A Prayer at Pentecost

Rather than explain the Seven Gifts and the meaning of each one, the following prayer will help us not only to understand what they are but also to acquire them in a way most pleasing to God.

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven, didst promise to send the Holy Ghost to finish Thy work in the souls of Thy Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul the work of Thy grace and Thy love.

Grant me:

• the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal;
• the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Thy divine truth;
• the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven;
• the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with Thee and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation;
• the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints;
• the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable;
• the Spirit of Fear of the Lord that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him.

Mark me with the sign of Thy true disciples and animate me in all things with Thy Spirit. Amen.