Approaching Pentecost, let us revisit what we know about the Holy Spirit and His gifts to the Church.
In baptism, we become a child of God, we are given a new identity. Through this we inherit the same gifts of Spirit that are mentioned in Isaiah 11:2-3. St Peter says in Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Whether we realise it or not, we received all of these seven gifts of the Holy Spirit; wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord when we are baptised. All of these gifts of the Holy Spirit sustain our life and make us docile (compliant) in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1830). We also call these gifts as sanctifying gifts, because they are tools given for us to help us grow in our holiness.
This time, let us divided these seven gifts into two big groups. The first group is for the gifts related to our mind, that gives us grace to see in new ways.
Gift of Wisdom: this gift gives us a new view of how we see the world. We are given a new perspective on how we see things. We no longer see things through our own lens - which is very limited but through God’s point of view which is more complete and perfect (complex). As we exercise this gift, our negative judgement to others will decrease, we will become more tolerant and more compassionate toward others.
The next gifts are gifts of understanding and knowledge. These two gifts are closely related to each other. The gift of understanding is the gift that helps us to see God in our everyday life and understand His teachings. While the gift of knowledge gives insight about holy things, God’s plans and His will. It orientates us to eternal life. On many occasions, we get an “aha moment” that we get it and comprehend something deeper not only as knowledge or science but we get to know God and His characters even more.
The second group is for the gifts related to our heart, that give us grace to choose.
Gift of fortitude: we also call it the gift of courage. Courage to choose goodness and the truth even when it is difficult. As Jesus's disciples, we are called to carry our cross and follow Him, that means many times we face hard decisions to make. This gift gives us courage to choose what is good, what God wants even though we know the consequences by doing the right things.
The gift of piety: gives us grace to choose honour and respect those whom we cannot repay and fills our heart with gratitude. This reverence to God brings us to our worship, given what He is due. How we follow His commandments, how we serve in our ministry are examples of how we exercise this gift.
Fear of the Lord is also a gift that is closely related to piety. This is not the fear of being punished or fear of between the boss and the slave. This gift gravitates us towards God. We don't want to separate ourselves from Him and always want to incline toward the source of all life and stay close to Him. We don't want to hurt His heart with our sins.
There is one more gift that becomes the bridge between what is in our mind and what is in our heart, it is called the gift of counsel. This gift takes what we see through the mind and unites it with the desire that we have in the heart. It is not only knowing the principle but acting on it in practice. We are led from what is our vision to the real decisions. The gift of counsel becomes an alarm to keep us from danger.
Even though we received these gifts in baptism and sacrament of confirmation, we can ask these gifts to be poured out again, to be stirred up and strengthened again and again. As a child of God, let us come to our Father and ask Him specifically what gifts that you currently need. We might ask for the gift of fortitude more than others, so we have courage to stay faithful. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith with no doubt, for he who doubts it is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind (James 1:5-6).
Puspa, 12 May 2026