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The Spirit prepares men and goes out to them with
his grace, in order to draw them to Christ. |
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Catechism of the Catholic Church #737 |
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Easter season is a celebration that lasts 50 days and ends with
the second most important feast of the year, Pentecost. It was at
the first Pentecost the Holy Spirit, the Advocate Jesus promised to send,
descended on the Apostles and poured His spiritual gifts upon them. We, too,
receive these gifts in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation.
We have the choice to accept or reject the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Ideally we will not just accept them, but make them a habit, a crucial part
of our lives that leads us closer to God. When we read the Gospels we can
learn how seamlessly Jesus incorporated these very gifts in His life. We are
called to do the same. |
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The first five gifts are called "moral
gifts." Should we choose to accept them, they will help us live a more pure,
moral life.
The last two gifts are gifts of
contemplation which, when accepted, help us think more like God.
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Fear of the Lord |
Fear of the Lord gives us reverence for the Lord and His creation. Every waking
moment we are witnesses to the glory of our world, including every person
with whom we come in contact. As witnesses to the power of our Creator we
desire to avoid offending Him, as He is all good and deserving of all our
love. We become aware of our own occasions of sinfulness, and our need for
the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We desire to sin no more. This gives us not
only the desire to live a moral life, but an overwhelming sense of peace
when we do so. |
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Piety |
Piety is also called the gift of reverence. It helps us respect and love
God's creation. It helps us see the image of God in all human beings, from
the time of conception to the time of death. Piety makes us inclined to
praise God for all the wonderful gifts He has given us. Piety gives us the
strength to avoid judging others and to treat all people with mercy. Piety
makes us want to pray -- frequently! We find we must turn to God and answer
His call, allow ourselves to be wrapped in His embrace. |
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Knowledge |
Knowledge is the spiritual gift which allows us to know God's will. We can
use the teachings of Jesus and the Church to know what is right and what is
wrong, or what is right and what is even better.Knowledge helps us use
things in our world properly. For example, we can use television as a means
of learning and bringing our families closer together, or we can use
television to permit every imaginable sin into our homes. The gift of the
Holy Spirit helps us know the difference.
Knowledge also helps us recognize God working in our everyday lives. We
know a prayer has been answered when we see the smile of a child. We answer
"Yes" to a call from God because we know it is part of His saving plan. We
know welcoming God in our lives makes us free.
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Fortitude |
The gift of fortitude gives us courage to stand up for what is right, even
when others may disapprove or disagree.Fortitude complements the other
gifts of the Holy Spirit. We may have the knowledge of what is right or
wrong, but we often need courage to choose to do what is right. The lure of
drugs, easy money, or the path of least resistance hangs out to tempt us.
The gift of fortitude helps us walk away. Fortitude lets us take a stand and
hold firm, even when everyone else leaves. Fortitude shows us that we always
have strength; God is our strength. |
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Counsel |
The gift of counsel helps guide our consciences in making moral choices
throughout our daily lives.Counsel is also known as right judgment. It
involves considering Church teaching and Scripture when making choices. The
choices may involve changing jobs, what music to listen to, which TV show to
watch, how to behave on a date, and countless decisions we make each and
every day. Whatever the decision may be, no matter how important nor how
insignificant it may seem, making a good choice is imperative. The gift of
counsel helps us succeed in that endeavor. |
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Understanding |
We understand our natural world thanks to our five senses. We have an
inkling about the divine world thanks to the gift of understanding.
It is this gift which reveals to us God's eternal truths, and how they
should be used as the basis for our every action and behavior. We can see
good deeds that need to be done, works that will benefit others, and we come
to an understanding of the meaning of Scripture in our lives. It was the
gift of understanding that opened the minds of the Apostles to see Jesus as
the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures. (Lk 24:44-45)As we come
to know and understand God more completely, we also come to realize how
little we really know and understand ourselves. Accepting our own human
ignorance gives us freedom; with that freedom comes a sense of peace. As we
grow in understanding, we know we are called to a divine life with God, and
do our best to live accordingly. |
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Wisdom |
Wisdom is the beginning and the culmination of all the gifts of the Holy
Spirit. It is knowledge combined with experiences of the Holy Spirit, and
produces, according to Thomas Aquinas, a special "taste" for God. The wise
person explores through rational investigation, but concludes the ultimate
answer is divine. This wisdom completely changes that person's life.
Wisdom allows us to judge things of our world, and set a standard of
behavior which brings spiritual order to our lives. We can have peace in
this world, because in every event, good and bad, wisdom considers and
trusts the ultimate cause: every piece of our lives is part of God's loving,
merciful plan.
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