Professional paper
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. A moral consideration in the spirit of scholastic theology
Marinko Perković
; University of Sarajevo - Catholic Theological Faculty in Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Abstract
Despite an insufficiently developed pneumatological dimension in moral theology, in the first part of this article the author points to the active presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christians. He notes that anonymity and namelessness are defining characteristics of the Third Person of the Trinity. Therefore, the very activity of the Spirit is hidden, which means it is difficult to show it in a systematic way. As the Spirit works in the soul and through seven gifts that empower and strengthen Christians in the way of holiness, the second part of the article describes each gift individually. After this the author offers some insights and conclusions in the final part: the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not noticeable in the lives of many baptized Christians because these people may not be open to such a course of action of the Spirit. In addition, many believers do not know or have forgotten that these gifts really exist. Therefore, at the end of the article the author encourages devout Christians to remind their fellow believers that in their inner being there is the hidden treasure of the Holy Spirit and that this needs to be brought to the surface so that it can enrich them and others. If they succeed, they will become inwardly freer, more faithful to Christ, more responsible and more morally mature.
Keywords
Holy Spirit; sanctifying grace; the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit; the hidden treasure.
Hrčak ID:
260881
URI
Publication date:
1.7.2015.
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