By John Murphy

Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge are three of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit that we receive in a special way through the Sacrament of Confirmation. In Isaiah 11:2-5, Jesus, the Messiah, is portrayed: "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and a spirit of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide. But he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist and faithfulness a belt upon his hips." In the same way the Spirit of the Lord overshadows us and we receive a spirit of wisdom. Wisdom is an especially honored gift in the Old Testament; a whole book, Wisdom is dedicated to it and Proverbs extols it. By Wisdom we are guided in our judgment to see what is right and just, what is prudent and kindly. Wisdom guides us to choose the best course or action. Wisdom is rated as above all riches and even above health because all flows from possessing wisdom.

Wisdom is coupled with Understanding and Knowledge in the Old Testament: "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, established the heavens by understanding; by his knowledge the depths break open and the clouds drop down dew." (Prov. 3:19 - 20) The reason being that they are related and work together as aspects of the one Holy Spirit. Knowledge refers to facts and principles; understanding to how things work and are related to one another and wisdom refers more to acting and judgment. As with all gifts of the Holy Spirit, they work together to support and complement one another.

In the Old Testament, wisdom, knowledge and understanding have a very practical and immediate benefit. The wise person is pictured as gaining wealth and position. Part of the reason is that the teachers of the time had borrowed their ideas from the surrounding cultures and put an Israelite twist to them. It is even alluded to in Kings with regard to Solomon gathering learning from many parts of the known world. But the Israelites also saw wisdom as coming from God. Thus there was a reflection upon the wisdom of other nations in the light of Israel’s relation to Yahweh.

it may be disconcerting to some to realize that much of what is written in Proverbs was borrowed from other cultures of the time--Egypt, Greece and Babylon. It also has echoes in the teachings of Confucius and Buddha and probably in American Indian cultures. However, this becomes a powerful argument for the Natural Law and its universality and its reasonableness. If so many cultures come to many of the same conclusions on right conduct and wisdom, then it must be written in the heart of man. The many differences in these cultures that relate to this wisdom and conduct are reflection of mankind’s sinful nature. Even a cursory study of the wisdom of the cultures will show that some practices were accepted that we would not accept by God’s Law.

The Catholic Church has always taught that the Natural Moral Law exists and is the beginning of the Law of God. The Natural Moral Law is universal and available to the reason of man. It remains from our first parents and crosses all cultures. In theory we should be able to argue by reason to all just laws and moral conduct. However, we know that human nature will argue to almost any other conclusion with as much vigor and conviction. If it were that simple, abortion would be illegal and accepted as wrong by everyone. As it is some even argue that there is no Natural Moral Law and that morality is relative.

What a mess. But Our Lord has rescued us, saved us and set us free. He came to save us from sin and to give us the power to live according to the Father’s Will and to know it. He sent us the Holy Spirit with his gifts and guidance. He left us his commands: "Love the Lord, your God with your whole being. Love your neighbor as yourself. These sum up the Law and the prophets. A new command I give you, Love one another as I have loved you." The gifts of the Holy Spirit of Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding help us to apply these commands to our daily lives so that all might know that we are His disciples.

John Murphy is a member of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Charismatic Renewal Board and is from St. Gregory’s Parish, San Mateo. He is an Electronics Instructor at OICW, Menlo Park.

Read other articles of spiritual enlightenment in the August 1998 edition of The San Francisco Charismatics or return to the Main Menu by clicking on the blue.