Some spiritual gifts are less obvious than others. The gift of administration supernaturally empowers individuals to organize people and activities. A great example of this gift in the Old Testament was Joseph. Famed for his coat of many colors, Joseph…
Helpers – Blessed with a Servant’s Heart.
Have you noticed that some people seem to have a special instinct for helping people? People with the gift of helps have received a spiritual gift for performing works of mercy. Saints like St. Teresa of Kolkatta and St. Vincent…
Healers – Manifesting God’s Power to Save.
Throughout Jesus’s ministry, healing miracles demonstrated the presence of the kingdom of God. When John the Baptist’s followers asked Jesus if He was the Messiah, Jesus replied, “…the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf…
Miracle Workers – Manifesting God’s Power
The gift of miracle-working is a purely charismatic gift, though numerous bishops, priests, and deacons throughout the ages have exercised it. We can distinguish between a hierarchical gift and a charismatic one by who possesses it. If every Bishop had…
Prophets – Proclaiming the Word of the Lord.
Most Catholics are unaccustomed to thinking of prophecy as something that happens today. The word “Prophet” sends their minds to John the Baptist in his camel-hair shirt or Jeremiah tossed into the well. In fact, the prophetic gift has never…
Teaching – Instructing the Flock.
The Holy Spirit’s gift of teaching can be either a hierarchical or charismatic gift and is found among both ordained and lay Catholics. Some people are teachers by virtue of their office in the Church – bishops, priests, deacons, catechists….