I - God continues to give us gifts through the Sacraments, most especially the Sacrament of Confirmation. There is a set of gifts that the Spirit of God puts into our soul - they are called the SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. In this lesson, we will discuss four of the gifts, followed by the last three gifts. Let's begin!
1. As we mentioned before, the Holy Spirit gives us ACTUAL GRACE (CLICK for the past notes).
a. Along with this Grace, the Holy Spirit gives to you SEVEN powerful GIFTS to help you through the Spiritual Journey.
b. The Gospel of St John teaches us what Jesus intended for these Gifts can, and should do through us. He speaks of it as Love In Action - something we have been craving or wanting to see, to give us reason to believe in Him and what He can do in our lives. Jesus says,
If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him. (John 14: 15-21)
2. How does this look when my life is connected to the Holy Spirit?
Think of it like the Coach in this film. The Holy Spirit is our Coach, using the human coach to motivate us to complete tasks or actions that may seem incredibly hard to accomplish. The spirit of the team has beaten. Listen how the Coach pushes a strong football player to find his strength.
II - The 7 Gifts make us into Saints for many to see and believe in God.
1. The Gift of Wisdom - This Gift helps us to make God the Center of your life. Should we lose our way, should we be distracted with the things in life, or should we be knocked off the Journey, God will make His presence known by urging us to turn to Him in prayer, and to wake us RISE - to get back on that road. Life will trip us up - God knows that, but He's not going to let you stay there. Wisdom will help you to find God, to hear Him even during the painful moments of your life. Like the Coach, He will push you beyond your limits, because God sees your potential when some may not see it. Here, your relationship with God will grow - you will slowly love what He is doing for you, and trust Him.
Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, “Master, [then] what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you. (John 14:22-26)
2. The Gift of Understanding - This Gift is given to us so that you can know and love God. He will teach you through faith, so that you can live His teachings and blessing each day. God will strengthen your mind by experience and practice - He will urge you to read and study. This is why you are taking Confirmation Class, not because your parents put you here to receive the Sacrament only, but to understand that God wants a relationship with you. He wants to transform you by this relationship.
a. God wants you to be His Witness - John 15:18-25
b. Our Lord teaches us how the Holy Spirit will Act through you - John 16:5-15
3. The Gift of Counsel - This Gift is given to you for Spiritual Direction, as the Holy Spirit will guide you in all your actions. The Holy Spirit uses this Gift to make sure you know God's will in your life, which is to be HOLY first. This is why you pick a Saint name, so that you stay connected to this person who has lived for God before you. You become an apprentice of the Saint, like an apprentice of the Coach, or a Teacher. He also leads you to people who will mentor you through the Spiritual Journey.
4. The Gift of Fortitude - This Gift strengthens your soul to face tests, or what we call TEMPTATIONS. Remember, we spoke of moments in our lives that can trip us along our Spiritual Journey. It's impossible to avoid these tests, but possible to choose the right over the wrong. This Gift also gives us spiritual confidence in God. If our relationship is strong with God, we can know what God is doing through us. This Gift also helps us to answer for ourselves, whether we have sinned or not. It is very hard to shake a person whose fortitude is strong in God.
