Today we start our reflections on the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit.
22 may 2021
FEAR OF THE LORD. This gift is the consequence of the gift of piety, which is the tender love of the child for the Father. Fear isn’t like that of someone who fears punishment. It comes from the Holy Spirit, which makes us deeply detest sin, which harms our relationship with the Father. It results in a surge of the soul to the Father.
21 may 2021
PIETY. Piety is the crown gift of the Holy Spirit. It gives us a deeply intimate and childlike love of God as Father. The inclination of the soul is to be totally centred on the Father. There remains a longing in us to please and honour the Father. In addition, we assume the interests of the Father, which include working for the Church.
20 may 2021
KNOWLEDGE. Life is complicated by hasty judgment, prejudices and rash reactions. Knowledge helps us to see, judge and value things in the right way. In addition, we can resist what is wrong and love the right things and persons. We discover true beauty, even in the Cross
19 May 2021:
FORTITUDE. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Well, not necessarily. Fortitude makes us steadfast to overcome weaknesses and temptations. It is the remedy of the Holy Spirit against sadness, restlessness and depression.
18 May 2021:
COUNSEL. We must always distinguish between our desires and God’s desires. Human nature has its wilful ways. This gift allows us to tell the difference between wrong desires and helps to overcome them. E.g. even in a big crowd a child will still hear the voice of the parent. We can find the right desires brought by grace and the willingness to live by them.
17 May 2021:
UNDERSTANDING. Most of the time we try to make sense of what is going on in our lives and environment. We seem to shine with a dim torch light to get the full picture. The gift of understanding is the light to our believing mind that allows us to see the fuller picture and make the connections. We discover God’s hand in circumstances of our lives.
16 May 2021:
WISDOM. The gift of wisdom gives the light to see, understand and embrace with warmth the life of Jesus. It awakens deep love for Jesus and brings change to our hearts.