Gifts

Gifts

Submitted by Thomas Stidl

         Last month I wrote an article on a relationship with the Holy Spirit.  He is a very special person because He brings Sanctifying Grace and Actual Graces.  This is the lifeblood of the soul.  He also brings other gifts with your relationship with Him.  He brings wisdom that can be defined as seeking knowledge of both heavenly and earthly topics.  Wisdom helps us to recognize the voice of God deep in our hearts.  Wisdom is a key player in the formation of one’s conscience.

         Another gift that the Holy Spirit offers is the gift of understanding.  This is basically the gift of discernment.  While wisdom is considered seeking what is right and good, understanding is the concept of interpretation of what we seek.  The next gift of the Holy Spirit is knowledge.  This is what we seek.  Knowledge can be purely spiritual as to gain knowledge of who is God and what God’s will is for our lives.  It can also be physical as to how to solve every day problems.

         Counsel is another gift of the Holy Spirit.  Counsel is another word for advice.  The Holy Spirit is a great friend who can be relied upon for his wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of God.  Who else would know God better than the love relationship between the Father and Jesus?  Remember, He is also God, a member of the Holy Trinity.  All of us should meekly desire his advice on all things spiritual and physical.

         Fortitude is a gift that gives us strength of soul, mind, and body.  It helps us conquer all our fears and gives us the power to endure whatever befalls us.  Piety is a gift that teaches us to treat the Eternal Godhead with great reverence.  Piety allows us to be devoted to God in a very close way.

         Fear of the Lord is the last gift discussed here.  It is awe of all things God-like, not in fear and trembling, but in reminding us that we are his created beings and must always submit to his will.  Now, the Holy Spirit realizes that we are all human and weak from the concupiscence of original sin and are prone to failure.  This is why we are to rely on the Actual Graces supplied by the Holy Spirit to keep us close to God.

         All these gifts are in the present time, not the past or future.  What is the present time?  It is a true gift of God.  Please make the most of it.

         Until next time, Laus Tibi, Christe.  Deo Gratias.  Gloria Tibi Domini.  Praise be to God.  See you in Paradise.