Spiritual Gifts – the Prophetic Charisms

Spiritual Gifts and the Prophetic Mission

Through our baptism, every Christian is called to participate in Jesus’ prophetic mission – to share the Gospel through teaching and preaching. But some of us are specially equipped and empowered through specific charismatic graces to make this part of our Lord’s mission central to their lives.

The prophetic charisms empower us to directly witness to others in word and deed, and to help others discern God’s “voice” in their lives.

The Charismatic Grace of Evangelization

Evangelization is part of the prophetic mission of Christ that every Christian is called to as a member of the Church – the Body of Christ. But there are some who are given a specific charismatic grace for evangelism. These people are specially equipped to make the sharing of the Gospel with others their primary mission.

Christians with the charism of evangelization inspire others to seek a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. They are driven by what is often called a “zeal for souls” – an eagerness to bring people to the saving grace of Jesus. Again, this is something that all Christians who truly love Jesus share. But those with this charism have a special sense of being compelled to reach out to others with the Gospel.

Christians with this gift often know just what to say to touch someone’s heart for the Gospel. They are also empowered by the Holy Spirit with a special fortitude and boldness. They are not afraid to approach strangers, to strike up conversations that other people might deem too “sensitive,” or tell the truth when it might be hard to hear. But this boldness is (or should be) also tempered with great love. In fact, when this charism is active in someone, that love is often felt even without words. People in the presence of someone with this charism may become inexplicably interested in the faith, even when they haven’t been personally inclined to it.

The Charismatic Grace of Teaching

The charism of teaching is the Holy Spirit’s help in leading others to fulfill their God-given potential through learning. “Teachers” are especially adept at helping others to live the faith and to grow in their spiritual lives.

People with the teaching charism have two objects of focus. First, they have a love for the subject matter. They love learning about it, thinking about it, and teaching about it. They get passionate about their subject. But they also focus on the person being taught. Teachers are not academic. Their mission is very personal. They want to connect to the people they’re teaching and really help them grow.

Teaching is one of my charisms. So I want to share something of my own experience here. But please realize that I’m not boasting. In fact, here’s one lesson in charisms. I take great (but not sinful) pride in my charism of teaching. But this pride isn’t because of my own natural talents – which God gave me anyway. My pride comes from being called to work with the Holy Spirit and to be privileged to watch as He changes lives through “my” teaching. This is exactly how charisms work. When I teach, I do my best to know my subject, to prepare carefully, and to deliver my teaching in an engaging way. But the responses that I get very often surprise me. The connections people tell me they make can go far beyond anything I had planned. People tell me that my teaching touches not only their minds but their hearts as well – oftentimes giving them a message that they specifically needed to hear at this particular time in their lives. These are all times when the Holy Spirit is working through me in my charism of teaching. And that’s how charisms work. God invites me to use my natural gifts for His work, then He works in and through me to do more than I ever could.

It’s just that cool.

The Charismatic Grace of Prophecy

The charism of prophecy is the ability to sense and to communicate what God wants to speak to a particular person or group. Sometimes this charism works as it does in the Bible, with God speaking actual words through His prophet. But often this gift is much more intuitive. The prophet will know the general message and need to put it in his or her own words.

But the word is always spoken with authority. Prophecy is more than just an intuition of what ought to be done. It is a specific message for a specific person or group of people.

Like all charisms, the word of prophecy is given for the sake of others. A prophet has to be careful not to get too wrapped up in the message. Interpreting the prophecy, counseling, or engaging in problem-solving is not part of this charism. In fact, the prophet may not even understand the word being spoken. The prophet will often preface the message with, “I’m not sure why I’m supposed to tell you this, but . . .”

One myth about both Biblical and charismatic prophecy is that it means telling the future. There are times when God may give a prophet insight into the future. But the word of the prophet is always a message from God that leads others deeper into God’s truth and love based on their particular and present circumstances.

Many people think that Saint Pope Paul VI had the prophetic charism. In his encyclical Ecclesiam Suam, which was written in the middle of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI predicted what would happen in the Church if the wrong idea of “renewal” was adopted. He was dead on. In his encyclical Humanae Vitae on human sexuality and birth control, he predicted what would happen to our culture if contraception became widely accepted. Again, he was dead on. But even in these encyclicals the focus was not on fortune-telling. It was rather on relaying the wisdom of God about these issues. But the insight and foresight with which Saint Pope Paul VI wrote are good signs that he may have been speaking through a prophetic charism in addition to the guidance the Holy Spirit gives to the Magisterium of the Church.

I am honored to have a couple of friends that have the charism of prophecy. One of my friends is more aware of it than the other. During a retreat I gave for her family, she prayed over me and started prophesying over me. While she did mention some vague references to the future (saying that she saw “fruitfulness” in my future), the rest of her words were words of love and encouragement. Now, words of encouragement could certainly have come from the heart of a dear friend rather than from God. But the powerful thing was that the words she spoke were exactly the words that I needed to hear at that time in my life. They reached into very intimate matters that my friend knew nothing about. I’m convinced that she spoke the words of our Heavenly Father to me.

My other friend prophecies through journaling. Now, journaling is usually a private prayer activity. But this friend often feels compelled to share what he writes. His writing is usually in God’s voice speaking to him. But when he reads his writing out loud it also speaks very powerfully to the group he reads it to. This could very well be the gift of prophecy.

The Creative Charisms

There is an important theological axiom that we should always keep in mind when we are discerning our spiritual gifts and our mission. That axiom is, “Grace builds on nature.” Usually, God gives us natural gifts so that He can then work through us in those gifts. That way we are truly co-working with God, participating in His divine life.

So even though the creative charisms aren’t mentioned in Sacred Scripture (in fact I lifted these from the Siena Institute’s excellent Called and Gifted program), they do fit the way the Holy Spirit works.

There are certain qualities that they have as charisms that helps us to see the work of the Holy Spirit beyond our own natural abilities.

1. The activity becomes an intense act of prayer, not just enjoyed.

2. What is produced leads other people into prayer.

So there are some people who have a charism of writing. In my own life, this is actually a great example of the difference between natural skill and a charism. I’m a pretty good writer (I hope you agree). And God inspired me to nurture that gift. But I don’t have the charism of writing. For me, writing is not an act of prayer or meditation. I enjoy doing it. It’s an act of creativity and an act of teaching. Now, my charism of teaching may come across in my writing. I hope it does. Hopefully my writing leads others to take positive action in their lives. But I have never heard of my writing moving people to deeper prayer. That’s not my charism.

The charism of music is sometimes really difficult to discern from natural ability. A good musician playing sacred music can lead others to prayer pretty easily. That’s just the nature of music. But someone with this charism is able to make music a true communion with God.

Another creative charism is craftsmanship. These are people who are able to beautify the material universe through the work of their hands to show God’s glory more completely. They see their crafting as a material expression of the spiritual world (very sacramental, isn’t it?) and working with their hands is a form of prayer to them. There is a woodcarver that sells at our parish craft sale. He’s very humble about his abilities. But he has carved pieces that strike people with the glory and beauty of God. That’s the Holy Spirit working through his natural talent.

The Charismatic Grace of Discernment of Spirits

The charismatic grace of discernment of spirits is the ability to perceive angelic and demonic spiritual presences. This is different from the “discernment of spirits” that Saint Ignatius teaches in his Spiritual Exercises. Saint Ignatius is talking about being aware of the spiritual influences on your heart during prayer. The charismatic gift is more external – sensing demonic or angelic presence in the world. The discernment of spirits is an immediate and intuitive grasp of spiritual influences that are independent of what the person is thinking and feeling at the moment.

But this gift must be used with great care. Because it’s so intuitive, people with this gift have to be careful not to read their own emotional responses as spiritual influence. This charism should especially be used with a great deal of prayer and discernment.

The Charismatic Grace of Knowledge

The charism of knowledge is the ability to channel God’s truth through study and intellectual activity. It’s closely tied to the Gift of the Holy Spirit by the same name. But while the Gift of Knowledge helps you to use created goods for your spiritual enrichment and holiness, the charism of knowledge leads other people to the beauty of the truth.

Unlike the charism of teaching, which has the object of leading people to self-improvement and spiritual growth, the charism of knowledge leads people to an appreciation of truth. People with this charism have a sense of being at prayer in study. They find ideas exciting and beautiful. But most importantly they see ideas and truth as a pathway to intimacy with God, who is the Author of all Truth.

But don’t mistake people with this charism for a bunch of bookworms. This charism also has a very practical side, just as the Gift of Knowledge does. People with the charismatic grace of knowledge are usually keen observers of the people around them and of creation. They are good at reading situations and helping people make decisions for the greater good.

Think of the saints that had this charism. Saint Thomas Aquinas had incredibly insightful intelligence. He was a teacher, but his charism was much more about leading students to truth for the sake of truth rather than for their betterment. Saint Thomas also had an incredibly deep spirituality. He is famous for saying that he learned more in front of the Blessed Sacrament than he learned from any book. I believe that Saint Benedict also had this charism. His focus was much more spirituality than theology, but he was still focused on leading people to the truth about God. Both of these saints lived a dynamic life full of adventure, virtue, and faith as well as learning.

The Charismatic Gift of Wisdom

The charism of wisdom is the ability to assist others to make sound decisions to discern God’s will. Like the charism of knowledge, the charism of wisdom is closely tied to the Gift of the Holy Spirit of wisdom. The Gift of wisdom helps us to grow in intimacy with God. The charism of wisdom is the ability to help others to think with the mind of God and to grow in intimacy with Him. People with the charism of wisdom are given a remarkable insight into specific problems and particular situations. They work within these specific circumstances to lead people to the wisdom and goodness of God.

What Are Your Spiritual Gifts – What’s Your Mission?

As you discern how the Holy Spirit is calling you to participate in the mission of Christ, pay attention to how the Holy Spirit works in your life to do things beyond your natural ability. If your charisms lie with teaching, leading others to truth, or sharing your faith, you may just be called to special participation in the prophetic mission. You join a great tradition of saints who allowed the Holy Spirit to work through them to bring God’s truth alive in the world. That’s a great adventure to be part of – and it’s empowered by your special spiritual gifts!

Discerning your gifts and your mission is one of the five areas of spirituality that From the Abbey teaches about in its spirituality program The Keys to Spiritual Growth. If you would like to learn more about building a lay Catholic spiritual life, please explore the opportunity below to get more involved with From the Abbey.

Brought to you by Jeffrey S. Arrowood at From the Abbey, dedicated to helping you rediscover the JOY of learning and living your faith so you can grow in intimacy with God.