Happy early Pentecost!!

As Christians, we are all blessed to have the gifts of the spirit to help us through different aspects of life.

The Holy Spirit is at work in each and every one of our lives, even when we fail to recognize it.

These gifts are so important for us.  We can all benefit from a greater knowledge of the Holy Spirit, especially during this time around Pentecost.

“The ability to look at all of our human affairs through the eyes of divine truth”

Wisdom:

Unlike the wisdom of the things of the world, this gift is the knowledge of those things that are heavenly and divine.  It is also the ability to look at all of our Human affairs through the eyes of divine truth.  If you ask me, that is a pretty awesome gift.  By looking at our daily struggles in this Christ centered way, we can be ever mindful of his presence in our daily lives.  Even when it is hard, this mindfulness can become a resting place in our thoughts.  All it takes is the conscious effort to find Him in every person and situation, looking for His wisdom through everything.

“Insight into the deeper meaning of the things of life.”

Understanding:

Understanding is the gift of insight into the deeper meaning of the things of life.  This specifically applies to those higher truths of the faith that are hard to understand right away.  It is as if Christ takes hold of our thoughts and good intentions and points them in the right direction.  By putting our trust into God’s teachings, He gives us this understanding to help us grow in our faith.

“To be directed by God through matters of salvation.”

Counsel:

One theme throughout the book of Proverbs is the idea of counsel.  This book talks considerably about the idea of taking counsel from those who are stronger in the faith and heading their instruction.  The Church now has a more specific definition of this great gift.  Counsel is the idea of being directed by God through matters of salvation.  In Christ, we have a great counselor, one who knows the way much better than we will ever know, and will always be willing to guide us along His path.

“The firm resolution to go out into the world and do good.”

Fortitude:

Fortitude is the literal definition of Mother Teresa.  Mother Teresa set out to do good and that is exactly what fortitude is all about!  It is the firm resolution to go out and do good in the world.  What makes this gift special is that it especially applies to those times when it is hard.  Fortitude calls us to action in instances of fear and gives us courage in return.  I’m sure we could all agree that Mother Teresa had her bad days, just like every other person who has ever walked this earth, but she used the gift of fortitude to make her way through, just as we all should.

“Decisiveness through the decisions of life and guidance along the way.”

Knowledge:

Knowledge differs from wisdom and understanding in a few ways.  While wisdom is more directed towards perception of the divine and understanding refers to our ability to comprehend these things, the gift of knowledge pertains mainly to our ability to know what will be the right decision in a given situation.  The ability to judge rightly through all of our choices is a wonderful gift, especially as we go on to make bigger and bigger decisions throughout life.  Although some of these choices will not be completely right, Christ’s knowledge will guide us along the path of making them right in the end.

  “Giving God the honor due to Him and and respecting all men because of their relationship to God.”

Piety:

Piety is special in the way to it relates both to God and neighbor in very similar ways. Because of God’s infinite greatness as our creator and Lord, we owe him our honor and love.  Also, however, we owe our neighbor a similar love and respect because of the fact that he is created in the image and likeness of God.  As Christians, we are all called to a greater honor and love of both God and those with whom we live and work.

“We strive to revere God and avoid separating ourselves from Him.”

Fear of the Lord:

I feel like this gift is the most misunderstood of the bunch.  Through fear of the Lord, we strive to revere God and avoid separating ourselves from Him at all cost.  This fear is considered a filial fear, the same kind of fear a son or daughter would have of hurting their parent or loved one.  We fear the sadness of the Lord caused by our rejection of Him.  We are not fearing His punishment, but only the sorrow of knowing that we might offend Him.

I hope you have a beautiful week, filled with the Holy Spirit!!

Maddy