Charisms are gifts multiplied by charity

On Wednesday morning, 20 November, Pope Francis continued his series of catecheses on the Holy Spirit and the Bride, turning his attention to the Holy Spirit’s diverse gifts, or charisms, as vital tools for unity and service in the Church, emphasising their purpose for the common good and their rootedness in love. During the General Audience, the Holy Father announced a summit, the World Meeting on Children’s Rights, which will be held at the Vatican on 3 February 2025. Towards the end of the Audience, the Pope took a moment to read aloud a letter sent to him by a university student in Ukraine to mark the 1,000th day of the war in the country. The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s catechesis which he delivered in Italian in Saint Peter’s Square.

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning!

In the last three catecheses, we talked about the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit which is implemented in the sacraments, in prayer and by following the example of the Mother of God. But let us listen to what a famous text from Vatican ii says: “It is not only through the sacraments and the ministries of the Church that the Holy Spirit sanctifies and leads the people of God and enriches it with virtues, but, ‘allotting his gifts to everyone according as He wills’” (cf. 1 Cor 12:11) (Lumen Gentium, 12). We too have personal gifts that the Spirit gives to each one of us.

Therefore, the moment has arrived to talk also about this second way the Holy Spirit works, which is charismatic action — a somewhat difficult word, I will explain it. Two elements contribute to defining what charism is. First, the charism is the gift given “for the common good” (1 Cor 12:7), to be useful to everyone. It is not, in other words, destined principally and ordinarily for the sanctification of the person, but for the “service” of the community (cf. 1 Pt 4:10). This is the first aspect. Secondly, the charism is the gift given “to one”, or “to some” in particular, not to everyone in the same way, and this is what distinguishes it from sanctifying grace, from the theological virtues and from the sacraments, which instead are the same and common to all. The charism is given to a specific person or community. It is a gift that God gives you.

The Council explains this too. The Holy Spirit, it says, “distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank. By these gifts He makes them fit and ready to undertake the various tasks and offices which contribute toward the renewal and building up of the Church, according to the words of the Apostle: ‘The manifestation of the Spirit is given to everyone for profit’ (1 Cor 12:7)”.

The charisms are the “jewels”, or, the ornaments, that the Holy Spirit distributes to make the Bride of Christ more beautiful. One can thus understand why the Conciliar text ends with the following exhortation: “These charisms, whether they be the more outstanding or the more simple and widely diffused, are to be received with thanksgiving and consolation for they are perfectly suited to and useful for the needs of the Church” (Lumen Gentium, 12).

Pope Benedict xvi affirmed: “Anyone who considers the history of the post-conciliar era can recognize the process of true renewal, which often took unexpected forms in living movements and made almost tangible the inexhaustible vitality of the holy Church” (Chrism Mass, 5 April 2012). And this is the charism given to a group, through a person.

We must rediscover the charisms, because this ensures that the promotion of the laity, and of women in particular, is understood not only as an institutional and sociological fact, but also in its biblical and spiritual dimension. Indeed, the laity are not the least, no, the laity are not a form of external collaborators or “auxiliary troops” of the clergy, no! They have their own charisms and gifts with which to contribute to the Church’s mission.

Let us add another thing: when we talk about charisms, we must immediately dispel a misunderstanding, that of identifying them with spectacular or extraordinary gifts and capabilities; instead, they are ordinary gifts — each one of us has his or her own charism — that assume extraordinary value if inspired by the Holy Spirit and embodied with love in life situations. Such an interpretation of the charism is important, because many Christians, when they hear talk of charisms, experience sadness or disappointment, as they are convinced that they do not possess any, and feel they are excluded or second-class Christians. No, there are no second-class Christians, no; each person has his or her own personal, and also community, charism. Saint Augustine responded to these in his time with a very eloquent comparison: “If you love”, he told his people, “it is not nothing that you have: if you love unity, whoever has anything in that unity has it also for you. [...] In the body, the eye alone sees; but is it for itself alone that the eye sees? It sees both for the hand and the foot, and for all the other members” (Saint Augustine, Tractates on the Gospel of John, 32, 8).

This reveals the secret of why charity is defined by the Apostle as “a still more excellent way” (1 Cor 12, 31): it makes me love the Church, or the community in which I live, and, in unity, all charisms, not just some, are “mine”, just as “my” charisms, little though they may seem, belong to all and are for the good of all. Charity multiplies charisms; it makes the charism of one, of one individual person, the charism of all. Thank you!

Special Greetings

I extend a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those coming from Norway, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and the United States of America. Upon all of you, and upon your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ! God bless you!

Lastly, my thoughts turn to young people, to the sick, to the elderly and to newlyweds. Next Sunday is the last day of Ordinary Time. We will celebrate the Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe. I invite everyone to recognise the Lord’s presence in their lives, so as to participate in building his Kingdom of love and peace.

Tomorrow, the liturgical commemoration of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Temple, we celebrate Pro Orantibus Day [World Day of Cloistered Life]. We assure our closeness to the cloistered religious sisters called by the Lord to the contemplative life. May cloister monasteries not lack the necessary spiritual and material support of the ecclesial community. I give you all my blessing!