Dear Friends in Christ,
Do you remember the 7 gifts of The Holy Spirit? The Catechism of The Catholic Church tells us that these are “Permanent dispositions that make us docile to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit.” The Catechism goes on to state that the list of these gifts is found in Isaiah 11:1-13: Wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, piety, fortitude and fear of the Lord.
We receive the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Jesus tells us, in Luke 11:13, that the Holy Spirit will be given abundantly to those who ask God for Him. In other words, God will give more of the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit to those who ardently desire to receive them.
The gifts of The Holy Spirit bring us closer to God when they are alive in us. They also strengthen our faith and make more convincing our witness to Christ in the world. The gifts of the Spirit also give us a greater fervency. We are spiritually set “on fire” for the Lord, convinced of the truth of our Faith.
We often think of the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit in relationship to Confirmation. We pray that the
Confirmands receive them in abundance and that their faith is strengthened by them. Yet, the 7 gifts of the spirit are for us all and should be operational and alive in us throughout our Christian lives.
As we celebrate Pentecost this Sunday, let us prayerfully reflect upon the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Which do we need the most in our lives right now? Let us ask God to bring them alive in us through the Holy Spirit’s power so that they may overflow in us.
In Christ,
Fr. Michael