⁴ Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are various kinds of service, and the same Lord. ⁶ There are various kinds of workings, but the same God who works all things in all. ⁷ But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all. ⁸ For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, ¹⁰ and to another workings of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of languages, and to another the interpretation of languages. ¹¹ But the one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires. ¹² For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. ¹³ For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.

Meditation

Let us listen to what a famous text from Vatican II says: “It is not only through the sacraments and the ministries of the Church that the Holy Spirit sanctifies and leads the people of God and enriches it with virtues, but, ‘allotting his gifts to everyone according as He wills’” (cf. 1 Cor 12:11) (Lumen gentium, 12). We too have personal gifts that the Spirit gives to each one of us. Two elements contribute to defining what charism is. A somewhat difficult word, I will explain it. First, the charism is the gift given “for the common good” (1 Cor 12:7), to be useful to everyone. It is not, in other words, destined principally and ordinarily for the sanctification of the person, but for the “service” of the community (cf. 1 Pt 4:10). This is the first aspect. Secondly, the charism is the gift given “to one”, or “to some” in particular, not to everyone in the same way, and this is what distinguishes it from sanctifying grace, from the theological virtues and from the sacraments, which instead are the same and common to all. The charism is given to a specific person or community. It is a gift that God gives you. The Council explains this too. The Holy Spirit, it says, “distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank. By these gifts He makes them fit and ready to undertake the various tasks and offices which contribute toward the renewal and building up of the Church, according to the words of the Apostle: ‘The manifestation of the Spirit is given to everyone for profit’” (1 Cor 12:7). The charisms are the “jewels” or the ornaments that the Holy Spirit distributes to make the Bride of Christ more beautiful. One can thus understand why the Conciliar text ends with the following exhortation: “These charisms, whether they be the more outstanding or the more simple and widely diffused, are to be received with thanksgiving and consolation for they are perfectly suited to and useful for the needs of the Church” (LG 12). We must rediscover the charisms, because this ensures that the promotion of the laity, and of women in particular, is understood not only as an institutional and sociological fact, but also in its biblical and spiritual dimension. Indeed, the laity are not the least, no, they laity are not a form of external collaborator or auxiliary troops of the clergy, no! They have their own charisms and gifts with which to contribute to the mission of the Church. Let us add another thing: when we talk about the charisms, we must immediately dispel a misunderstanding: that of identifying them with spectacular or extraordinary gifts and capabilities; instead, they are ordinary gifts – each one of us has his or her own charism – that assume extraordinary value if inspired by the Holy Spirit and embodied with love in situations of life. Such an interpretation of the charism is important, because many Christians, when they hear talk of charisms, experience sadness or disappointment, as they are convinced that they do not possess any, and feel they are excluded or second-class Christians. No, they are not second-class Christians, no, each person has his or her own personal, and also community charism. Saint Augustine responded to these in his time with a very eloquent comparison: ‘If you love,’ he told his people, “If you love, it is not nothing that you have: if you love unity, whoever has anything in that unity has it also for you. In the body, the eye alone sees; but is it for itself alone that the eye sees? It sees both for the hand and the foot, and for all the other members”.  This reveals the secret of why charity is defined by the Apostle as “a still more excellent way” (1 Cor 12, 31): it makes me love the Church, or the community in which I live and, in unity, all charisms, not just some, are “mine”, just as “my” charisms, little though they may seem, belong to all and are for the good of all. Charity multiplies charisms; it makes the charism of one, of one individual person, the charism of all.  (November 20, 2024)

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Day 8

Scripture (Galatians 5:22-25)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit. 

Meditation

Unlike the charisms, which the Spirit gives to whom He wants and when He wants for the good of the Church, the fruits of the Spirit, I repeat - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – are the result of cooperation between grace and our freedom. These fruits always express the creativity of the person, in which “faith works through love” (cf. Gal 5:6), sometimes in a surprising and joyful way. Not everyone in the Church can be an apostle, not everyone can be a prophet, not everyone can be an evangelist, not everyone; but all of us, without distinction, can and must be charitable, patient, humble workers for peace, and so on. But all of us, yes, must be charitable, must be patient, must be humble, workers for peace and not war. Among the fruits of the Spirit listed by the Apostle, I like to highlight one of them, recalling the initial words of the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium: “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Jesus joy is constantly born anew”. There will be sad moments at times, but there is always peace. With Jesus there is joy and peace. Joy, fruit of the Spirit, has in common with any other human joy a certain feeling of fullness and fulfilment, which makes one wish it would last forever. We know from experience, however, that this is not the case, because everything here passes quickly. Everything passes quickly. Let us think together: youth, youthfulness – it passes quickly; health, strength, well-being, friendships, loves... They last a hundred years, but then… no more. They soon pass. Besides, even if these things do not pass quickly, after a while they are no longer enough, or even become boring, because, as Saint Augustine said to God: “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You”. There is the restlessness of the heart to seek beauty, peace, love, joy. The joy of the Gospel, evangelical joy, unlike any other joy, can be renewed every day and become contagious. “Thanks solely to this encounter – or renewed encounter – with God’s love, which blossoms into an enriching friendship, we are liberated from our narrowness and self-absorption. ... Here we find the source and inspiration of all our efforts at evangelization. For if we have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with others?” (Evangelii gaudium 8). It is the dual characteristic of joy as fruit of the Spirit: not only is it not subject to the inevitable wear of time, but it multiplies when it is shared with others! A true joy is shared with others; it even spreads. The word “Gospel” means glad tidings. Therefore, it cannot be communicated with a long face and sombre countenance, but with the joy of those who have found the hidden treasure and the precious pearl. Remember Saint Paul’s exhortation to the believers of the Church of Philippi, which he now addresses to us all, and which we heard at the beginning: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near” (Phil 4:4-5). (November 27, 2024)

Musical Selection

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