Imagine a boat on the sea without a sail. No matter how hard the wind blows, the boat will at best drift and at worst capsize or be wrecked. Now imagine that the boat has a sail; now it can harness the wind and even be steered.
The seven gifts of the Spirit have been likened to sail on a ship that is able to capture the wind to move the boat. For us in our spiritual lives, it is the Spirit who moves us through the His gifts and these are indispensable helps in the process of our salvation.
So how do we obtain the Gifts of the Spirit?
These gifts come to us in baptism along with the presence of the Gift Himself, the Holy Spirit. In baptism, we literally become temples of the Holy Spirit. Where there is one Person of the Trinity there are all the Persons of the Holy Trinity. This is what we call the Divine Indwelling.
Saint Hilary of Poitiers, in his treatise on the Trinity writes:
Our Lord commanded us to baptise in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In baptism, then, we profess faith in the Creator, in the only-begotten Son and in the gift which is the Spirit. There is one Creator of all things, for in God there is one Father from whom all things have their being. And there is one only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist. And there is one Spirit, the gift who is in all. So all follow their due order, according to the proper operation of each: one power, which brings all things into being, one Son, through whom all things come to be, and one gift of perfect hope. Nothing is wanting to this flawless union: in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, there is infinity of endless being, perfect reflection of the divine image, and mutual enjoyment of the gift.
I will send you the Advocate … another Counsellor to be with you forever
Our Lord has described the purpose of the Spirit’s presence in us. Let us listen to his words: I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. It is to your advantage that I go away; if I go, I will send you the Advocate. And also: I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth. He will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine.
From among many of our Lord’s sayings, these have been chosen to guide our understanding, for they reveal to us the intention of the giver, the nature of the gift and the condition for its reception. Since our weak minds cannot comprehend the Father or the Son, we have been given the Holy Spirit as our intermediary and advocate, to shed light on that hard doctrine of our faith, the incarnation of God.
Without the Gift of the Spirit the mind lacks the light to see
We receive the Spirit of truth so that we can know the things of God. In order to grasp this, consider how useless the faculties of the human body would become if they were denied their exercise. Our eyes cannot fulfil their task without light, either natural or artificial; our ears cannot react without sound vibrations, and in the absence of any odor our nostrils are ignorant of their function. Not that these senses would lose their own nature if they were not used; rather, they demand objects of experience in order to function. It is the same with the human soul. Unless it absorbs the gift of the Spirit through faith, the mind has the ability to know God but lacks the light necessary for that knowledge.[i]
Pray the novena for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
The novena contains a prayer for each gift, one per day of the novena. These are prayed between the two prayers below.
Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself soul and body to Thee, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Thy purity, the unerring keenness of Thy justice, and the might of Thy love. Thou art the Strength and Light of my soul. In Thee I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve Thee by unfaithfulness to grace, and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against Thee.
Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Thy light and listen to Thy voice and follow Thy gracious inspirations. I cling to Thee and give myself to Thee and ask Thee by Thy compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore Thee Adorable Spirit, helper of my infirmity, so to keep me in Thy grace that I may never sin against Thee.
Give me grace O Holy Ghost, Spirit of the Father and the Son, to say to Thee always and everywhere, “Speak Lord, for Thy servant heareth.” [ii]
Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven, didst promise to send the Holy Ghost to finish Thy work in the souls of Thy Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me, that He may perfect in my soul the work of Thy grace and Thy love.
Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal,
the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Thy divine truth,
the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining Heaven,
the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with Thee, and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation,
the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints,
the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable,
the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God, and may dread in any way to displease Him.
Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Thy true disciples and animate me in all things with Thy Spirit. Amen.[iii]
[i] Saint Hilary, of Poitiers. “From the Treatise on the Trinity: The Father’s Gift in Christ.” Friday, Week 7 of Easter – Office of Readings. Accessed June 1, 2022. http://www.liturgies.net/Liturgies/Catholic/loh/easter/week7fridayor.htm.
(Lib. 2,1, 33:35: PL 10)
[ii] Catholic Online. “Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit – Prayers.” Catholic Online. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=2403.
[iii] “Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: For the Gift of God’s Grace.” Traditional Catholic Prayers to Inspire You. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/prayer-for-the-seven-gifts-of-the-holy-spirit.html.
Solemnity of Pentecost 2022
Sunday, June 5, 2022
