Carmelite, Poet, Mystic

St. John states that some of the gratia gratis datae (henceforth: GGD) are enumerated by St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians. They include “faith (a supernatural certainty beyond the ordinary virtue), the grace of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, knowledge and discernment of spirits, interpretation of words, and also the gift of tongues,” (323).

St. John also clearly refers to these gifts as extraordinarily bestowed, and never for the benefit of the person to whom the gift is given. “The Spirit is given to no one save for the benefit of others,” (1 Cor 12:7). Rather, the gifts are given for the sake of the faithful. He makes a distinction that others have made using different terms. He refers to the gratia gratum faciens (henceforth: GGF) as a spiritual gift for the sake of the person, and he calls the GGD a supernatural gift for the sake of others. “People should rejoice then not in whether they possess and exercise these graces, but in whether they derive the second benefit from them, the spiritual,” (324).

St. John notes that there are risks involved in the spiritual life for those who have these gifts. He says that people with these gifts run the risk of deceiving and being deceived, rejoicing too much in the gift which leads to the detriment of the soul with regard to faith, and finally vainglory or vanity. It should not be counted toward a person’s holiness if he has a given GGD, because it is a gift that cannot be merited and it is not for his own sake.

He makes one final warning as well. People with these gifts can be tempted to use them for different reasons or at different times than God has willed. Satan sees this as an opportunity for entrance: “When the devil observes their attachment to these wonders, he opens a wide field, provides ample material for their endeavors, and meddles extensively,” (325).

Citations:

St. John of the Cross, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, trans. Kieran Kavanaugh, et al., (Washington D.C.: ICS Publications, 1991).