God loves us each and has blessed us uniquely.
Although I’ve known this concept my whole life, the reality of it sunk in more deeply when I learned about charisms and began discerning my own.
Charisms are spiritual gifts given to us at Baptism and strengthened in Confirmation.
Unlike the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord), not all of the charisms are given to everyone.
The purpose of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is to strengthen individuals in their common quest for holiness.
Charisms, however, are not meant for us. They are gifts meant for us to give away to others.
For example, fortitude can help me stick to a prayer routine for my own benefit in spiritual growth, but if I employ the charism of craftsmanship to knit a hat, the person benefitting is the recipient of the hat.
The receiver not only enjoys the warmth of the hat but also in a supernatural way is touched by God’s love at work through me.
We are stewards of the charisms we’ve been given, to collaborate with the Holy Spirit in sharing God’s goodness and love with those around us.
Charisms workshop
Seven years ago, I went through a Called and Gifted workshop where I learned about the charisms and the role of laypeople in building God’s kingdom.
Through a period of discernment and reflecting on my life experiences, I started to see the unique ways the Holy Spirit likes to use me for His purposes. I began to understand why I felt energized by certain situations and why there was great spiritual effectiveness in what seemed like ordinary events.
Through a period of about half a year at a previous job, I had six instances of co-workers showing up in my office close to tears.
For one reason or another, they each felt overwhelmed by a situation they were facing.
In each instance, I felt ill-equipped to help, yet I was grateful that they came to me.
I thanked the Holy Spirit for their presence and asked Him to give me the words to say, knowing I was out of my depths to provide them with solutions.
As we chatted each time, I could visibly see the change in their demeanor.
My co-workers left my office with a renewed enthusiasm to tackle their issues. I was stunned.
Nothing I said lessened the problem they were facing or offered answers, yet their hope returned.
I was aware that the Holy Spirit had worked through me to touch their hearts.
It was beautiful to be part of such a transformation, and I was humbled at the results that I knew weren’t my doing.
Reflecting on these experiences and others throughout my life, I realized that the Holy Spirit has granted me the charism of encouragement.
As I collaborate with Him in the situations He gives me, He works through me as a channel of hope for others.
Discerning and naming a charism of mine opened my heart to God’s love in a deeper way.
I already knew He loved me, but I began to see how He entrusted me with specific work to do in His service.
He continues to provide me opportunities to collaborate with Him if only I say yes.
Learning our gifts
Each of us is given between two and four charisms through our Baptism, which we can use more effectively as our relationship with Christ strengthens.
Some seem mundane, like administration or hospitality, while others are more obviously supernatural, like healing or prophecy, yet they are all necessary in bringing Jesus’ love to the world.
We don’t get to choose! God chose our charisms for us so that we could be equipped for His call.
Whether we identify our charisms or not, we all have unique roles to play in building Christ’s kingdom.
I’ll continue to discern other charisms and offer myself in greater service to the Holy Spirit, and I hope that you will join me on the journey.
Together, we can build the Church in our diocese by each taking on the role God has equipped us for and called us to.
There will be a Called and Gifted workshop by the Catherine of Siena Institute, hosted at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish, 221 Columbus St., Sun Prairie, on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The workshop will define charisms and the role of the laity, explain how you can identify your charisms, provide a self-assessment inventory to begin your personal discernment, and describe 23 of the most common charisms.
The diocese will provide follow-up opportunities to discern your charisms through the support of small groups.
There will be an additional opportunity to begin this journey next spring.
Registration is open until Thursday, Oct. 5, and is required.
To get more details and to register, go to madisondiocese.org/called-and-gifted