The Angelic Doctor

St. Thomas is in general agreement with John of the Cross and St. Paul, especially on the point that these gifts are given for the sake of others:

“And thus, there is a twofold grace;--one whereby man himself is united to God, and this is called sanctifying grace;--the other is that whereby one man cooperates with another in leading him to God, and this gift is called gratuitous grace, since it is bestowed on a man beyond the capability of nature, and beyond the merit of the person. But whereas it is bestowed on a man, not to justify him, but rather that he may cooperate in the justification of another, it is not called sanctifying grace.” (ST Ia IIae, q. 111, art 1)

A commentator on St. Thomas, Fr. Chad Ripperger, says, “The discussion of GGD comes with a warning, however. There are certain movements in Catholic and Protestant spheres which treat the GGDs as if they were GGFs. In other words, they think that the above charismata can actually be prayed for and merited,” (Ripperger 442).

Ripperger, who is also an exorcist, states along with John of the Cross that there is a strong risk of demonic influence for those who pray for or are inordinately attached to the charismatic gifts. So, for example, one ought not pray for the gift of tongues for several reasons. First, it is a gift that cannot be merited. If there were to be an “answer,” to the prayer, there could be a demonic force behind the ability to speak in other tongues. Secondly, praying for the gift, or being too focused on the gift rather than growth in holiness can distract us from progressing properly in the spiritual life. Reception of a GGD does not make us more holy, only the reception of GGF can do that.

Citations:

Thomas Aquinas. Summa theologica: Complete English Edition in Five Volumes. Vol. 2. Trans. Fathers of the English Dominican Province. Westminster, MD: Christian Classics, 1981

Chad Ripperger, An Introduction to the Science of Mental Health. Denton, NE: Sensus Traditionis, 2007.