Last weekend my oldest sister and her family hosted a Pentecost party! We gathered to celebrate the birthday of our church. Before we grilled and ate birthday cake, my sister led a beautiful prayer invoking the Holy Spirit! She had the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit displayed on a table. There was a name card and a red candle representing the Light of Christ. Each person received their own candle and placed it next to the gift they wanted to grow this year.
This experience made me realize I do not know about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are gifts, yet I don’t ask to receive them! The Catechism (1831) states that the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.
Both my husband and I chose to grow in piety this year. The gift of piety or reverence is having deep devotion to our Catholic faith. The Catechism (1674) gives examples such as venerating holy relics, visiting sanctuaries, pilgrimages, processions, praying the station of the cross and rosary, and wearing religious metals.
I love knowing that my husband and I already do a handful of these things. But as you know, holiness is an ever-going process. If I’m not careful, pride will trick me into treating piety or reverence as a checklist.
We pray the rosary ✓
We have holy images and bible verses hung on the walls ✓
We have attended mass and adoration at various parishes throughout our diocese ✓
We have holy water readily available ✓
Next on our list is to pray the stations of the cross and find a necklace with some medals!
But dear reader, let me remind you that the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are gifts! When we trustingly abide in the Lord, He has room to anoint our lives fuller than we could have made happen on our own. It requires receptivity and total surrender!
For the last week, I asked the Lord to reveal how He wants our family to grow in piety. I surrendered it to the Holy Spirit and left it at that. I did not purchase more holy items to hang on the walls or change my daily prayer routine. Each day I asked the Holy Spirit to anoint our family more deeply. This led to a phone call asking if I could assist with a Corpus Christi procession at my sister’s parish. A few days later, I collected a few things from my old job, which included a lanyard with a small Miraculous Medal I had long forgotten about. That medal is now attached to my car keys. It took less than a week of prayer for the Holy Spirit to anoint our life. I am excited to see what is in store for us for the remainder of the year!
We will write about the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the next few weeks. I pray that one of these gifts resonates with you and that you feel compelled to ask the Holy Spirit for a greater anointing. He has a gift waiting and is excited to share it with you!
“Ask and it shall be given to you” -Mathew 7:7
Until next time, your sister in Christ,
Abby