Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius
March 23, 2014
Spiritual Ponderings
Spiritual Randomness

We are now in the midst of our fourth week of Spiritual Randomness and this week’s topic is the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Where exactly do we get the list of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that Confirmation students must memorize? The list that we as Catholics use actually comes from Isaiah the prophet: “The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:2-3).” As we are able to tell that an apple tree is an apple tree because it produces apples so we should be able to tell someone who is filled with the Holy Spirit because he or she will manifests these gifts of the Holy Spirit.

1. Wisdom
Wisdom is the ability to overcome the wounds of original sin and to be able to love spiritual things over material things. It is to see the divine will and to align oneself with it because you know that God wants what is best for you.

2. Understanding
Understanding is all about comprehending how we need to live as a follower of Christ. A person with understanding is not confused by the conflicting messages our world gives us. The gift of understanding also perfects a person’s ability to reason to and apprehend the Truth in all matters.

3. Counsel
Counsel or right judgment allows a person to know the difference between a moral wrong and a moral right. A person who has the gift of right judgment avoids sin and does what is right. For me, to be a person with the gift of counsel means always finding the best way to treat another person and oneself with dignity. It also means always knowing what the selfish choice is and what the selfless choice is. How can I live my life with the values of Christ?

4. Fortitude
Fortitude or courage is the gift of the Holy Spirit to overcome fear. Fortitude allows us to overcome our fears and to take the risks necessary to follow Jesus. It allows me to overcome rejection, verbal abuse, and physical harm to do what is morally right.

5. Knowledge
The gift of knowledge is more than just accumulating facts and it more about getting to know God for who He is. It is about studying God’s masterpiece (creation) and also learning about the artist Himself. Since God created the universe, every little part of the universe tells us something about Him just as everyone of Van Gogh’s paintings tell us a little bit about Van Gogh.

6. Piety
Piety or reverence is the gift of being able to develop a deep sense of respect for God and His Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love. Piety is also seen as the gift of the Holy Spirit that encourages to do our duty to God as our Father.

7. Fear of the Lord
The last of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit is called Fear of the Lord or wonder & awe. This does not mean we are terrified of God because He will harm us but rather we are in awe of God for we have become of His great glory. The Psalms and Proverbs each tell us that Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because it helps us realize that we are finite creatures and God is infinite. We are limited and God is all-powerful.