Spirituality for beginners: the spiritual gift of understanding, charism of the holy spirit.

To understand the gift of understanding as a charism, it is necessary to review Plato's theory of forms. According to Plato there is a sensible world and a intelligible one. To the first world would belong the physical objects that can be perceived with the senses, to the second world the objects that can be perceived with the intelligence, the universals. For example: the beauty, the justice, etc.
This separation between sensible and intelligible world would give rise to the difference between reason and understanding. The goal of reason are the temporary and changeable things. The goal of understanding are the eternal and immutable truths.
Understanding is a higher instance than human reason. How do we recognize a person who has the gift of understanding? For the fruits of the spirit,the ultimate goals of the spiritual life: "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness, self-control", Galatians 5:22-23
The bible remind us:

This is why Jesus teach us: "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again", John 3:3, also: "Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures." Luke 24:45.
Jesus teaches us to provoke thought to open intelligence. And how do we provoke thought? Through the parables. When Jesus speaks to us in parables he encourages us to use progressive thinking. The progressive thinking is the basis of understanding, progressive thinking is ethical thinking, complete thinking, the opposite of magical thinking that is present in human reason. Fantasy prevails in reason, which is a faculty of the soul, whereas intuition and inspiration predominate in understanding.
Reason meditates, understanding contemplates. When we open the intelligence, that is to say, when we open the understanding we receive eternal life: "This is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God", John 17:3.
The eternal life, explain Thomas Aquinas, is fundamentally contemplative activity, the meditation focused in the divine atributes of God, and with this comes the most perfect form of happiness: "The eternal happiness consist in the vision of God", Thomas Aquinas.
For more information, visit my profile, follow the link, and download for free my ebook.