Spiritual Gifts – the Kingly Charisms

Some spiritual gifts come with the authority to lead or govern others. In the Kingdom of God, to rule means to serve in self-donating love. Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, had a crucifix for a throne and a crown of thorns for His royal diadem. Jesus instructed His apostles that if they are to rule in the Kingdom of God, they must become a servant to all.

But Jesus called them to him, and said: You know that the princes of the Gentiles lord it over them; and they that are the greater, exercise power upon them.

It shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be the greater among you, let him be your minister: And he that will be first among you, shall be your servant. Even as the Son of man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a redemption for many (Matthew 20:26-28).

Kingship is part of Jesus’ mission that the Church now participates in. To be part of this kingly mission means to exercise power as it reflects the power of God – the power to bring about good and not evil. The spiritual gifts that fall in the kingly mission inspire and empower us to lead others to goodness and to serve others in love.

The Charismatic Grace of Leadership

The charism of leadership is the power to lead others to authentic goodness. People with this charism are able to share a compelling vision, to get people excited about that vision, and then direct movement toward that vision. They understand where God is leading and why. The charism of leadership empowers people with this gift to see connections and needs that other people don’t see. People with the charism of leadership are able to draw people in. People feel compelled to follow.

However, the charism of leadership is not concerned with the individuals that follow the vision. That’s not to say that the person with the charism doesn’t care about people. It’s just that the gift and focus the charism bestows is on the vision and on the program. People with this charism know that people will benefit from the good that God is leading them to. But their gift is not directly concerned with the personal growth of each individual the way other charisms are. Nor is the charism of leadership concerned with the details of carrying out the vision. So people with this charism tend to be very good at delegating specific tasks to people with the skills (and maybe even the charisms) to do them. In fact, part of this charism can be to direct the charisms of others – to help other people discern their gifts and graces and to show them how to use them for the Kingdom of God.

The Charismatic Grace of Administration

In contrast to the charism of leadership, the charism of administration is concerned with the details of how things are carried out. Administration is the gift of organizing structures so God’s blessings can flow more freely to a greater number of people. Whereas leadership empowers the vision, the gift of administration empowers organization of the details about how to meet a goal.

I know one priest with this charism who has an amazing ability to get parishes out of debt. He is very good at setting up efficient meetings and smooth operations. Now, part of this is natural talent and personality. But there are times when it goes beyond that – when everything just seems to fall into place despite the odds.

Obviously, the Church needs both leaders and administrators – both in natural ability and as charisms. Leaders set the vision and motivate the people toward it. Administrators organize the people for the work and handle the details.

The Charismatic Gift of Pastoring

The charism of pastoring is the gift of building Christian community – not in the way that someone with the gift of hospitality would, but by performing loving service to individuals on behalf of the Family of God. This charism is very concerned with personal relationships and showing the love of God within the context of the Family of God.

The Holy Spirit gives people with this charism a great desire for personal relationships. You’ll find people with the charism bringing Holy Eucharist to the sick, visiting people in nursing homes, and engaged in other works of mercy that involve personal connections. But they don’t do these things just as acts of service. They do them because the Holy Spirit inspires them to reach out to people and let them know the Church hasn’t forgotten them.

People with the gift of pastoring also thrive in small, intimate groups and may start or support small faith-sharing groups. In fact, this charism is vital to the success of small faith-sharing groups for evangelization. Evangelization happens within the context of a relationship. If small groups are just a program, they fail to evangelize. But with this charism active in one or more members, the group is bound to be about relationship.

The Charismatic Gift of Encouragement

The charism of encouragement is the gift of nurturing the individual person and calling out each person’s gifts. While a leader can help to organize various gifts, directing individuals to tasks that they are best fit for, the gift of encouragement inspires people with this charism to connect with people one-on-one and nurture their gifts.

In fact, the Holy Spirit may lead someone with this gift to become a counselor or a spiritual director. But this gift may also be expressed in much less formal ways (as can all of the spiritual gifts). Many people with this charism are just people that others seek out for support and advice. Often the person with the charism even wonders why they are so often sought out, but they are never hesitant to offer help.

One challenge with the four charisms we just discussed is that all of them exist both as a charism and as a more official role in the Church. Priests are usually given the roles of leader, administrator, and pastor – whether they have the natural skills or the charisms to fulfill these roles or not. We also have the official roles of counselors and spiritual directors that become career paths for clergy and laity alike. There is a greater likelihood that people who choose these career paths have natural and supernatural talents in this area. But that shouldn’t necessarily be assumed.

The Charismatic Grace of Service

The charismatic grace of service inspires people with this gift to see logistical holes and to fix them. While administrators may see the same strategic holes, people with the gift of service seeks to “plug” those holes themselves rather than seeking to organize others to do it. This charism is all about getting your hands dirty and applying elbow grease to solve problems. People with the charism of service see problems before others do.

One woman in our parish who has this gift perceived that new parishioners were not welcomed into the parish. It bothered her that the parish might have the reputation of being cold and unfriendly. So she takes it upon herself to notice new faces and to greet them. She greeted us on our second weekend as new parishioners.

Unfortunately, this often means that people with this gift can be seen by others as busybodies. They can also sometimes be mistaken for leaders because of their ability to identify problems. But this gift does not equip them to lead others. This gift is all about serving as individuals. The same woman who took it upon herself to greet newcomers tried to organize a team of greeters who would be there at each Mass to greet people as they came through the door. It never really got off the ground – attracting only a few volunteers – and soon fizzled out. Organizing others is just not her charism. But I’m sure glad she was there to make us feel welcomed! She is also very good at finding other things that need to be done – things that other people just don’t see – and doing them. She buys books from Matthew Kelly’s foundation and puts them out for sale with our Lighthouse Catholic Media CDs. She bakes rolls once a month for the parish social – something that didn’t exist before she started doing it. She injects life into our parish because of her charism of service.

The Charismatic Gift of Giving

The charism of giving inspires people with this gift to extreme generosity in the love of Christ. People with this gift see giving as cooperation with God’s provision. They give without counting the cost. Instead of thinking, “how much do I have to give,” they tend to actually think, “how much do I have to keep?” For people with this charism, giving is fun and fulfilling. They give with great joy. But this gift isn’t about impulsive giving that leaves the giver destitute. This charism also comes with the supernatural ability to find or make money. This charism is truly “God will provide” made real.

The Charismatic Gift of Hospitality

The charism of hospitality is the gift of making a sense of home for people where they feel safe and cared for. Hospitality is the bridge between the individual and the community. People with this charism build a sense of being cared for as an individual, but also a sense of belonging to the greater community. People with the charism of hospitality thrive on being with others and having people in their space is never an imposition.

I strongly believe that my mom has the charism of hospitality. Growing up, she made Sunday dinner our special family meal. I always looked forward to Sunday dinners, not just because of the food but mainly because of the atmosphere and mood that it generated. My mom has also at times felt compelled to invite people to her home – people who have recently lost loved ones or who might otherwise be lonely. She told us about one instance when she invited some people over, including a priest from Africa who was helping at the parish. They ate and talked and laughed and played cards right up to the time that my Mom had to leave for Bible Study. But when my Mom told them that she had to leave to go to Bible Study, the priest told her to have a good study – he was staying! He was having so much fun he didn’t want to leave. Now to my mom, this is just normal socialization within the Church. But how many people are making their homes available for people like this? Some people just have the gift – the charism of hospitality.

The Charismatic Grace of Helps

The charism of helping inspires people to invest their talents and gifts in the lives of others. People with this charism are often attracted to leaders and to people with a specific vision that they can support. However, people with the gift of helps aren’t joining forces for the sake of the vision. People with this gift often act as a catalyst, staying in the background as a mover and a shaker but shunning actual leadership. People with the spiritual gift of helping often come up with ideas, motivate others, and get the team “unstuck.” They often exude a quiet sense of authority and confidence. For this reason, they can be mistaken for a leader much like people with the gift of service. But they are very uncomfortable in the leadership position. Their charism doesn’t equip them to lead others. The focus of this gift is on helping the individual, not the organizational flow of the project. They come alongside others to help them meet their goals.

The Charismatic Gift of Mercy

Finally, the charism of mercy is the ability to channel God’s love in practical ways that relieve people of suffering. People with this gift are inspired to hands-on compassion. They bring real comfort that respects the person’s dignity. Like so many charisms, mercy gives people who have this gift special vision. They see the people in need that most of us miss.

There are many saints that had this particular charism. One powerful example of the charism of mercy is Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Her entire ministry was motivated by God’s love for the suffering. She was renowned for her ability to see those who were invisible to others. Mother Teresa was not a woman of “social justice.” She was a disciple of Christ’s love with the charism of mercy. The same is true of Saint Peter Claver, who personally ministered to African slaves, whose suffering was invisible even to other Christians because of the social acceptance of the practice of slavery. And one more saint – Saint Vincent De Paul – was given the charism of mercy and also the charism of administration. His heart was always for the individual person’s suffering. But he also had a special gift for organizing relief to the poor on a massive scale.

This gift is a powerful witness to God’s love for every individual. It is also a powerful sign of how God responds to human suffering.

Do You Have Kingly Spiritual Gifts?

There is a lot of variety in the kingly charisms. Maybe you would never see yourself as a leader or administrator, yet you are often inspired to reach out to others in loving service. You are still participating in Jesus’ kingly mission. If you do have charisms for more public acts of leadership, let the Holy Spirit flow through you into them. We will always be blessed by Spirit-born leadership. Whether it’s public or quiet, activating a kingly charism given to you by the Holy Spirit is a sure road to adventure!

Bonus Tip

Some people can get really hung up with discerning their charisms and their mission. The truth is, these things come as fruits of the spiritual life. So focus on building your relationship with God first, then see how He is already working in your life to love and serve others.

If you’d like help building your spiritual life – including discerning your spiritual gifts and your mission, I want to be sure you see the opportunity below to get more involved with From the Abbey. We’re developing online courses to help you learn your faith more deeply, and online spirituality programs to help you live your faith more completely. Join us for your next step in your spiritual project!

Brought to you by Jeffrey S. Arrowood at From the Abbey, dedicated to helping you rediscover the JOY of learning and living your faith so you can grow in intimacy with God.

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