XXIII — THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE

Presence of God. — O Holy Spirit, teach me deeply the nothingness of human things.

Meditation

1 — With gifts of fear, fortitude, piety, and counsel, the Holy Spirit governs chiefly our moral life. With other gifts — knowledge, understanding, and wisdom — He governs more directly our theological life, that is, our life of relation with God. While first four gifts especially perfect moral virtues, these last three perfect theological virtues. They are called gifts of contemplative life, that is, life of prayer and union with God.

In ascent toward God we meet a great obstacle: creatures, which with their attractions impress and draw us and try to hold us to themselves — sensible and visible goods — turning us away from God, Infinite Good, who escapes experience of our humanity.

To believe God is all, to believe He is only good and only happiness and to hope in Him alone while He remains hidden from our sight; to believe creatures are nothing and to be convinced of their vanity while they present themselves with so many allurements and charms, is not easy for us who live by senses. True, faith comes to our aid and in its light we have often reflected on these truths. Yet in practice our reasonings have often failed. Before attraction of some creature we have forgotten, perhaps even betrayed, the Creator.

Therefore a more powerful help is needed, a divine light enlightening us from within without passing through our limited and coarse reasonings. This is precisely light the Holy Spirit infuses by gift of knowledge. This gift does not make us reason about vanity of things; it gives us living and concrete experience of it, makes us perceive it in so clear a way that no hesitation remains.

Under impulse of this gift, Francis of Assisi suddenly abandons joyful companions to espouse Lady Poverty, and when his indignant father repudiates him he exclaims in fervor of spirit: “From now on I shall no longer say father Pietro Bernardone, but Our Father who art in heaven!” Under this gift’s impulse Teresa of Avila writes her maxims: “All things pass, God alone remains. If you have God in your heart, you lack nothing; his love suffices.” And Blessed Maria Bertilla dies saying: “One must work for Jesus alone. Everything is nothing.”

2 — Guided by gift of knowledge, St. John of the Cross traced famous way of “nothing,” way that, leaving aside all created goods, climbs straight and swiftly mountain of perfection where encounter between soul and God takes place. “Nothing, nothing,” repeats the Saint, “not this, not that; neither goods of earth nor goods of heaven” — that is, not even spiritual consolations — but God alone.

So much renunciation, stripping, and nakedness terrify poor human nature. But soul enlightened by Holy Spirit understands: nothing of all this, because “all things are vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone” (Imitation I, 1, 4). As gift of knowledge develops in it, soul understands and tastes the nothingness of things and lets itself perceive God’s all. It feels need to escape from creatures in order to immerse itself in Him. This is first step toward contemplation.

“All created beings, compared with infinite Being of God, are nothing” (G.C. S. I, 4, 4). Nothing are marvels of creation, nothing most splendid works of human genius, nothing science of learned men. God alone is worth and gives worth to all things, either because they are work of his hands or works done by man for his glory.

Before our most beautiful enterprises, before all our agitation over earthly things, the Holy Spirit recalls Jesus’ words: “What does it profit a man if he gain whole world and lose himself?” (Lk. 9:25), and the others: “You are troubled and busy about many things. But one thing is necessary” (Lk. 10:41-42). Thus He makes us understand essential is adhesion to God, while all rest is accessory and very often vain.

And before beauties of creation, gift of knowledge, while showing their essential nothingness, does not deny relative perfections found in them, but shows them only as vestige and reflection of God’s infinite perfection. This is precisely light changing creatures from obstacle into help for ascending to God, since “the soul is greatly moved to love of its beloved God by consideration of creatures, seeing they are works of his hand alone” (St. John of the Cross, Canticle 4, 3).

When a soul is deeply enlightened by gift of knowledge, creatures no longer disturb ascent toward God. Whether it considers their nothingness or beauties the Lord placed in them, whether it leaves them or uses them by necessity, they always urge it into God, to seek and love Him, unique and infinite Beauty.

Colloquy

“My God, here on earth all is vanity. What can I seek and desire to find here below, where nothing is pure? Here all is vain, uncertain, deceptive, except to love You, Lord, and always do good. But I cannot love You perfectly without despising myself and world.

“My soul, do not find it hard to withdraw from friends and acquaintances; they often impede divine consolation.

“Where are companions with whom I played and laughed? I do not know: they are gone, they have left me. And what I beheld yesterday, where is it? Vanished. All has passed. Therefore he alone is wise who serves You, Lord, despising lower life with all its attractions.

“Guard me, my God, from search for world’s joys. I beseech You, strip my heart of every attachment to earth’s vanities. Draw me up to height of Cross; may I follow You wherever You go before me. Poor and naked, as exile in world and unknown, I willingly remain with You” (Venerable Thomas a Kempis).

Take from me, my God, all that turns me away from You; grant me all that leads me to You. Seize me so that I may live wholly and always for You” (St. Nicholas of Flue).

“May ardent and sweet force of your love, Lord, I beg You, carry away my mind and heart from all earthly things, so that I may die for love of your love, as You deigned to die for love of me” (St. Francis).