Pentecost marks the end of the fifty days of Easter. In many parishes today, Catholic youth will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. If you recall, we receive seven gifts from the Holy Spirit at our Confirmation. Those gifts are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.
How do the gifts help us reach Heaven? Rev. James Farfaglia in a homily answered the question by explaining:
Wisdom detaches us from the things of this world and causes us to desire only the things of Heaven.
Understanding helps us to penetrate the truths of our Catholic Faith.
Counsel enables us to see and choose correctly those actions that will help us give glory to God and ensure our own eternal salvation.
Fortitude gives us the strength to overcome those obstacles and difficulties that present themselves during our sojourn on earth.
Knowledge shows us the path to follow and alerts us to the dangers that we must avoid in order to attain eternal life in Heaven.
Piety enlightens us with a tender and filial confidence in God and allows us to joyfully embrace all that pertains to our discipleship with Christ.
Fear of the Lord fills us with a deep respect for God and makes us dread anything that may offend him.
Whether we’re 16, 46 or 76, these gifts are important and help us on the journey called “life”. The demands of our lives make relying on these seven gifts difficult. Perhaps this beautiful prayer composed by Saint Augustine will encourage us to turn to the Holy Spirit and help us conform our lives to His inspirations everyday.
Artwork: Restout II, Jean. Pentecost. 1732. Oil on canvas. Musee Du Louvre, Paris, France.