The Seven Spirits of God are mentioned in Revelations. John says they are near The Throne, but they are not defined, and are one of those things given to us to ponder.
We do know that there are Seven Deadly Sins; Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust. (We can remember them with the handy, Catholic Fundamentalism mnemonic, “PEAS, Green, Good, and Little.”)
It does not seem unreasonable that the Seven Spirits of God may be the opposite of the Seven Deadly Sins that are the hallmark of the fallen.
If so:
The demons of Pride are opposed by the Spiritual Gift of Fearing the Lord, (Humility).
The demons of Envy, by the Spiritual Gift of Charity.
The demons of Anger, by the Spiritual Gift of Justice.
The demons of Sloth, by the Spiritual Gift of Fortitude.
The demons of Greed, by the Spiritual Gift of Temperance.
The demons of Gluttony, by the Spiritual Gift of Prudence.
The demons of Lust, by the Spiritual Gift of Chastity.
These spiritual forces for good are selected from the Seven Gifts of the Spirit (Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety, and Fear of the Lord) as well as from the Three Theological Virtues, (Faith, Hope, and Charity) and the Four Cardinal Virtues, (Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude). While “Chastity”, the spiritual force that fights lust, is not one of these gifts, it seems to fit so well that it should be in there, somewhere.
Catholic Fundamentalists think it reasonable to see these Gifts and Virtues as living beings, which, we think, is why one of the choirs of angels is called “Virtues”, and assume that is a level of Spiritual Being on whom we may safely call for help.
On asking angels for help:
Many Christians, especially of the non-Catholic persuasion, prefer to “deal direct” with God. That is analagous to trying to get help installing your new Microsoft program by calling Bill Gates directly. We think it’s more efficient to go through the “help desk”.
What with the four animals around the Throne, the twenty four elders praying endlessly, lightning, thunder, incense burning, and all the other things going on up there getting ready for Armageddon, we probably get through to The Programmer more quickly by respectfully going through the channels He has provided for our use.
So, Catholic Fundamentalists think it’s more prudent to go through Saints and Angels, rather than “marching right upstairs to give Him a piece of my mind”.
