The Gifts of the Holy Ghost

The gifts of the Holy Ghost are distinguished from the theological virtues. The gifts dispose us to obey divine influence and inspiration, whereas the virtues enable us to carry out the works of this obedience.

The gifts render a man amenable to the promptings of grace. Where there is need of such prompting, there is need of a gift. Man, working to attain his supernatural end, often needs the prompting of grace as well as the actual use of grace; hence the gifts are necessary to man.

The gifts are not merely acts, nor are they passions;they are habits that abide in a man and make him tend to obey God.

The gifts of the Holy Ghost are: wisdom and understanding, which perfect the speculative reason; counsel and knowledge, which perfect the practical reason; piety, whichperfects the appetitive powers with reference to other persons;fortitude, which perfects the appetitive powers with reference to danger threatening oneself; fear of the Lord, which perfects theappetitive powers by keeping them from inordinateness in their tendency to pleasures.

Just as moral virtues are united and focused in prudence, so the gifts are focused in charity. Without charity-the love and friendship of God in the soul-no one can enjoy the active presence of the gifts.

In the soul in heaven the gifts will remain asperfections, but they will not render the service which they rendered on earth. For the soul which has the beatific vision andis confirmed in grace has no longer any need of habits to dispose it to obey God. When the end is attained, helps to attain the end have completed their service.

The gifts of the Holy Ghost are adequately listed by Isaias in their order of dignity (11:2-3): wisdom, understanding,counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety (or godliness), and fear ofthe Lord.

When we compare the theological virtues and the gifts(and both come directly to the soul from God), it seems that the theological virtues are in themselves more excellent than the gifts, for they regulate the gifts. But the gifts are more excellent than all virtues other than the theological virtues.