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Building Spiritual Habits - Part 5
St. Augustine prayed, “Help me to grow in the four Cardinal Virtues, Your Seven Gifts and Your Twelve Fruits.” Last week we talked about the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, godliness—and fear of the Lord. These gifts, granted to Christians at their baptism and perfected in the Sacrament of Confirmation, are like the virtues we spoke about three weeks ago. They make the person who possesses them disposed to make proper choices and to do the right thing. If the gifts of the Holy Spirit are like virtues, the fruit of the Holy Spirit are the actions that those virtues produce. The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the “charismata” that St. Paul speaks of and Isaiah talks about, are understood as pluralistic gifts (and the term is a plural form of the word “charisma,” which is usually translated “spiritual gift”). As we discovered last week, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are gifts that are given to all believers when Jesus is their Lord and Savior. The Fruit (singular) of the Holy Spirit is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer as he or she grows in knowledge and love of the Lord. At this point it is important to delve into the credibility of St. Augustine’s list of “Twelve Fruit” in the face of criticism that there are only nine. There are actually two versions of the list of the Fruit found in Saint Paul’s Letter to the Galatians (5:22). There is a shorter version, commonly used in the Bible you might have, consisting of nine fruits; and the longer version of twelve fruits found in the Latin Vulgate. Saint Jerome, a contemporary of St. Augustine, translated the Old and New Testaments from Hebrew and Greek into Latin. Jerome’s translation was eventually called the Vulgate, a formalization of its description into a proper title. The Latin phrase editio vulgata means “common version” and vulgus, common people. As the Latin Bible grew in use, it was referred to as the Vulgas (English Vulgate) simply meaning “common.” The Vulgate contained three more fruits than the Greek text. This is not innovation, but rather an extrapolation. When Jerome translated the Greek, he found that some of the Greek words meant more (contained more meaning) than their Latin counterparts. To effectively translate the meaning of the Greek, Jerome had to add a divided description in the Latin. St. Augustine read both Hebrew and Greek as well as Latin. Latin and Greek were the most used languages in the Roman Empire, with Latin predominantly spoken and used throughout Western Christendom. As Jerome’s Vulgate grew in popularity, there is no doubt that Augustine would have used it in his Bible study. The Vulgate was the unofficial standard Bible of the church, made officially standard at the Council of Trent in 1546. In 1943, Pope Pius XII wrote an encyclical entitled Divino Afflante Spiritu, which mandated future translations of the Bible be made from the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) and not directly from the Vulgate. In 1979, the Roman Catholic Church produced a new translation, the Nova Vulgata–New Vulgate, using the primary texts. The former Vulgate is still regarded as authentic, the official description decreed in 1546. In historical context, "authentic" was used to mean "authoritative" for specific Church uses, particularly among the Latin editions of the Bible available at that time. Today, the Vulgate is deemed "authentic" in the sense that it is a trustworthy and reliable text for liturgical use and for defining doctrine in matters of faith and morals, free from fundamental errors in those areas. It's crucial to understand that "authentic" in this context does not mean the Vulgate itself is considered divinely inspired in the same way the original texts are believed to be. Its "authenticity" stems from its long-standing usage and the Church's affirmation of its freedom from errors in faith and morals. Though St. Augustine consulted the Vulgate at the beginning of its usage, that translation was and still is regarded as an authoritative version, thereby supporting St. Jerome’s division and addition of three to the Fruit of the Spirit. Next week, we will dive into the Twelve Fruits for a better understanding of how God equips us for ministry and service. This week, pray for a manifestation of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life. The Fruits are: Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Long Suffering, Mildness, Faith, Modesty, Self Control, and Chastity. In Prayer, Fr. Bill+
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Building Spiritual Habits - Part 4
St. Augustine prayed, “Help me to grow in the four Cardinal Virtues, Your Seven Gifts and Your Twelve Fruits.” Two weeks ago, we dove into the deep pool of God’s intention and purpose. Realizing that God designed our bodies and our spirits for the same purpose, we recognize that our own habits are set against us. Utilizing a prayer written by St. Augustine and asking God for help attaining the four Cardinal Virtues, Seven Gifts and Twelve Fruits, we began our journey. Last week we swam through the Cardinal Virtues, what they are, and why they are important–neccessary for us to grow spiritually. Today we wade into the Seven Gifts. The Seven Gifts that St. Augustine is speaking of comes from Isaiah 11:1-3: A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord (godliness)—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; In this passage, Isaiah refers to seven spiritual powers that would be given to the Messiah to help fulfil his mission. In the original Hebrew text, Isaiah listed six gifts of the Spirit but mentioned the gift of the fear of the Lord twice. When this passage was translated into ancient Greek, the scribes used two different words for “fear of the Lord.” The first time they translated it “godliness” and the second time, more literally, as “fear of the Lord.” This is why Christian tradition speaks of seven gifts rather than six. In chapters 32:15; 42:1; 44:3; 59:21; and 61:1, Isaiah says that this same Spirit of the Lord would also be poured out on the people who recognize and worship God. As the church grew, this list became a cornerstone of Baptismal proclamation and Confirmation as the visible means for people to receive the Holy Spirit. That being said, there is also a separate list of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit, which is based on St. Paul’s letter First to the Corinthians: To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues (12:8-10) The best way to understand these two lists is as St. Augustine drew this distinction: the seven gifts listed in Isaiah are received by all Christians and the nine listed by Paul are given to particular individuals for the good of the Church. In this way we understand that St. Augustine was acknowledging the already present gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed on every believer. This is very important as so often people question their “value” or sanctity based on the second list. If they have not received one of the nine gifts, are they really beloved, saved, good? The answer to this question must begin with the acknowledgement of the already present seven gifts. You must grow into the reality that as you have recognized Jesus as the Messiah and pledged yourself to Him, you have received the Holy Spirit. Growing into this truth leads to the deepening of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, godliness--and fear of the Lord already received and makes possible the reception of particular gifts. What must you do to grow into the profound truth that the Holy Spirit is living in you? How MUST you change your world view to honor God for your faith and to know the Messiah as the center of your life? A more detailed explanation of these gifts will guide you as you lean on them to grow in them. 1- Gift of Wisdom: This gift detaches us from the world, relegates the events and concerns of the world to God. Wisdom makes us relish and love only the things of heaven, and to interpret all the things of this world through heavenly sight. It helps us, for example, to understand and live the glorious fact that God is our Father, and we are His children. You are a child of God and as God’s child will live out the example and instruction we learn from him. 2- Gift of Understanding: This gift helps us to grasp the truths of religion as far as is necessary. To understand and live the value of prayer, love, faith, hope, the Trinity, the Father, Jesus, the Spirit, the brothers, the creatures of God, the snares of the devil. Upon this gift, we understand our place in God’s plan and live our lives. 3- The gift of Counsel: This gift is the supernatural grace that helps us make sound judgments and wise decisions, particularly in moral and spiritual matters. It enables us to discern God's will and choose actions that lead to holiness and salvation. 4- The gift of Fortitude or Power: This gift gives us power and courage to overcome the obstacles and difficulties that arise in the practice of our devotion. We are able to fight the world, the devil, and most especially the bad inclinations of our own flesh with the power of God. 5- The gift of Knowledge: This is the spiritual gift that enables a believer to understand and apply spiritual truths, often related to the Bible and the Gospel, in a way that is insightful and helpful to others. 6- The gift of Piety (Godliness): Inspires us with a tender and filial confidence in God, and makes us joyfully embrace with love all that pertains to His service, the liturgy, the sacraments, and the prayers. 7- The gift of Fear of the Lord: This is a deep respect and awe for God's majesty and holiness. It's a gift that motivates a person to avoid sin and attachment to worldly things out of love and reverence for God. It's a filial fear, similar to a child's fear of disappointing a loving parent, rather than a servile fear of punishment. Ask God’s help to live into the gifts you have already received. Ask the Father to direct your mind and heart as you see better Spiritual Habits. Prayerfully, Fr. Bill+ Building Spiritual Habits
St. Augustine prayed, “Help me to grow in the four Cardinal Virtues, Your Seven Gifts and Your Twelve Fruits.” What are the four Cardinal Virtues? In 375 B.C., the Greek philosopher Plato identified the four human virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. He considered these characteristics of human behavior to be “cardinal,” from “cardo,” the Latin word for hinge, or “that on which other things depend.” St. Augustine prayed for the four Cardinal virtues because he understood them to be the foundation–the hinge that made possible any spiritual practice. Prudence, also called "wisdom," is defined by Webster's Dictionary as “the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason” or the “skill and good judgment in the use of resources.” Prudence is the ability to judge between actions with regard to what is needed and appropriate at a given time. This virtue in practice makes it possible to decide what we are doing, to watch TV or pray, go to Church or sleep. Weighing the option requires a clear understanding of the benefits and a will to pursue them. Justice, also called "fairness," is defined as the “quality of being correct, impartial and fair.” Justice is the guiding principle, the perpetual and constant will of doing what is right. St. Augustine understood that to advance in our Spiritual life, we must understand our devotion and the practice of our faith as not simply good, but right. Fortitude, also called "courage," is defined as the “strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage.” Nowhere in scripture does God say that life, living and working towards spiritual perfection, will be easy. In fact, St. Paul tells us in his Letter to the Ephesians that…we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. St. Augustine knew by his own experience that it required great fortitude to pursue spiritual perfection. Knowing that principalities and powers are allied against us requires courage tempered in wisdom. Temperance, also called "restraint," is defined as “avoidance of extremes in one’s actions, beliefs, or habits.” Temperance is the practice of self-control, abstention, and moderation. St. Augustine lived with the memory of his own indulgence and willfulness which led, or were leading him to ruin. He wrote about the struggles he went through and the restraint he had to develop as he prioritized his spiritual life. The naming of the four Cardinal Virtues by Plato were obviously not Christian constructs. Augustine knew the Virtues as a Philosopher and recognized them as the basic virtues (bestowed by God) which are needed to achieve the practice of spiritual growth. Next week we will look at the Seven Gifts. Striving for Perfection, Fr. Bill+ |
AuthorFather Bill Burk† Archives
February 2026
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