Bishop Eric Menees
In this series of the Bishop’s
Note, we have been focusing on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. So far, we’ve
looked at the “Traditional” gifts as listed in Isaiah, and we’ve looked at the
“Motivational” gifts as listed in Romans. Today we turn to the “Charismatic”
gifts as found in St. Paul’s first epistle to the Church in Corinth. In
Chapter 12, verse seven of that letter, St. Paul writes: “To each is
given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1
Corinthians 12:7) God freely gives these gifts to His people for the good of
His people. These gifts are supernatural abilities given to individuals by the
Holy Spirit. They are not the natural abilities of the individual, and they are
given for the common good of the people and not to promote the importance of
the person in whom the gift is manifested. This is a very important fact to
remember – the Charismatic gifts are given to people who are open to being instruments
of God’s Grace and Love to others. Therefore, they are to be used in all
humility and love; to the Glory of God and the building up of His Church!
St. Paul lists these gifts
in verses 8-11 of chapter twelve: “For 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 ability to distinguish between spirits, to another
various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these
are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one
individually as he wills.” (1 Corinthians 12:8-11)
The first gift listed is
the “Utterance of Wisdom.” The Greek word for wisdom is Sophia and
refers to an intimate knowledge and application of God’s Will through the
understanding of God’s Word and an intimacy with the Holy Spirit. Jesus
demonstrated this gift when he met with the Samaritan woman at the well (John
chapter 4). Jesus spoke into her life when he said to her; “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had
five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said
is true.” (John 4:16-18) Jesus spoke this truth into her life not to shame
her, but to let her know that he had an intimate knowledge of her life and so
his expressed desire to give her “Living Water” was true.
When I think of someone
who has demonstrated the gift of the Utterance of Wisdom in my life I think of
Fr. Larry Bausch, my spiritual director. Over the years when we’ve met and I’ve
shared my heart’s desires, hurts, joys, and sins, he’s spoken life and wisdom
into me and my particular situation. Fr. Larry would be the first to tell you
that any wisdom he’s shared with me has come from God the Holy Spirit and not
from himself.
I pray that, when you
sense that a brother or sister is given the Spiritual Gift of the Utterance of
Wisdom, you will take the time to be open and vulnerable sharing your
heart’s desires, hurts, joys, and sins, in order that God the Holy Spirit may
speak through that individual and into your heart and soul. And I pray that you
will be open to the Holy Spirit to give you this gift in order to speak life
and love into the heart and soul of a brother or sister!
I pray you all a truly
blessed week!
Catechism Questions 162 - 164
162. How do you
address God in this prayer?
As Jesus taught his disciples to
call upon God, I pray, “Our Father, Who art in heaven.”
163. Who may
call God Father?
All who are adopted as God’s
children through faith and baptism in Christ may call him Father. (John
1:12-13)
164. If prayer is
personal, why do you not say “my” Father?
The Lord Jesus teaches God’s
children always to think of themselves as living members of his Body, God’s
family of believers, and to pray accordingly.
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