Charisms and natural talents

Charisms or spiritual gifts are not inherited; they are given to us by the Holy Spirit. They are also supernaturally empowered, and they are supposed to be given away. Natural talents are the skills and abilities inherited from our parents that combined with our personalities, education, and life experience are used for our benefit and for others.  However, these natural talents can become supernaturally empowered charisms when they are transformed by the Holy Spirit.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit – wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord- and the fruits of the Holy Spirit – charity, joy ,peace,  patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity – are given to us to grow in faith, but the charisms are given us to share.

Examples of charisms are administration, celibacy, craftsmanship, discernment of spirits, encouragement, evangelism, faith, giving, healing, helps, hospitality, intercessory prayer, knowledge, leadership, mercy, missionary, music, pasturing, prophecy, service, teaching, voluntary poverty, wisdom, writing and more. These are the most common, easier to discern, and permanent.

We may suspect that we have one or more of these charisms in us, but we need to discern them in the presence of the Holy Spirit through spiritual exercises of workshops for this purpose. I took a  workshop named “Called and Gifted” by The Catherine of Siena Institute in my parish (see blog  “When I was called”) that changed my life forever, and I recommend for all those who are wondering about their called to further the Kingdom of God. Visit http://www.siena.org/Called-Gifted/called-a-gifted to find more details.

I hope you can discover the treasures that the Holy Spirit gave you, I hope that you feel rich and loved when your charisms appear, and please share them with all the people.

Blessings,

Susana