In Genesis, we hear of the creation of languages. People who spoke the same language worked together ambitiously to build a great tower to the heavens. When God saw this tower, the Tower of Babel, he noted that the people worked for their own glory and to create a name for themselves; therefore, God created new languages. No longer able to understand one another, the people abandoned their great building project and went their separate ways into the world. (Gn 11: 1-9)
In the Acts of the Apostles, we learn during the Feast of Pentecost when Jewish pilgrims speaking different languages from all over the world would come together, God blessed the apostles with the gift of language. This time, though, instead of “babbling” so that no one understood each other, the apostles spoke languages which were new to them and could be understood by others. In this way, they were able to share the good news of the Resurrection with other nations, serving and uniting people in the name of Jesus.
When the people worked for themselves and spent their energy on a physical, earthly tower, God took away their ability to understand each other, and they were divided. Later, language became a medium for building a church of all people. The Jewish people were reunited and invited into the mission to love and serve God by recognizing Jesus as Lord.
The apostles were blessed with the ability to spread the good news in different spoken languages to ultimately build the church throughout the world, yet the gifts of the Holy Spirit (foretold in Is 11:2) transcend all oral languages. They are knowledge, understanding, wisdom, fortitude, counsel, piety, and fear of the Lord. They are gifts that speak the language of the heart, and no human word in any language can truly do them justice.
To have the Spirit’s gift of knowledge, we must try to know God by developing individual relationships with him and recognizing it is God who has created us and accompanies us in our lives. While God may speak to us through the Bible and through people who teach us and share the faith, he often does not speak to us in the ways that humans do; we must seek God and work to nurture this all-important, personal relationship. Knowledge of God grows continually throughout our lives and is beyond human expression.
To have the gifts of understanding and wisdom means we are given the capacity to immerse ourselves in a sacramental worldview. In other words, we strive to recognize God in all things. We try to see God’s hand in everything God has designed, through beauty and through natural laws.
The gift of fortitude allows us to have the courage and strength to face challenges in life. Like the apostles who hid in the upper room, we may often find it easier to keep our faith to ourselves. Fortitude allows us to share the good news in word and in deed, even when it is difficult.
Counsel allows us to make good decisions. By turning to God for advice and guidance, through our prayers, we seek God’s plans for us. We ask for advice in how to carry out God’s mission in the world and be the people we are created to be. Furthermore, God enables us to counsel others and lead them to him, just as the apostles did.
The gift of piety refers to the ways in which we worship, but it is so much more. Piety also means to show reverence in all things, glorifying God through our work, play, modesty, chastity, and service. Piety allows us to view life through a lens of worship.
Finally, fear of the Lord is rooted in great love. This “fear” does not refer to a fear of a tyrannical ruler, but a great respect for a loving Creator. Rather than being afraid of God, we live our lives in awe of God’s love and goodness, and we fear separation from this ultimate relationship.
Throughout history, God has used oral languages to “speak” to us because we can understand the significance of this type of communication. The gifts of the Spirit help us process and internalize the messages we hear, see, and feel.
Working for our own purpose achieves nothing; living for and with God is the only way to build a path to heaven. Come, Holy Spirit.
