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The Church Teachings on
One example of the charismatic gifts:
The Blessed Mother’s The
Catechism of the Catholic Church #768 So
that she (the Church) can fulfill her mission, the Holy Spirit "bestows upon [the
Church] varied hierarchic and charismatic gifts, and in this way directs
her"(LG 4). "Henceforward
the Church, endowed with the gifts of her founder and faithfully observing
his precepts of
charity, humility and self-denial,
receives the mission of proclaiming and establishing among all peoples the
Kingdom of Christ and of God, and she is on earth the seed and the
beginning of that kingdom" (LG 5). The
Catechism of the Catholic Church #799 - 801 Whether
extraordinary or simple and humble, charisms are graces of the Holy Spirit
which directly or indirectly benefit the Church, ordered as they are to
her building up, to the good of men, and to the needs of the world. Charisms are to be accepted with gratitude by the person who
receives them and by all members of the Church as well. They
are a wonderfully rich grace for the apostolic vitality and for the
holiness of the entire Body of Christ,
provided they really are genuine gifts of the Holy Spirit and are used in
full conformity with authentic promptings of this same Spirit, that is, in
keeping with charity, the true measure of all charisms. It is in this
sense that discernment of charisms is always necessary. No charism is
exempt from being referred and submitted to the Church's shepherds. "Their
office [is] not indeed to extinguish the Spirit, but to test all things
and hold fast to what is good"(LG 12), so that all the diverse and
complementary charisms work together "for the common good" (1 Cor 12:7). The
Catechism of the Catholic Church #951 Communion
of charisms. Within the communion of the Church, the Holy Spirit "distributes special
graces among the faithful of every rank" for the building up of the
Church (LG 12). Now,
"to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common
good" (Cf. Lk 16:1, 3). The
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2003 Grace
is first and foremost the gift of the Spirit who justifies and sanctifies
us. But
grace also includes the gifts that the Spirit grants us to associate us
with his work, to enable us to collaborate in the salvation of others and
in the growth of the Body of Christ, the Church.
There are sacramental graces, gifts proper to the different
sacraments. There are furthermore special graces, also called charisms
after the Greek term used by St. Paul and meaning "favor,"
"gratuitous gift," "benefit" (Cf. LG 12).
Whatever their character - sometimes it is extraordinary, such as
the gift of miracles or of tongues - charisms
are oriented toward sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good
of the Church. They are at the service of charity which builds up the
Church (Cf. 1 Cor 12). Mary's
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