Bishop Kevin Farrell

The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

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The Gift of Wisdom

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O would some Power with vision teach us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notions.
Robert Burns

Bobbie Burns, the Bard of Scotland, without realizing it, was referring to the Holy Spirit and the gift of wisdom when he penned these famous lines. The Spirit is indeed the power that teaches us (John 16:13) and it is the gift of wisdom that not only enables us to see ourselves as others see us but to see ourselves as God sees us.

Indeed, it is the gift of the divine perspective, the ability to see not only ourselves, but the world as God sees it, to see God’s goodness, and love in the midst of chaos, to see beauty where others see ugliness and repulsion. But wisdom is not infused, rather it inspires the manner in which we apply the knowledge and experience we possess. We must seek the knowledge needed to apply the gift. “Without knowledge wisdom is missing.”(Sir. 3:24)

When wisdom enables us to see ourselves as God sees us, it strips away the self-deception and self righteousness that blinds us to our true selves. It confronts us with the naked reality of who we are, and challenges us to become true disciples and imitators of Jesus.

Seeing others through the eyes of God means discarding the prism of self-interest through which we see what we want to see. It rips off our mask and the masks of others, it lays bare our prejudices and stereotypes and reveals the struggling humanity we all share.

Beyond seeing with the eyes of God, wisdom enables us to “see” with the heart of God, to live with compassion and empathy rather than condemnation and censure.

Wisdom is a foundational gift that facilitates and works in concert with the other Gifts of the Spirit: understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord.

Wisdom is the result of an intimate relationship with God. It comes to us from God and draws us back to Him.

“Who can know your counsel, unless you give Wisdom
and send your Holy Spirit from on high?
Thus were the paths of those on earth made straight,
and people learned what pleases you,
and were saved by Wisdom.
Wisdom 9:17-18

 

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

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During Lent we will reflect on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They are based on Isaiah 11:2-3 : The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord.“

Jesus possesses the gifts in their fullness, but they are freely given to each of us by the Holy Spirit, but as is true of all gifts, we must accept them and let them work in our lives. The lyrics of a well known hymn by Daniel Iverson, Spirit of the Living God, reminds of of how the Spirit works in our lives if we open ourselves to Him.

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.

If we open ourselves to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, they will change our lives and make us channels of God’s grace. They will gives us the tools to discern God’s will for us and the strength to persevere. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that “The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC 1830) Christianity is counter cultural in today’s world. It is from the Holy Spirit that we draw the strength to sustain us in faith and in hope.

But the Spirit can be suppressed. The oldest document in the New Testament, Paul’s first letter to the Church at Thessalonica, cautions against “quenching the Spirit.” (1 Thess 5:19) We quench or suppress the Spirit most often by neglect rather than rejecting Him. In our busy and often chaotic lives, it is very easy to let God slip away.

In our lives the Holy Spirit is always present, but God does not force Himself upon us. Think of the electric current in your home. It is capable of many wonderful things, but unless it is turned on it remains only a potential. If you do not flip a switch…nothing happens.

Thru His Gifts the Holy Spirit can do wonderful things in our lives, but we must “flip the switch.”

In the next few blogs during Lent we will take a look at the individual Gifts of the Holy Spirit