The Seven-Fold Spirit

At the end of the Tree of Life, Bonaventure has a beautiful prayer based upon Isaiah 11:2:

“We, therefore, pray to the most kind Father through you, his only-begotten Son, who for us became man, was crucified and glorified that he send us out of his treasures the Spirit of sevenfold grace who rested upon you in all fullness:
The Spirit, I say, of wisdom, that we may taste the life giving flavors of the fruit of the tree of life, which you truly are;
The gift also of understanding, by which the intentions of our mind are illumined;
The gift of counsel, by which we may follow in your footsteps on the right paths;
The gift of fortitude, by which we may be able to weaken the violence of our enemies’ attacks;
The gift of knowledge, by which we may be willed with the brilliant light of your sacred teaching to distinguish good and evil;
The gift of piety, by which we may acquire a merciful heart;
The gift of fear, by which we may draw away from all evil and be set at peace by submitting in awe to your eternal majesty.”

On the one hand, I might disagree with the seven-fold spirit being used for our personal gain. For Isaiah 11 is speaking of a community of justice, established when the one true king comes to rule over Israel as the great just empire, in which the perfect law of God would be done and all people within would rest in peace and security and plenty.

On the other hand, the way Bonaventure uses it is by asking for the seven-fold spirit to come upon us through the life and teachings of Jesus, recognizing that it is only Jesus that we can receive true knowledge and true piety—which Bonaventure calls compassion—and true counsel. There is much truth here, and we should pray this prayer and understand it fully.