CHARISMS. — The word c. (χάρισμα) occurs 16 times in the letters of Paul and once in I Pt. (4:10). At times it has the generic meaning of a gracious gift, and can thus also be applied to sanctifying Grace, as in Rom. 6:23; but, in addition to this, it possesses a special meaning, namely that of a supernatural gift granted to a person not so much for his own sake as for the benefit of others, so that the Gospel may spread and the mystical body of Christ may be built up: it is given “for the benefit” of the Church (I Cor. 12:7; Eph. 4:12). To this Pauline concept of the c. corresponds the definition given by St. Thomas of the “gratia gratis data,” granted by God “potius ut ad iustificationem alterius cooperetur” (Sum. Theol., 1ᵃ-2ᵃc, q. 3, a. 1). This is the meaning considered here.
St. Paul has given four lists of the c., without intending them to be complete or concordant with one another. In I Cor. 12, he enumerates nine on one occasion (vv. 8-10) and eight on another. In Rom. 12:6-8, seven are listed, and in Eph. 4:11 only five. Here is the longest enumeration: “To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom; to another, the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another, faith through the same Spirit; to another, the gift of healings through the same Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the discernment of spirits; to another, every kind of tongues; to another, the interpretation of tongues” (I Cor. 12:8-11).
In all, the four lists enumerate about twenty different gifts. Some are miraculous, such as the gifts of tongues, of healing, and of miracles; others involve merely a greater aptitude for certain offices, such as preaching, exhorting, and governing. St. Paul attributes them preferably to the Holy Spirit, but also to the Father (I Cor. 12:28) and to the Son (Eph. 4:11). The c. may be temporary, according to the good pleasure of the Holy Spirit.
Every division of the c. is rather arbitrary; nevertheless, they can conveniently be distinguished as gifts of governance, gifts of teaching and exhortation, and gifts of bodily assistance.
The apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, and glossolalists possess the gift of teaching or exhortation. The first four always serve this purpose. The apostles whom St. Paul names among the possessors of c. are not the “twelve,” but missionaries impelled by the Holy Spirit to found new Christian communities. They must be bishops. In the Didaché, 12:3, they are forbidden to remain more than two days in an already established church or to ask for money. The prophets exhort the faithful under the inspiration of the Spirit; they possess the utterance of wisdom; it is not necessary that they reveal future things (I Cor. 14:3). The teachers, as their name indicates, have a predominantly intellectual function and possess the utterance of knowledge. The evangelists are not here the authors of the four Gospels, but those who preached the Gospel in already established churches, perhaps dealing preferably with the events of the life of Jesus Christ.
The gift of tongues, also called glossolalia, of which St. Paul speaks, may not be the same as that enjoyed by the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, which consisted in being understood by people of different languages, as though they had spoken the language of each one. The glossolalist spoke to God in a language he did not understand, and which could be translated only by one who possessed the c. of interpretation. Therefore St. Paul commands that the glossolalist not speak aloud in the assembly unless there is someone who can interpret him (I Cor. 14).
The c. of bodily assistance were not all miraculous. Some consisted in a special generosity or aptitude for helping one’s neighbor through almsgiving or other forms of assistance; but there also existed thaumaturgical power, both for healing bodies and for performing other miracles. Related to this power is the c. of faith, which is the faith of miracles, that is, a supernatural instinct giving absolute confidence in a miraculous intervention by God.
Some Protestants have maintained that the primitive Church lived without a hierarchy and was directed solely by the c. This is an obvious exaggeration. St. Paul knows the hierarchy and, above all, the authority of the Apostles, and he himself lays down rules for the use of the c. Hierarchy and c. existed together, and it seems that, according to the Apostle’s thought, they must always exist together in the Church. Indeed, some c., such as glossolalia, have disappeared or become extremely rare; but supernatural gifts granted for the common good always exist in the Church of Jesus Christ: they may be found outside the hierarchy, but they may also be given to the heads of the Church. What are called graces of state are nothing other than c.