Here we are back on the Veranda with another guest gift of The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. I just had to consult the big fat English dictionary to look up understanding and wisdom two of our seven gifts. In my normal sloppy thinking I could consider those the same or close in meaning but we have to go beyond that here today. And I was debating with myself which one of these two should be first.

So let’s do Understanding first and welcome to you today. I did have a little trouble separating you from your brother Wisdom. You seem closely related. Any thoughts on that to start out? Right, all the gifts are interlocked and function as a whole. Yes, we are starting to see that in a number of ways.

So, when we understand something we grasp the meaning or the significance of it, right? You like that word “grasp”? Yes, it is a process of grasping. That was almost too easy. and yes, grasping is very easy for us all to see.

What about teachings, for example parables, that are used to explain? They are sometimes more like riddles. Well, that’s true riddles have been used to teach also. Why make the understanding harder? Ah, the difficulty causes us to think in new ways. We have to think in a different way to solve the riddle or unlock the parable. It is the thinking in a new way that is as important as understanding the underlying principle. Right, OK.

What about the challenge of we ourselves trying to be understood? Yes, that is important also. Oh yea, there was a quote from Saint Francis about “it’s more important to try and understand then it is to be understood.” That’s close I think. Yes, that is about the importance of listening to the other guy instead of forcing our own point across. OK, interesting, understanding the two way street.

OK, time is up for today. Thanks for being here with us. Two way street loves, Felipé.