Question Four: On the Gifts Corresponding to Faith

730. The gift of understanding, under the interior instinct of the Holy Spirit, serves for penetrating by supernatural light those things which we cannot penetrate by natural light, and which stand in faith as principles from which other things are deduced (q. 8, a. 1).

Moreover, during the state of the way we are not able to penetrate those things in themselves; but we penetrate that other evident truths are not contrary to them (a. 2).

But this happens according to a threefold grade.

"The first grade of the gift of understanding is that through it man knows that one must adhere to the truths of faith as much as is necessary for salvation, by considering some reason of the Christian faith, on account of which he knows himself to believe. For the Holy Spirit shows to everyone having grace at least some reason of faith through the clarity of the gift of understanding, on account of which he knows that one must adhere to faith. For some are moved on account of the testimonies of the prophets concerning Christ and the new law. Some from consideration of the holiness and faith of preceding fathers... Some from consideration of miracles... Some from special inspiration or divine visitation or something similar, which they experience in themselves or which happens to them.

The second grade of the gift of understanding is subtly to contemplate all or certainly the chief truths of faith: and thus to be solidified in the truths of faith so much more robustly, the more diligently one weighs the foundations of faith, to such an extent that one greatly marvels that God has deigned to approve the Catholic faith so abundantly and most evidently. Therefore to this grade of the gift of understanding it pertains clearly and promptly to advert to the origin of faith, how Christ up to the passion and death had few believers... To know sincerely these and infinitely many similar things, I think, belongs to the second grade of the gift of understanding.

To the third grade it belongs that someone by a most purified keenness be able to consider the proper reasons and foundations of the individual articles of faith, and thus be able delightfully to contemplate the individual truths of faith separately with a most subtle and most certain eye of the mind, namely, contemplating that the faith of the most blessed Trinity is reasonable... both on account of evangelical testimonies and apostolic documents, and on account of most beautiful persuasions received from the natures of things. Furthermore, by contemplating the reasons of faith concerning the incarnation of the Son of God, the oracles of the prophets, the testimonies of the apostles, reasonable considerations by which it is proved that this was fitting, and thus concerning the individual articles or particles of faith by considering their proper foundations, and how they assert almost nothing concerning Christ, without its being proved to have been foretold by the holy seers..."¹

¹ Dionysius the Carthusian, De donis, tr. II, a. 34.

To this gift corresponds the sixth beatitude: Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. For the gift of understanding cleanses the mind from phantasms and errors by which we would badly receive or understand those things which are proposed concerning God: but the more we are purified from them, the better we see God, as is possible in this life.

"For there is a twofold cleanness: one indeed preamble and dispositive to the vision of God, which is the cleansing of the affection from disordered affections; and this cleanness of heart is made through virtues and gifts which pertain to the appetitive power. But another cleanness of heart is that which is as it were completive with respect to the divine vision, and this indeed is the cleanness of the mind cleansed from phantasms and errors, so that namely those things which are proposed concerning God are not received by way of bodily phantasms, nor according to heretical perversities; and the gift of understanding makes this cleanness. Likewise there is a twofold vision of God: one indeed perfect, by which the essence of God is seen; but another imperfect, by which, although we do not see of God what He is, nevertheless we see what He is not; and so much the more perfectly in this life do we know God, the more we understand Him to exceed whatever is comprehended by the intellect. And each vision of God pertains to the gift of understanding: the first indeed to the consummated gift of understanding, according as it will be in the homeland; but the second to the begun gift of understanding, according as it is had in the way" (a. 7).

To the gift of understanding responds the fruit of the Holy Spirit, faith, that is, the certitude of faith which produces delight in the mind; but in the will there responds the fruit of joy (a. 8).

731. The gift of knowledge, under the interior instinct of the Holy Spirit, serves for judging rightly and certainly according to the truth of faith concerning human and created things, by discerning what concerning these things is to be believed from what is not to be believed (q. 9, a. 1 and 2).

"The gift of knowledge obtains a threefold grade.

The first consists in this, that man know all created things with respect to the divine nature to be passing and vain, and understand that they are neither to be loved on account of themselves, nor to be sought as ultimate end, and that he adhere to them less than to God; and this grade of the gift of knowledge is required for salvation, and is judged common to all having charity.

We ought to advance to the second grade of this knowledge, namely, that concerning individual created things, one by one and through their proper reasons, we know that affection is not to be fixed in them, nor as in final goods is it to be bound in them, but that one intend or use them neither more nor less than is required for interior salvation.

Finally, the third grade of the gift of knowledge is to be so exercised, experienced, and perfect in those things which concern the active life, that in every... doubtful event and perplexed case he knows how to judge most truly, most promptly, and most salubriously, to elicit the causes of sins, to abandon the reasons of a more negligent and sluggish life, to induce contempt of temporal things, to attend to a most serious and indefatigable conversation of spiritual progresses."²

² Dionysius the Carthusian, De donis, tr. III, a. 25.

To the gift of knowledge corresponds the third beatitude: Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be consoled. For he who judges rightly concerning creatures does not find perfect good in them, but rather mourns concerning them, and orders them to the divine good; from which consolation follows (a. 4).

732. Observations. - 1. By faith we adhere simply to revealed truths; by the gift of understanding we penetrate them.

The gift of knowledge differs from the gift of understanding: the latter proceeds by way of simple apprehension, "so that those things which are of faith may be penetrated or grasped by understanding"; the former by way of judgment, "so that man may have right judgment concerning them and esteem that one must adhere to these and withdraw from their opposites" (q. 8, a. 6).

Those gifts, like faith, are per se primarily speculative, yet secondarily practical (a. 3). Thus St. Thomas, in the present place, retracts what he had written to the contrary in I-II, q. 68, a. 4 (a. 6).

Two vices are opposed to the gift of understanding: blindness of mind, and dullness of sense. The latter "concerning understanding imports a certain weakness (or obtuseness) of the mind concerning the consideration of spiritual goods; but blindness of mind imports an omnimodal privation of the knowledge of them" (q. 15, a. 1). Dullness arises from gluttony; blindness from lust.

Ignorance is directly opposed to the gift of knowledge.