Wisdom
The Gift of Wisdom enlightens the mind to the discernment and appreciation of divine things. As earthly joys lose their hold on the soul, the Cross begins to offer a sweetness that before was unrealized. The soul endowed with this gift now takes up its cross having found Christ’s words to hold true for it. -
“...for my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matt 11:30)
The Gift of Wisdom enables the soul to desire and long for eternal things and to see that the things of this world are passing; therefore, this gift aides the soul in its journey here on earth to despise the goods of earth and to set its heart on God and heaven.
It is a most perfect gift, this Gift of Wisdom. It strengthens faith and hope, and perfects charity. Those endowed with this gift are motivated to the practice of virtue to a high degree.
Relating this gift to the gift of prayer, we must take into consideration that prayer doesn’t lead to wisdom, it leads to love. One of the Sayings of Light and Love written by St. John of the Cross touches on Wisdom...
“Wisdom enters through love, silence and mortification. It is great wisdom to know how to be silent and to look at neither the remarks, nor the deeds, nor the lives of others.” (Sayings of Light and Love #109, St. John of the Cross)
This saying of St. John of the Cross is good advice, since wisdom enters through love and that is why we pray, because we love. Additionally, he advises that if silence doesn’t prevail then wisdom cannot enter in. The silence so necessary for prayer is that silence of the faculties: of the exterior senses and the interior ones. This silence is created in us by stopping, to the best of our ability, reasoning which processes all that comes through the senses or that is stored in our memory. It is through this process of reasoning that our prayer becomes occupied with all kinds of conclusions or judgments. Thus, occupying our time of prayer with the things of earth rather than of love, of God and heavenly things.
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