Article — Noldin, Summa of Moral Theology
Third Article. On The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit
32. Whether there are gifts and how many. Besides the theological and moral virtues infused by God, seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are conferred upon the just man. The gifts are commonly defined as certain qualities by which the soul is disposed to works of the virtues, and especially to the more sublime and extraordinary works of the Christian life. Therefore the gifts are habits which, like the virtues, permanently inhere in the powers of the soul.
a. The holy Fathers and theologians confirm this doctrine by several arguments:
a. The gifts of the Holy Spirit in the just man are a participation in the gifts of Christ. Concerning the Messiah it is said in Sacred Scripture: "And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and of piety; and the spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill Him."2 These words are also applied by the holy Fathers of the Church to the just man, since God has predestined him to become conformed to the image of His Son.3 Moreover, the gifts of the head overflow also into the living members of the mystical body, such as just men are. b. By the communication of the gifts, the promise made by Christ to His disciples is fulfilled: "You shall know Him, the Spirit of truth, because He shall remain with you and shall be in you."4 c. Holy Church testifies to the communication of the gifts, in that in the liturgy of the feast of Pentecost she gives thanks to God for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and implores them more abundantly for the faithful.
b. The Holy Spirit is accustomed to move the just man by supernatural illuminations and inspirations not only to the ordinary virtues of the Christian life, but sometimes also, by divine instinct, to inspire and stir him to more perfect and more sublime works. Therefore the gifts of the Holy Spirit are granted to him and render him apt promptly to obey not only the ordinary but also the extraordinary motions of the Holy Spirit. Therefore the gifts of the Holy Spirit are an internal supernatural principle by which even the more sublime and extraordinary works of the Christian life are connaturally done.
Others are of this opinion: that the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are the complement of the infused virtues, refer only to the more sublime and heroic acts of the virtues, while on the contrary infused virtues refer to ordinary Christian life and dispose the just man promptly and perfectly to obey the motions of the Holy Spirit by which he is stirred to exercise the infused virtues.
c. Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are numbered: the gift of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. For since these gifts are conferred for perfecting the virtues, and since there are seven principal virtues, it was fitting that seven gifts also should be infused. Hence the Holy Spirit, to whom these gifts are attributed as to their author by appropriation, is called by the Church "sevenfold in His gift," and He is asked to give to His faithful the sacred sevenfold gift.
Therefore the gifts are infused into all the just, which St. Thomas signifies in these words: "The Holy Spirit is not in men without His gifts."5 From their names it appears that four pertain to the cognitive power: understanding, knowledge, wisdom, counsel; but three to the will: fear, piety, fortitude.
d. Although the gifts agree with the virtues in the nature of habit, nevertheless they differ from the virtues in two ways: a. by reason of the impelling cause: for to acts of virtues man is stirred both by his own reason, whether natural or supernatural, and also by the Holy Spirit, and by the habits of the virtues he is disposed to obey promptly; but to the more sublime works he is moved by the Holy Spirit alone, and by the habits of the gifts he is disposed promptly to obey this inspiration. b. By reason of the object or acts to which they dispose: for the virtues dispose man to works which are done according to the common order of Christian life; but the gifts dispose man also to works which exceed the common order of virtue.
1 St. Thomas I-II, q. 68. Suarez, De gratia l. 2, c. 17 f.; l. 6, c. 10. Weiss, De septem donis Spiritus Sancti (Vienna, 1895). Bodewig, Die Gaben des hl. Geistes (Zeitschrift fur kath. Theol., 1882, 1883). Gopfert, Moraltheologie^3 I, n. 262 f. Meschler, Die Gabe des hl. Pfingstfestes^3 (Freiburg: Herder, 1900), chap. 7-14. Tepe, loc. cit., p. 275 ff.
2 Isa. 11:2-3.
3 Rom. 8:29.
4 John 14:17.
33. The nature of the gifts. Concerning the nature of the individual gifts theologians do not agree; nevertheless, from their more probable doctrine, these things seem to have to be said.
The gift of understanding disposes man, by divine inspiration, to perceive revealed truths, whether practical or theoretical, more clearly and profoundly, both as to their meaning and as to their connection. With this knowledge is joined an aptitude and facility for understanding the meaning of Sacred Scripture.
The gift of knowledge, with faith in revealed truths supposed, disposes man to judge rightly concerning the Christian religion, insofar as under the influence of the Holy Spirit, though from natural reasons, he understands that these truths are manifestly credible, especially consonant with sound reason, and that Christian virtue is of such excellence that it must be preferred to all earthly goods.
The gift of wisdom, likewise with faith supposed, disposes man to judge rightly concerning the truths of the Christian religion, insofar as not from natural reasons, but from supernatural and divine reasons, namely insofar as they are from God, the supreme principle and end, he contemplates their beauty and delights in them.
The gift of counsel disposes man, from the motion of the Holy Spirit, to choose the means which are apt for progressing in the way of perfection. But because the Holy Spirit chooses things higher than human prudence does, it happens that He impels the just man to those things which appear foolish to men, and which are more to be admired than indiscriminately imitated.1
The gift of fortitude disposes man to overcome extraordinary difficulties which stand in the way of the exercise of virtues. The gift of fortitude differs in two ways from the virtue of fortitude, which inclines to overcoming the same difficulties: a. the motive of the virtue is natural uprightness, which is discerned in overcoming difficulties; the motive of the gift is confidence in the motion and assistance of the Holy Spirit. b. The virtue regards the measure of the powers of nature; the gift exceeds the powers of nature and dares those things which appear rash to natural reason.2
The gift of fear disposes man to follow the motion of the Holy Spirit for exhibiting reverence to God: for fear is understood as reverential toward the divine majesty, to which Christ the Lord also exhibited reverence, and before which, as Sacred Scripture testifies, the angels fall upon their faces.3
The gift of piety disposes man to follow the Holy Spirit moving him to honor God as our Father.4 Just as piety in the natural order refers to parents, so in the supernatural order it refers to God, our Father in a higher sense; therefore piety disposes to whatever acts by which, from a special motion of the Holy Spirit, we exhibit reverence to God as our Father and to all others, such as the saints, the Church, and neighbors, insofar as they are referred to God as Father.
Although the gifts differ from the virtues, nevertheless to individual gifts there corresponds a special virtue, which the gift surpasses in dignity and excellence: a. the gift of understanding corresponds to faith; b. the gift of knowledge likewise corresponds to faith; c. the gift of fear corresponds to hope; d. the gift of wisdom corresponds to charity; e. the gift of counsel corresponds to prudence; f. the gift of fortitude corresponds to the virtue of fortitude; g. the gift of piety corresponds to the virtue of justice.
1 Cf. Judg. 11:30; 16:29; 1 Macc. 6:46.
2 Cf. 1 Kings 17:32 ff.; 2 Macc. 6:18 ff.
3 Cf. Apoc. 7:11.
4 Rom. 8:15.
34. The supreme principle. The ultimate supernatural end, or the destination of man to beatitude, which consists in the vision and love of God, is the supreme principle of moral theology. For from this truth are determined and understood all things which have been instituted by God and are to be performed by men for the sanctification of men. And indeed, in order that Christian life may be proportioned to the end of eternal beatitude, sanctifying grace is infused, by which man is elevated to the supernatural order, is constituted just, holy, an adoptive son of God, and by which he receives the principle of supernatural life, such as is worthy of a son of God and heir of eternal beatitude. Together with sanctifying grace the theological virtues are infused, by which the powers of the soul, intellect and will, are supernaturally perfected and rendered apt for exercising virtues altogether supernatural as to object and proportioned to eternal life. The moral virtues indeed do not differ from natural virtues as to object; nevertheless, through infused habits and through the influence which supernatural charity exercises upon their acts, they are elevated to supernatural perfection, such as is fitting to the dignity of a son of God destined to the beatific vision. To beget, nourish, perfect, preserve, and, if it has been lost, to repair again this supernatural life, Christ the Lord instituted the sacraments, or so many sources and supports of supernatural life. Finally, to the same end He added to all these things the precepts of the theological virtues and the precepts which refer to the sacraments, which indeed are precepts of the supernatural order.