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The Gifts of Wisdom & Knowledge
Fr Pat Collins C.M. a popular retreat giver and lecturer from All Hallows, Dublin, looks at the revelatory nature of these gifts and their importance for teachers and preachers.
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 If
an angel had appeared to me, from adolescence onwards, and asked what
spiritual gifts I would most like to receive, I would have spontaneously
replied, "Wisdom and knowledge." These attractive endowments,
like Siamese twins are inseparable. I love the many biblical passages,
such as Wis 7:24-28, where they are personified in poetic terms.
In the Old Testament Solomon was noted for his wisdom and knowledge. In 1 Kngs 3:7-12 and 2 Chron 1:2-14, we are told how he went to a shrine at Gibeon, four miles Northwest of Jerusalem. There he had a religious dream in which God said to him. "Ask what I should give you." The king replied, "Give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil." The Lord was so pleased by Solomon's single minded desire for wisdom that he promised him: "Because you have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind." The wisdom of Solomon was so great that we are told how the queen
Sheba, came a long distance to visit him. "Solomon answered all
her questions; there was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could
not explain to her" (1 Kings 10:3). It is interesting to note
that Jesus referred to Sheba's visit, "She came from the ends
of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon and one greater than
Solomon is here" (Mt 12:42). In the New Testament Jesus is the
archetypal wisdom figure. Luke tells us that even as a boy he was
noted for his intelligence and his pursuit of wisdom and knowledge.
When he returned home after the finding in the temple, "Jesus
grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men" (Lk
2:52). When he was baptized, he was anointed with the Spirit of wisdom
and knowledge (Cf. Is 11:2). Speaking about Christ in the years following
his resurrection, Paul said the he was "the power of God and
the wisdom of God…. in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge…. he "has become for us wisdom from God--
that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption" (1 Cor 1:24;
Col 2:2-3; 1 Cor 1:30). In virtue of baptism and confirmation, Christ enables all cooperative Christians, to live in him all that he himself lived, including his revelatory gifts of wisdom and knowledge. It is probably a mistake to try to separate them and to ascribe specific meanings to each. Together they refer to an experiential, as opposed to a merely intellectual understanding of the Person and purposes of God. They are made possible by the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. As 1 Jn 2:27 assures us: "As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you." In theology this ability is sometimes referred to as connatural knowledge i.e. a grace given affinity with divine things. Just as the bee or carrier pigeon is directed by instinct, and acts with a wonderful certainty which reveals the Divine Intelligence which directs them, so, the spiritual person is inclined to act, not principally through the movement of his or her own will, but by the instinct of the Holy Spirit at work within. "The Charisms of Uttering Wisdom and Knowledge" Whereas the sanctifying gifts of wisdom and understanding are offered to all Christians, the charisms of the utterance of wisdom and knowledge, are pedagogical abilities which are only given to some members of the community in order to edify and sanctify others. They are rooted in the revelatory gifts we have just described, but go beyond them in so far as they enable those who have received them to speak in an anointed and effective way about the person and purposes of God. More often than not, these charisms are granted to those engaged in evangelization, especially apostles, prophets, preachers and teachers. Commenting on the utterance of wisdom, George Montague says, in his The Holy Spirit: Growth of a Biblical Tradition, "it seems that Paul is not discussing a stable gift, even less a stable office - there was no office of "wise men" in the early Church - but rather simply a passing movement by the Holy Spirit whereby someone in the community is given a flash of insight into the living of the Christian life." This interpretation fits in with things Jesus said, e.g. "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say" Lk 12:11-12. The utterance of knowledge is similar to the utterance of wisdom. Scripture scholars suggest that it probably refers to an inspired insight into the Christian mystery, for the purpose of instructing people. Other scholars, especially, Pentecostal and Charismatic ones, maintain that this gift refers to a supernatural endowment of knowledge, factual information that couldn't have been known without the help of the Holy Spirit. Many of us would be familiar with the exercise of this charism at healing services. While it is a genuine gift, it is quite likely, as St Thomas Aquinas and others have suggested, that it is really an aspect of the gift of prophecy. Conclusion How do we grow in wisdom and knowledge? Firstly, "if any of you lacks wisdom," says St James, "he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord" Jm 1:5-6. Secondly, as Sirach 6:33-37 points out, we will grow in wisdom and knowledge if we learn to listen attentively to people who are already endowed with these gifts, such as spiritual directors, anointed preachers and teachers, and inspired writers. Thirdly, we will also grow in wisdom and knowledge if we engage in regular Lectio Divina. As St Vincent de Paul said to a young priest: "An important
point and one to which you should carefully devote yourself, is to
establish a close union between yourself and the Lord in prayer. That
is the reservoir in which you will receive the instructions you need
to fulfil your duties…When in doubt, have recourse to God and
say: "O Lord, you are the Father of light, teach me what I should
do in this circumstance." I give you this advice not only for
those difficulties which will cause you pain, but also that you may
directly learn from God what you shall have to teach, following the
example of Moses who proclaimed to the people of Israel only that
which God had inspired him to say."
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