Dear Parishioners and Friends,
I’m returning to our catechesis on the gifts of the Holy
Spirit with a reflection on the gift of understanding. This gift of the Holy
Spirit provides us with a deeper insight into the divine truths we believe by
the virtue of faith.
Some truths that we accept by faith, such as the belief in
the Trinity, are not easy to grasp. By way of this gift, the Holy Spirit helps
our weak minds to penetrate more deeply and easily these truths. It gives us
the ability to move beyond the surface of our faith and really perceive things
in a way that our human mind alone could not grasp. It also helps us see the
hidden meaning of spiritual realities and shows the providential hand of God
working behind the scenes of our life, even in the most difficult aspects of
our suffering and trials.
In a very real way the gift of understanding brings the virtue
of faith to perfection. Thus, as St. Thomas says, “In this very life, when the
eye of the spirit is purified by the gift of understanding, one can in a
certain way see God” (Summa theologiae).
In Christ,
Msgr. Baker
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