The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Gifts!!  These gifts, operating within us, are essential for a strong faith!  I think there is a lack of understanding and knowledge of the Holy Spirit in the Church today.  He doesn't appear to be operating amongst the Body of Christ.


John 16: 1-15

"I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you. I did not tell you this from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me,  'Where are you going?' But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.  

And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.  

"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."

Most of us know the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity.  That's about the extent of our knowledge of Him.  He seems to be the "forgotten".  Maybe we just take Him for granted?  It never really occurred to me to pray to the Holy Spirit, call upon the Holy Spirit, praise the Holy Spirit.  If He is going to guide us to all truth and declare to us the things that are coming, we should probably get to know Him better!  Just as we develop a relationship with God as our Father, Jesus as our Savior and brother, the Holy Spirit also requires our cooperation in developing a relationship with Him.

I take the following from the book "Empowerment of the Holy Spirit" by Intercessors of the Lamb.  It is a very beautiful and understandable explanation of the Spirit and how He works in our lives.  If you want to know more, I would suggest buying the book from their website. 

"The primary mission of the Holy Spirit is to reproduce Jesus within us.  He wants to trace the living image of Jesus in our hearts.  This is our inheritance: for Jesus to become alive in us which can only be done through the Holy Spirit."

"When the Holy Spirit comes, He brings special graces called the Gifts of the Holy Spirit."

The Gifts:

Fear of the Lord:  It is a deep fear and horror of sin.  It is a hatred of doing anything as a son, daughter, or child of god to displease Him.  One of the fruits that fear of the Lord will begin to produce within us is detachment and a genuine spirit of poverty, that beautiful spirit of childhood where we become very dependent on God.  

Fortitude:  This gift is necessary in our everyday life because we all have obstacles, no matter what our lives are like or what our vocations are.  There will be difficulties, struggles, and constant purification.  There will constantly be God's will and my will and the struggle that ensues.  As fortitude starts to operate within us, it will start to give us tremendous strength because this gift is the very strength of the Spirit Himself.  

Piety:  The gift of Piety is the Gift of the Father Himself, the Spirit of the Father Himself.  We have a relationship with God, and a trust and confidence in Him.  We start to understand the family dimension of God and become aware that we are all "Fathered" by the same Father, and we begin to experience other Christians as brothers and sisters.

Counsel:  The gift of counsel comes out of the heart, but will enlighten our mind.  The Spirit is directing, guiding, and counseling us as to the right thing to do in every circumstance if we are aware of Him and His direction. 

Knowledge:  It is pure gift and it comes out of intuition.  It is the knowledge of holy things and creation.  Intercessors need this gift of knowledge to learn God's ways and His plan.

Understanding:  The gift of understanding reveals hidden things.  When understanding is operating, all of a sudden we start to see truth; we begin to understand the deeper meaning of things.  We start to understand human events from God's point of view.

Wisdom:  The gift of Wisdom makes us friends with God. It is when we are friends with God and are one with His will and are in total peace ourselves.   Wisdom is putting on the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 All of these gifts were given to us at our Baptism in seed form.  Those that are baptized then have the foundation already in their hearts.  Through prayer, the Sacraments, and learning about these gifts, they will surely grow and our faith will begin to become more alive!  

Pentecost is May 23!  This is when the Church celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit after the resurrection of Jesus.  Open your hearts to this great gift this year!  Ask God to increase these gifts in your heart so that we may all become like the Apostles and boldly proclaim the gospel of Christ!