I had a most interesting question from a gentleman recently . It was private so I can't go into details but it concerned someone practicing apparently the 'Word of Knowledge. This is the same gift people like Saint Padre Pio and Saint John Vianney used in the confession box to 'read' souls. I can think of two immediate references to its use in scripture: 'John 4:5-42 5So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. 8(His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)* 10Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ 11The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ 13Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ 15The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’ 16 Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come back.’ 17The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”; 18for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!’ 19The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you* say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’ 21Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ 25The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’ 26Jesus said to her, ‘I am he,* the one who is speaking to you.’ 27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, ‘What do you want?’ or, ‘Why are you speaking with her?’ 28Then the woman left her water-jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29‘Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah,* can he?’ 30They left the city and were on their way to him.' Also Saint Peter in Acts: 'Acts 5:1-11 (New International Version) Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira 1Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. 3Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." 5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." 9Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." 10At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.' This is a gift of the Holy Spirit which is often referred to as the 'Word of Knowledge' and is mentioned in 1st Corinthians: 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 (New International Version) 8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. I notice that some writers on prayer on the growth to holiness focus almost exclusively on the growth of these gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit as the soul is: "We all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18 NET). The Catholic Encylopedia teaches: The gifts of the Holy Ghost are of two kinds: the first are specially intended for the sanctification of the person who receives them; the second, more properly called charismata, are extraordinary favours granted for the help of another, favours, too, which do not sanctify by themselves, and may even be separated from sanctifying grace. Those of the first class are accounted seven in number, as enumerated by Isaias (11:2-3), where the prophet sees and describes them in the Messias. They are the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety (godliness), and fear of the Lord. * The gift of wisdom, by detaching us from the world, makes us relish and love only the things of heaven. * The gift of understanding helps us to grasp the truths of religion as far as is necessary. * The gift of counsel springs from supernatural prudence, and enables us to see and choose correctly what will help most to the glory of God and our own salvation. * By the gift of fortitude we receive courage to overcome the obstacles and difficulties that arise in the practice of our religious duties. * The gift of knowledge points out to us the path to follow and the dangers to avoid in order to reach heaven. * The gift of piety, by inspiring us with a tender and filial confidence in God, makes us joyfully embrace all that pertains to His service. * Lastly, the gift of fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread, above all things, to offend Him. As to the inner nature of these gifts, theologians consider them to be supernatural and permanent qualities, which make us attentive to the voice of God, which render us susceptible to the workings of actual grace, which make us love the things of God, and, consequently, render us more obedient and docile to the inspirations of the Holy Ghost. The Gift of Wisdom. I always define Wisdom to myself as the grace infused ability to refer all things to God. Or to put it another way its as though we had a great beautiful sea compass that always points in the one direction, towards God, so that the ship of our souls is directed towards heaven. Everyone has different compasses, some look for fame, some money, some to be liked, some for career advancement. But as Saint Teresa says, 'Life is like a night spent in a bad hotel.' There is a certain wisdom that comes with age, when we ourselves realise that 'Man is like the grass ' and passes through this life with great swiftness and so in a sense the ambitions that fill our hearts, the worlds ambitions are all illusions. OZYMANDIAS I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed. And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, The lone and level sands stretch far away.[1] In a kinda way the Gift of Wisdom accelerates the aging process in this way so that we , though sometimes young in years have the wisdom of extreme years and this wisdom is flown into our outstretched arms on the Wings of the Spirit, on the Wings of Prayer. For growth in Prayer is Growth in Wisdom, the two things as with all the Gifts of the Spirit go hand in hand. I read this expressed most beautifully in the words of one French writer who wrote, 'The only failure in life is not to have been a saint'.
There are so many examples in the Lives of the Saints of people with no Theological Studies at all or even barely educated having the most profound wisdom and knowledge, thats its difficult to know were to start in seeking examples.Many of the very wisest saints struggled very much with their studies but were admired throughout the world for their wisdom and insight. Padre Pio , Saint John Vianney and Father Solanus Casey are all examples. "That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory" (Ephesians 1:12-14). "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (II Corinthians 1:22). "Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit" (II Corinthians 5:5). "Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: " (Ephesians 1:15-21). The Finding of Jesus The Child grew in size and strength, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him. His parents used to go every year to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, and when He was twelve they went up for the celebration as was their custom. As they were returning at the end of the feast, the child Jesus remained behind unknown to His parents. Thinking He was in the party, they continued their journey for a day, looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. Not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem in search of Him. On the third day they came upon Him in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard Him were amazed at His intelligence and His answers. Luke 2:40-47
In the case of some of these holy saints they appear to have been given 'infused knowledge' that is a knowledge of God and spiritual things beyond the natural. Many 'theologians' today are very intelligent but have no knowledge of God! I wonder if infused knowledge is mentioned in Scripture?
You know, Bobby I was never sure what the difference between the Gift of Knowledge and 'infused knowledge'. I sometimes wonder if theologians in the past have put too much emphasis on kind of 'elite' graces which are reserved for saints. Hence the 'ordinary Christian has the grace of knowledge but the saint has 'infused knowledge' Which sets up a two tier system of grace. The same goes for all graces. For instance miracles, I know it sounds an extraordinary thing to say but the person who prays should expect miracles. They are not just for the saints they are for us all . I sometimes think a lot of these very special graces which are granted to the saints are placed there in order to 'book mark' them for the rest of us, so we will pay attention to them and their lives. However as for the rest of us we should be expecting incredible graces and the incredible in our lives. The gentleman who wrote to me ,for instance did not believe in the Word of Knowledge. Then I showed him examples in scripture and the lives of the saints and he said........................well yes I can see that for Jesus and great saints but not for my relative. So we are inclined I think to kind of bring God down to our own level, to make Him as small as ourselves. Scriptural promises have been given, huge promises to us all: Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 21:22 "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. "Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. The only thing stopping us reaching out to grasp these promises is ourselves, we ask in prayer but we do not ask 'believing'. Part of us thinks that only the saints or special people can get stuff. As far as the Gift of Knowledge goes. Jesus also made a promise: Mark 13:11 "When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. The saints were seized and brought before the prefect of Rome, whose name was Rusticus. As they stood before the judgment seat, Rusticus the prefect said to Justin: "Above all, have faith in the gods and obey the emperors." Justin said: "We cannot be accused or condemned for obeying the commands of our Savior, Jesus Christ." Rusticus said: "What system of teaching do you profess?" Justin said: "I have tried to learn about every system, but I have accepted the true doctrines of the Christians, though these are not approved by those who are held fast by error." The prefect Rusticus said: "Are those doctrines approved by you, wretch that you are?" Justin said: "Yes, for I follow them with their correct teaching." The prefect Rusticus said: "What sort of teaching is that?" Justin said: "Worship the God of the Christians. We hold him to be from the beginning the one creator and maker of the whole creation, of things seen and things unseen. We worship also the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He was foretold by the prophets as the future herald of salvation for the human race and the teacher of distinguished disciples. For myself, since I am a human being, I consider that what I say is insignificant in comparison with his infinite godhead. I acknowledge the existence of a prophetic power, for the one I have just spoken of as the Son of God was the subject of prophecy. I know that the prophets were inspired from above when they spoke of his coming among men." Rusticus said: "You are a Christian, then?" Justin said" "Yes, I am a Christian." The prefect said to Justin: "You are called a leaned man and think you know what is true teaching. Listen: if you were scourged and beheaded, are you convinced that you would go up to heaven?" Justin said: "I hope that I shall enter God's house if I suffer in that way. For I know that God's favor is stored up until the end of the whole world for all who have lived good lives." The prefect Rusticus said: "Do you have an idea that you will go up to heaven to receive some suitable rewards?" Justin said: "It is not an idea that I have; it is something I know well and hold to be most certain." The prefect Rusticus said: "Now let us come to the point at issue, which is necessary and urgent. Gather round then and with one accord offer sacrifice to the gods." Justin said: "No one who is right-thinking stoops from true worship to false worship." The prefect Rusticus said: "If you do not do as you are commanded you will be tortured without mercy." Justin said: "We hope to suffer torment for the sake our Lord Jesus Christ, and so be saved. For this will bring us salvation and confidence as we stand before the more terrible and universal judgment-seat of our Lord and Savior." In the same way the other martyrs also said: "Do what you will. We are Christians; we do not offer sacrifice to idols." So I suppose you could see it as tuning onto the right radio station. Prayer is the right way to tune and the Voice of the Holy Spirit ,so gentle, firm and kind is the right station...and when we habitually pray we are habitually tuned into the right station. All we have to do is pray and the Gift is ours. All we have to do is pray. All we have to do is pray. All we have to do is pray and trust.
