2nd Sunday OT, C January 16, 2022
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
This is our wedding feast. To belong to the Church is to be invited to the wedding of God with humanity. Scripture constantly speaks of Israel as God’s bride. It’s the reason that Jesus’ first miracle is done at a wedding feast – it pointing to this deeper reality that God wants to unite all of us to himself in perfect love – marriage is a sign of that truth. Jesus is the bridegroom and the Church – to which we belong – is the bride.
And like all good weddings, there are gifts. Lots of them. Jesus is the Son and bridegroom, but he always brings the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit loves to give gifts! He’s already given them to you in your baptism. Now, unfortunately, it’s quite possible that you’ve misplaced them… or never unwrapped them… or like some fancy appliance, never quite figured how to turn them on and use them, but you do have them. St. Paul says “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” That benefit is for you and all the rest of us. The Church as a whole needs you to use these gifts.
Yes, your first priority should be salvation: getting to heaven and being as holy as possible. Baptism and the other sacraments point us in that direction. But no one is saved by themselves. In order to get to heaven, you have to belong to the heavenly family. On Earth, that family is the Church… And being part of that family means you don’t just take and receive, but that you give, you contribute. And that’s why these gifts are given to you. The fancy Greek word for these gifts is Charismata… or “charisms” for short. If you are baptized, and especially if you are confirmed, you have been given a gift, a charism… probably more than one. And these charisms take a variety of forms. St. Paul lists some of the general possibilities for us.
“The expression of wisdom” is the ability to grasp and express the deeper mysteries of our faith, things like the inner life of the Trinity and mystical experiences of prayer. We see this at work in saints like Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and other mystical experts. It can also refer to a one-time or short-term gift to express some divine wisdom to a soul in need at a particular time: giving an unexpectedly wise explanation of some spiritual matter or difficult situation.
“The expression of knowledge” refers to the ability to understand and teach the basic truths of our faith: the cross, salvation, that grace comes through the Sacraments and things like that. This is a charism we see in good catechists and teachers and is likewise an ongoing gift. Still, it could also refer to those supernatural moments when a person knows what they shouldn’t be able to – like when Jesus knows what the Pharisees are thinking or when Padre Pio would read souls.
Healing and mighty deeds are what they sound like: miraculous gifts to help others and strengthen their faith. And these do still happen. Healing can also be less obviously miraculous, seen in particularly effective doctors, nurses, therapists, and other care givers.
Prophecy sometimes is the ability to foretell the future, but that’s not all it is. And the foretelling has to be tested before you trust it. To prophesy in the biblical sense is simply to speak the word of God. It is speaking the truth to people in power, convicting a person in their sins, or proclaiming God in a way that moves people. This could even extend to a particularly good lector at Mass – they are proclaiming God’s word, but it’s somehow more than just reading words on a page.
Discernment of spirits could mean recognizing supernatural and preternatural influences – demons and angels – but it also includes a keen insight into motivations and influences of human decisions. St. Ignatius of Loyola wrote extensively on cultivating the ability to discern in this way – something we all should do. Some people are particularly gifted by God to guide others in recognizing whether an idea is coming from good or bad influences. Spiritual directors, exorcists, and even advisors for non-Churchy things make great use of this gift.
The gift of tongues. There are two major categories and scholars aren’t sure which one Paul is talking about here. First, there is the ability to speak other human languages that you didn’t know – we see this at Pentecost. I’ve heard of a priest who heard confession and gave advice only to find out afterwards that he and the person in confession didn’t actually speak the same language. One of the first major events of the Charismatic renewal involved a college student who only spoke English suddenly praying the Rosary in French. A friend of mine witnessed a protestant minister praying at a rally start to say the Hail Mary in Spanish without realizing.
The other form of tongues is what’s called glossolalia. Rather than speaking a human language, it is praying in an ecstatic way that isn’t using any language or active thought. It’s a kind of mystical expression of prayer beyond words and it often sounds like nonsense to others. People probably do fake it sometimes, but I’m pretty sure it’s also a real phenomenon. The point of it is to express a profound prayer of faith in God who is beyond comprehension in ordinary human words.
And there are more than these. Some are obviously miraculous and others – like hospitality and intercession and generosity – are more subtle. Nonetheless, they are all meant for the same purpose: to equip us to build up the whole body of the Church. Strengthening believers, fostering conversion, evangelizing others, helping those in need… all these efforts are strengthened by our charisms.
So, if you want to grow closer to God and to the Church, seek to recognize and make use of your charisms. Thank God for them too. Our director of discipleship, Becki, is already leading a group in a series titled “Called and Gifted” designed to help people do exactly that. She will continue to offer this program as each group finishes. If you’re interested in discovering more, I suggest you speak to her about this.
In the meantime, pray for God’s gifts and our recognition of them. Ask Mary to intercede as she did at the wedding feast. Heed her advice to do whatever Jesus tells us. And above all, make an act of faith, a renewal of faith in this truth: God loves you. And because He loves you, He has called you to the wedding feast that is heaven. The wedding gifts have already been given – they are signs of his love for you, his love for others through you, his love for you through others. And if we accept that love, if we cooperate with the gifts of his love, he will transform us… a transformation more amazing than turning water into wine.