St. Paul: The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Saint Paul was well aware that the Holy Spirit who dwells in us is the Source of every gift we enjoy. "Do you not know that you are God's Temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you." (1 Cor 3/16) The Holy Spirit who seals us on the day of our baptism enters into the very depths of our being, journeys with us, and, bestows upon us a spiritual vigour and firm faith. He makes us to be children of God, and, because we are children of God we can call God Father.

The Gits that the Holy Spirit gives are charismata, that is, freely given gifts, and they are granted to Christians for the building up of the Body of Christ which is the Church. Paul speaks of them in First Corinthians (12:8-10) listing them as: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, speaking in unlearned languages and the interpretation of these languages.

In Ephesians (4:7-13) he repeats the same adding that these charisms enable the believers to respond to their call: "And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers". God calls us to serve Him and He provides all the gifts we need that we might do so.

Thus the Church exhorts us without ceasing to discover our particular gifts and to offer them for the service of the Christian Community and human society.

In today's Pauline Letter (Col 1:12-19) the Apostle Paul urges us to be always thankful to God and to live in the light, and, he quotes an early Christian hymn telling of the greatness of Christ in Creation and in the renewal and restoration of the world. Everything was created by Him and for Him.

Issam John Darwish BSO DD

Eparch

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