Every year spring cleaning turns up at least one Christmas gift that has spent months on a shelf or tucked in a drawer, unused and, sometimes, unopened.
This spring I discovered a small bag of gifts that must have filled my Christmas stocking, not from last Christmas but the Christmas before. I probably stuck the bag under my desk to keep it safe from visiting grandchildren and forget it was there.
Rediscovering them was like Christmas once again. I had the gifts all along but in finding them again I now had the opportunity to actually use them.
The experience reminded me of how we use, or not, the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We learn about them in religious education classes and have to memorize their names but that’s about it. I don’t remember really learning much about how the gifts work in our daily lives or remember being encouraged to use the gifts as we navigate an often difficult world.
I learned more about the gifts when I discovered my mother-in-law, Muriel, had a strong devotion to the Holy Spirit. I knew many who had devotions to Mary, St. Joseph, and any one of myriad saints, but I never knew anyone with a devotion to the Holy Spirit. I was intrigued.
The gifts are ours from the time of our Baptism and sealed at the time of our Confirmation. In fact, preparing for Confirmation is the time when we learn the most about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As adults, when we think about the most challenging times of our lives, it becomes pretty clear how much the gifts of the Holy Spirit can help and keep us aware of the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Who doesn’t need Wisdom? This gift of knowing how to make the right choices by having the ability to think deeply about a situation or challenge is essential for young people and will continue to grow as we mature, helping us to live a holy life.
The gift of Understanding helps us grasp the meaning of our faith and develops within us genuine concern and compassion for others.
Counsel, or Right Judgement, enables us to be open to God when making moral choices. It is often described as prudence.
Courage is the gift that helps us overcome our fears and move forward with a strong reliance on our faith.
Knowledge enables us to analyze the information available to us, in the light of faith. Knowledge helps us avoid obstacles to faith and growth and can be shared with others.
Reverence, or Piety, encourages our worship of God as an act of love, encourages us to pray, and helps us build sincere respect and care for all that is of God, including other people and God’s creation.
Wonder and Awe (Fear of the Lord) keeps us aware, humble, and grateful in our relationship with God. When I think of wonder and awe, I think of Jesus speaking of children and saying, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Luke 18:16)
Is there anything more meaningful or captivating than the awe of a child when they experience something new or wonderful or exciting?
If we are to begin using our rediscovered Gifts of the Holy Spirit, we would do well to begin where our children are, embracing our relationship with God as something new and wonderful and exciting.
Mary Regina Morrell is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.