Through the gift of Wisdom, a Christian becomes a channel of God’s goodness, enabling one to come up with creative solutions to specific problems and make good decisions. Wisdom is a practical gift, blessing the other with decisions that reflect God’s goodness, God’s will, even in ordinary situations. Faith is evident in the decisions that become a way of prayer; complex problems are solved with the help of the Holy Spirit. Always others are the beneficiaries of the Wisdom in the life of one so gifted; others can be helped to make good decisions in the midst of great uncertainty.

Besides seeking the assistance of the Spirit in matters calling for a wise decision, the gifted person has resources in the lives of certain persons, situations, and circumstances. The gifted one will consult the wise, will read materials on the topic under consideration, will reflect and pray for light, and move slowly and deliberately before reaching conclusions. The Wisdom offered is given freely, has no strings attached, and the gifted one will be unconcerned if the other accepts or rejects the words offered. Insights are passed on without thought of reward or praise. "Here is my gift to you. Use it if you wish; discard if you find it impractical."

Archbishop Helder Pessoa Camara, defender of the poor and champion of human rights, used the gift of Wisdom to devote his life as advocate of land reform in northeast Brazil from 1964 to 1985. He incurred the wrath of the government but he continued to denounce torture and human violations by the security forces, always in an effort to improve the lot of the poor.

In his ordinary way of demonstrating the gift of Wisdom, he helped the Catholic Church in Latin America move from its traditional support of wealthy landowners and business elite to a preferential option for the poor. The Archbishop said, "When I feed the poor, I am called a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, I am called a communist."

Archbishop Camara’s gift of Wisdom became apparent in his style of living. Ever the teacher he said, "Christ came to free us from the sins of hunger and oppression." His home for the last 35 years of his life was a single back room of the Church of the Frontiers in Olinda, Brazil. It was furnished with a sink, a little stove, a table, and a hammock for a bed. Here he lived in poverty, friend to the poor to the last.

During Vatican Council II, Camara urged his fellow bishops to give up their silver and gold pectoral crosses to the poor and drop the titles of eminence and excellency. He wore a wooden cross over a simple black cassock. He owned no car, but he would wait outside his church until a passer-by would give him a lift. He smuggled out of the country the military records of torture sessions in its jails. A book called Brazil Never Again was based on these records and became a best seller. This caused the military to withdraw to its barracks and return control to a civilian government.

The Archbishop died August 27, 1999; he was 90, full of Wisdom and of years.