Gifts From God
Whenever we receive a sacrament worthily we are infused with sanctifying grace. With this grace come the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. The sacrament of Baptism is the first time we receive these seven gifts, and they remain within our souls, now temples of the Holy Ghost, for as long as we do not commit a sin that is mortal, that is, a sin that kills the soul and expels the presence of the Holy Ghost with his Seven Gifts. The sacrament of Confirmation strengthens these gifts within us, and for this reason it is important that we receive this sacrament soon after our first Holy Communion. But what exactly are these seven gifts and why are they so necessary? Let’s take a brief look at each one, examining our conscience to assess how well we are using these gifts from God.
WISDOM: The first and highest gift of the Holy Ghost, wisdom helps us to desire and value the truths of the faith and recognize that they are more important than the things of this world. How well ordered is our relationship with this world? Do we love Creation for the sake of God or for its own sake? Wisdom will help us prioritize things and ensure that God is truly the center of our life.
UNDERSTANDING: The second gift of the Holy Ghost differs from Wisdom in that it helps us to grasp, at least in a limited way, the very essence of the truths of the Catholic faith, truths which Wisdom has given us the desire to contemplate and prefer over material things. This is the gift by which we can come to know God more clearly, something which in turn will help us to better love him and serve him. Let’s ask ourselves if we allocate enough time to getting to know the truths of the faith through spiritual reading and meditation.
COUNSEL: The supernatural perfection of the natural virtue of prudence. While prudence helps us to judge how best to act, the gift of Counsel enables us make these choices almost by intuition. With the help of this virtue, we should have no hesitation when called upon to stand up for the truths of the Faith, as we’ll be guided by the Holy Ghost in defending these truths. Do we sometimes wonder whether we should stand up for our Catholic beliefs or just let things go? The gift of Counsel will help us in these situations and make our stand more effective.
FORTITUDE: Ranking fourth in the list of gifts is Fortitude, sometimes known as ‘courage’. It gives us the strength to follow through on the actions suggested by the gift of Counsel, allowing us to rise above natural courage and to choose to suffer, if needs be, for our beliefs. Fortitude is the virtue of the martyrs who suffered death rather than renounce their Catholic Faith. Do we have this kind of courage? Are we able to suffer through “life after Vatican II” by keeping the faith and remaining loyal to a Church that has abandoned us? Or will we yield to outside pressure and go to the indult Mass or even join the happy protestants? Many have, but Fortitude will keep us safely in the fold.
KNOWLEDGE: While Wisdom gives us the desire to judge all things according to the truths of the Catholic Faith, Knowledge is the actual ability to do so. It allows us to see the circumstances of our life as God sees them and determine his purpose in the things that happen to us. How well do we accept the crosses and confusion in our lives? Knowledge enables us to know why we must.
PIETY: Our willingness to worship and serve God comes from the gift of Piety. Piety takes that willingness beyond a mere sense of duty so that we desire to worship God and serve him out of love, eager to honor him by obeying his commandments and doing his will in all things.
FEAR OF THE LORD: This is not the craven fear of the slave for his cruel and tyrannical master but rather a deep fear of offending the God we love above all things. It is a fear that arises out of love, giving us the certainty that God will supply us with the grace we need in order to keep from offending him. This kind of fear is not contrary to the virtue of hope, but actually perfects our hope in God. When we are tempted, does our fear of offending God prevent us from giving in to the temptation? Do we love God enough to do his will and not our own? Fear not merely the fires of hell, fear rather to offend the God we say we love so much!