Ezekiel, we see the prophet prophesying and when he does so, it brings life to the dead bones. In a similar fashion when a prophet speaks words of God he gives life to the spiritually dead.

Here are some of the facets of the gift of prophecy:

It requires no interpretation.

It must be used in proportion to ones faith (cf. Romans 12:6).

The person operating the gift is responsible to maintain both order and submission to the Church’s shepherds (CCC801). "And the spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets" (1 Corinthians 14:32).

Prophets can make mistakes so each prophecy must be weighed carefully (1 Corinthians 14:29).

Prophecy convinces the unbeliever of the presence of God (1 Corinthians 14:24-25).

Prophecy should be comforting and not distressing or uncertain to the one who is receiving it.

If the prophecy has to do with the future, it must come to pass, if it doesn’t come to pass it means the prophet is a false prophet.

Monday, December 12, 2011

The Charisms: 5 - The Gift of Miracles

The Christian faith is based on the miracles of Jesus’s life, death and resurrection. The gift of working of miracles reinforces the authenticity of this gospel truth. Jesus life was filled with signs and wonders from heaven above. He walked on water (Matthew 14:25), multiplied bread and fed thousands (Matthew 15:32-38), calmed the storm (Mark 4:39), disappeared (Luke 24:31), passed through walls (John 20:19), caught 153 fish at one time (John 21:11), and raised the dead (John 11:44, Luke 7:11-15, Matthew 9:23-25) in addition to several other miracles. In each of these miracles we see that God changed the course of nature and thus proved to be God of all gods.

Many Christians have this gift but it is largely ignored due to humanistic thinking. We tend to come up with practical ways of solving problems. We must expect God to work miracles in our lives and in the lives of others through us. Here are some examples of what men did through the power of God:

While the Apostles prayed that God stretch out His hand "to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus ... the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness" (cf Acts 4:30-33).

While Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, "there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened" (cf Acts 16:25-26).

Peter brought Tabitha (Dorcas) back to life after she had died (cf Acts 9:36-41).

Paul brought Eutychus back to life after he went to sleep while Paul was preaching, fell out of the window and died (cf Acts 20:9-12).

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them (Acts 19-11).

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The Charisms: 4 - The Gift of Healing

Jesus ministry involved preaching, teaching and healing. Jesus healed the sick, cured lepers and gave sight to the blind. He passed on this same authority to his disciples. "Cure the sick," he told them. "Raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment" (Matthew 10:8).

The purpose of this gift is manifold. It shows God’s mercy and compassion on the sick and the suffering (Acts 10:38, Luke 13:16), demonstrates that Christ is the Son of God (John 10:36-38), confirms the Word (Mark 16:15-18, Acts 4:29-30), helps attract people to the Gospel (Luke 4:40-43), and brings glory to God (Mark 2:12, Luke 13:13, Luke 18:42-43, John 9:2-3).

The gift of healing is a special gift granted to someone whereby when they pray over someone, the process of healing takes place quickly, sometimes instantly. This gift operates on three levels: mental, physical and spiritual. Catholics accept this gift in the lives of the saints, but find it difficult to accept in the lives of ordinary Christians, especially themselves.

The person with the gift, however, cannot heal everybody. Who is healed and who isn’t is, of course, decided by God, who sometimes decide to withhold healing. As the Catechism states: "The Holy Spirit gives to some a special charism of healing so as to make manifest the power of the grace of the risen Lord. But even the most intense prayers do not always obtain the healing of all illnesses. Thus St. Paul must learn from the Lord that "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness," and that the sufferings to be endured can mean that "in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his Body, that is, the Church" (CCC 1508).

Here are some examples of Christians healing the sick.

Peter healed Aneneas, who had been bedridden for eight years with paralysis (cf. Acts 9:33-34).

Peter heals a crippled beggar by the gates of the temple (cf. Acts 3:1-8).

Peter’s shadow was sufficient to heal many. "Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by. A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured" (Acts 5:14-16)

Paul healed a crippled man in Lystra who was lame from birth (cf. Acts 14:8-10).

Saturday, December 10, 2011

The Charisms: 3 - The Gift of Faith

This gift inspires a person to pray with God given confidence, knowing that what is asked for will be granted. In the beginning of Acts 3, we find Peter and John going up to the temple to pray and finding a man sitting by the gates. He had been crippled from birth. When he saw Peter and John, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk." And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.

What Peter had was faith, and with this faith, the crippled man was dramatically healed. Faith is a powerful gift. Jesus said, "For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20). On another occasion, he said, "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12).

The gift of faith is a supernatural gift given to a person whom the Lord wants to use to make the impossible possible. As we just saw, Peter and John went against natural laws to heal the crippled man in the name of Jesus. We must not confuse this gift of faith with the virtue of faith that every Christian is called to have. Regular faith, as the Catechism puts it, "is man’s response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life" (CCC 26).

If we lack faith, we can ask the Lord to help us, as the apostles once did. They came to Jesus one day and said to Him: "Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5). Other spiritual gifts depend on faith. For instance, Paul tells us that prophecy should be used only in proportion to our faith (cf Romans 12:6). At various times through His ministry Jesus spoke about how people are healed in proportion to their faith. "Go; let it be done for you according to your faith," he told the Centurion, who asked Jesus to heal his servant in complete faith. The servant was instantly healed (cf. Matthew 8:5-13). On another occasion he touched the eyes of two blind men who sought healing, saying, "According to your faith let it be done to you." They, too, were instantly healed (cf. Matthew 9:27-30).

Here are a few examples of what humans can do through God when faith is strong.

Elijah declared to King Ahab that there would be no rain until he said the word. His gift of faith, along with prayer, produced the desired effect (see 1 Kings 17; James 5:17-18).

Joshua used the gift of faith to command the sun to stand still and the moon to stop for about a whole day until they won the war against the Amorites (see Joshua 10:1-13).

Paul saw through the deceit of Elymas and struck him blind (see Acts 13:8-11).

Peter rebuked Ananias and Sapphira and proclaimed God’s judgment on them (see Acts 5:1-10).

Friday, December 9, 2011

The Charisms: 2 - The Gift of Knowledge


The gift of knowledge (different from the Isaiah gift of knowledge), is a gift by which the Spirit gives a person a deeper understanding of a mystery of faith, or specific knowledge about a person or situation that could not be known, unless God revealed it.

We see Jesus using this gift often. On one occasion, Jesus stopped by in Samaria for a drink of water and engaged in a conversation with a woman who had come to draw water from the well. He knew that she had five husbands (cf. John 4:18-19) without her having spoken of it. One another occasion, Jesus told a man named Nathaniel that He had seen him sitting under the fig tree a little while earlier, even though Jesus had not even been near the area at the time (cf. John 1:47-48).

The gift of knowledge operates by faith and is received in one’s spirit, not intellect or emotions. It may be shared with the person to whom it is related and is an invaluable asset in the ministry of counseling. The gift can be used for a variety of other purposes too. It helps to reveal sin as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira (cf. Acts 5:1-10), and in the case of King David (cf. 2 Samuel 12:1-10). The gift can be used to encourage as it encouraged Elijah when he heard God’s voice in the mountain (1 King 19:9-18). It can be used to impart knowledge of future events, as Agabus came to know about a great famine that would sweet over the entire world (Acts 11:28). It can also be used to reveal hidden things—or hidden people—as Samuel located Saul who had tried to conceal himself among baggage! (cf. 1 Samuel 10:22).

This gift very often operates hand in hand with the gift of wisdom. Here are a few other examples of the gift of knowledge in operation, and how the gift of wisdom comes into simultaneous play:

Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream concerning the coming years of plenty and drought and then, with the gift of wisdom, advised Pharaoh of the steps that needed to be taken (cf. Genesis 41:1-36).

Elijah knew that Gehazi had run after Naaman claiming a reward for healing the army general. He then pronounced the judgment of God upon Gehazi through the gift of Wisdom (cf. 2 Kings 5:20-27).

Daniel discovered Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, which the king had refused to reveal, and then interpreted it using the gift of Wisdom (cf Daniel 2:1-47).

God told Ananias of Paul’s conversion through the gift of Knowledge and, using the gift of wisdom, the steps he needed to take (cf. Acts 9:10-16).

Thursday, December 8, 2011

The Charisms: 1 - The Gift of Wisdom

The Pharisees were out to get Jesus and constantly laid plans to trap him in his words. "Teacher," they said to him one day, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar’s," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s" (Matthew 22:15-21).

This was an example of the gift of wisdom in action. The gift of wisdom—or word of wisdom—is a divine revelation of the mind, will, purpose, plan, or counsel of God that directs a person to make the right response, decision or judgment in a particular situation. This revelation could be related to things of the past, present, or future. It is a fragment of the Isaiah gift of wisdom, imparted by the Holy Spirit, at a particular time, for a specific need or situation.

The gift of wisdom is the application of the gift of knowledge which we will look at next, knowing what to say or how to act with the natural or supernatural knowledge that God gives the person. It cannot be attained academically, nor can it be gained by experience. It stands first in the list in terms of its importance, because it enables us to speak and act with divine wisdom. This gift ensures the correct use and application of other gifts. When wisdom is absent, the other gifts can be used wrongly.

The gift of wisdom can come through various forms, like an inner impression or an image. When we see these impressions or images, we need to ask God for its meaning, otherwise the image serves no purpose. The prophet Jeremiah saw a series of visions including the branch of an almond tree and a boiling pot that was tilted that God had to interpret to him (Jeremiah 1:11-14).

The gift of wisdom can come in the form of a revelation of Scripture like that which came to the mind of Peter when he went about preaching his first sermon (cf. Acts 2:14-21), or a dream like Joseph saw when God wanted him to flee to Egypt (cf. Matthew 2:13). Sometimes, God reveals things in the form of a vision, as Peter experienced when he saw a sheet of clean and unclean animals being let down to earth by its four corners (cf. Acts 10: 11-16). Sometimes, He reveals things through an angelic visitation, as Joshua experienced when he met an angel who told him how to conquer Jericho (cf. Joshua 5:13-15). Sometimes, God speaks through an audible voice, like He did during Jesus’s baptism in the river Jordan (cf. Matthew 3:16-17).

The gifts of prophecy or tongues are modes of revealing the gift of wisdom.

Here are some more examples of the gift of wisdom in operation:

Moses received a word of wisdom on how to sweeten the bitter water in Marah and make it drinkable during the Israelite exodus (cf. Exodus 15:23-25).

Moses received a revelation of how to share the load of judging people by appointing seventy elders (cf. Numbers 11:16-17).

Moses received a revelation of how to save the people from poisonous snakebites by raising a bronze serpent (cf. Numbers 21:6-9).

The prophet Amos saw the judgment of God revealed through images of locusts, fire and a plumb line (cf. Amos 7:1-9), and later, a basket of summer fruit (cf. Amos 8:1-3).

God warned the wise men not to return to Herod (cf, Matthew 2:12).

Paul received instruction not to go into Asia and Bithynia (cf. Acts 16:6,7), and later, to go into Macedonia (cf. Acts 16:9-10).

James received wisdom when confronted with the serious issue of circumcision at the first church council (cf. Acts 15:1-29).

Paul received instruction on how to survive the storm he encountered at sea (cf. Acts 27).

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The Charisms: Intro

Spiritual gifts (or charismata) are gifts that are bestowed on Christians, each having his or her own proper gift (or gifts) to strengthen the church. They are described in the New Testament, primarily in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians: "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses" (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

These gifts are granted to every Christian to perform his/her task in the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: "Whether extraordinary or simple and humble, charisms are graces of the Holy Spirit which directly or indirectly benefit the Church, ordered as they are to her building up, to the good of men, and to the needs of the world. Charisms are to be accepted with gratitude by the person who receives them and by all members of the Church as well. They are a wonderfully rich grace for the apostolic vitality and for the holiness of the entire Body of Christ, provided they really are genuine gifts of the Holy Spirit and are used in full conformity with authentic prompting of this same Spirit, that is, in keeping with charity, the true measure of all charisms" (CCC 799-800).

There are nine gifts in all that can be grouped in three categories:

1. Gifts of Discernment (or mind gifts), which comprise Knowledge, Wisdom, and Discernment of Spirits;

2. Gifts of Power (or action gifts), which comprise Faith, Miracles, and Healing; and

3. Gifts of Proclamation (or gifts of the tongue), which comprise Prophecy, Tongues, and the Interpretation of Tongues.

We will look at the gifts in the order they are mentioned in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.

Tomorrow: The Gift of Wisdom