XXVI — THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING

Presence of God. — Come, Spirit of understanding, enlighten me!

Meditation

1 — In our journey toward God we find difficulties not only from creatures trying to hinder our steps, but also because of impenetrability of divine mysteries. And as, to help us overcome the first, Holy Spirit comes to our aid with gift of knowledge, so to help us overcome the second He comes with gift of understanding.

Our intelligence is incapable of grasping infinite. Though invested by faith, its mode of understanding remains human mode proceeding through ideas and limited concepts, absolutely insufficient to express divine realities. Revelation itself reaches us by means of human words and therefore cannot manifest what God is in Himself, cannot reveal intimate essence of revealed truths.

Proceeding only with virtue of faith, we are constrained, so to speak, to remain at surface of divine mysteries: we know with certainty they have been revealed by God, we adhere to them with all strength, and yet cannot penetrate them. But what faith cannot do by itself it will do with help of gift of understanding.

This gift goes beyond our human mode of understanding and enlightens us in divine manner. It makes us intus legere, that is, “read within” divine mysteries with light and intelligence of Holy Spirit Himself.

It is rapid and deep penetration adding nothing new to data of Revelation, but making us grasp inner meaning of revealed truths. Gift of understanding, so to speak, tears open wrapping of propositions and human concepts and allows us to cast a gaze into substance of divine mysteries. Faith tells us God is Trinity. Gift of understanding says nothing more, does not make us see nor explain this mystery, but makes us penetrate it.

Under influence of this gift, soul not only believes God is One and Triune, but intuits Trinitarian mystery is essential to divine nature and is that which more than all others reveals God’s perfection, power, and infinite love.

2 — Only Holy Spirit, who is God, can make us penetrate divine mysteries. St. Paul says it explicitly: “The things that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard ... to us God hath revealed by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God ... the things that are of God no man knows but the Spirit of God. Now we have received not spirit of this world, but Spirit that is of God, that we may know the things that are given us from God” (1 Cor. 2:9-12).

This is marvelous action Holy Spirit performs in us through gift of understanding. To souls united with Him by love He communicates participation in his knowledge of divine mysteries. Therefore it is clear: the more united we are to Holy Spirit by perfect charity, the more apt we are to receive this precious communication.

Then gift of understanding will not remain inoperative in us, but will intervene with its light to illumine our studies and meditations on things of God, making us penetrate their depth, grasp intimate sense of sacred texts, and receive exact understanding of divine commandments and counsels.

Thus Holy Spirit introduces soul into prayer more simple and deep. Mind no longer needs to reason and seek convincing motives, but under illuminating touch of Holy Spirit it stops and fixes gaze in truth. This simple contemplative gaze reveals God to it more than any theological study. It feels itself sinking into divine, senses a bottomless abyss in which it delights to immerse itself. It does not see, distinguish, or know how to say anything precise, but it senses God, senses it is in contact with Him.

What difference in understanding same mystery when we meditate it purely in light of faith and when we receive grace to penetrate it with light from gift of understanding! Then we no longer look at it from outside but from within; we no longer stop at verbal expression containing it, but penetrate secret hidden behind formula.

Colloquy

Come, O Holy Spirit, come Divine Light!

“O Light no other light has seen, light that darkens every other light, light from which every light derives, light compared with which every light is darkness and every brightness obscurity; supreme light, not dimmed by blindness, not clouded by mist, not darkened by shadows, light hindered by no obstacle, not divided by any shade, light that illumines all things together and always: absorb me in ocean of your clarity so that I may see You in You, and myself in You, and all things beneath You” (St. Augustine).

“How can I approach You, O Holy Spirit? You dwell in inaccessible light, and You Yourself are only light, knowledge, and splendor; while I dwell in place of darkness and I myself am only ignorance and roughness.

“Meanwhile, O divine Spirit, I invoke You with confidence to be enlightened by You. Uncover divine greatnesses and mysteries so I may adore and acknowledge them. Uncover snares of devil and world so I may avoid them and never fall into them. Uncover also my miseries and weaknesses, my errors, prejudices, obstinacies, artifices of self-love so I may hate and correct them.

“But, O beneficent Light, enlighten above all my soul, that it may know what You want of me. Grant that I learn well all enchantment of your attractions and your grace, and all I must do to merit beneficent influences of your goodness, so I may correspond to them with full fidelity. Sustain me that I may be faithful to You until death” (Fr. Aurillon).