Holy Spirit, Give Your Gift of Counsel

2 Peter 3:9

 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. And then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise. And the elements will be dissolved with fire. And the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

"At the heart of faith is the act of trust in the wise providence of an all-loving God. Trust in God casts out worry and anxiety about the future . . . He offers the Gift of Counsel to help us choose the good He wills for our happiness . . . With those who have no faith, God is never a factor in formulating their plans. But, with those with faith, no area of life is outside of God's wise providence."

Most Rev. Arthur J. Serratelli, p. 42-43

"The Gift of Counsel: A Guide to the Present"

The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Micaiah, King Johosephat, King Ahab, and the False Prophets

Actions of the Holy Spirit as Advocate ("The Paraclete")

• To speak in support, as a counselor would do in a defense case
• To exhort or urge
• To put courage in the faint-hearted
• To make the ordinary person struggle valiantly in battle
• To lead into all truth

Counsel (a Supernatural Gift) with Prudence (a Natural Virtue)

The Holy Spirit's gift of counsel does not exempt us from exercising the natural gift of prudence . . . With his gentle presence within us, the Holy Spirit brings the natural virtue of prudence to a supernatural level with his gift of Counsel. St. Thomas Aquinas: The gift of counsel = the perfection of prudence.  

 

Holy Spirit, Give Your Gift of Fortitude

 Isaiah 28:16-18

Therefore thus says the Lord God, "See, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation:

    ‘One who trusts will not panic.’

And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.

Then, your covenant with death will be annulled . . ."

Deborah and Barak at Mount Tabor

-Most Rev. Arthur J. Serratelli, p. 61
"The Gift of Fortitude: The Victory over Fear"
The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

You're the fire and the flood, 

And I'll always feel you in my blood.

 

Everything is fine,

When your hand's resting next to mine,

Next to mine . . . 

 

You're the fire and the flood.

Holy Spirit, Give Your Gift of Knowledge

(E)verything God has made reflects, in one way or another, His Truth, His Goodness, and His Beauty and can lead us to God. By the gift of knowledge, we recognize the perfection of God in the things of this world and are led to praise Him. 

The gift of knowledge helps us value things correctly. We see all created realities in their essential dependence on the Creator. We do not give more value to creatures than they deserve. And we certainly do not make them the purpose of our lives. Only God is!

. . . the gift of knowledge enables us to be detached from this world. We recognize that things cannot bring us the ultimate happiness that comes from God alone. Thus, we do not stumble on the things of this world. They are no longer obstacles in our journey to God. Rather, we use them as stepping stones to draw closer to God who loves us so much to give us all the good things of this world. 

Most Rev. Arthur J. Serratelli, p. 37 - 38

"The Gift of Knowledge: The Desire for the Infinite"

The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Jacob's Ladder
The French School
c. 1490 (oil on canvs)

Genesis 28:11-16

(Jacob) came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. 

And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." 

 

Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!’

 

 Life is old there, older than the trees--

Younger than the mountains, growing like a breeze.

Country roads, take me home

To the place I belong . . .

Take me home, country roads.

Holy Spirit, Give Your Gift of Understanding

 "We are matter and spirit, senses and intellect. We begin with the material, but we can arrive through our intellect at the spiritual, the transcendental, and the immaterial. Since our intellect is limited, the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of understanding to help us comprehend the truths of our faith. This gift enables us to go beyond the boundaries of human reason and attain a knowledge that we could not reach on our own."

-Arther J. Serratellil, p. 25

"The Gift of Understanding: Seeing through the Heart"

The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The Effects of Understanding

• We can penetrate more deeply into the meaning of divinely revealed mysteries (e.g., the Eucharist, the Divinity of Christ, the Holy Trinity)
• We can relate God's eternal truths to how we ought to act
• We can penetrate more deeply into the Sacred Scripture (especially how the New Testament is pre-figured in the Old Testament)
• We see God's providence in our joys and triumphs, as well as our trials and suffering
• We receive greater appreciation for the Sacraments

More than an "Aha!" moment, the gift of understanding is a habit of mind given by grace. 

Reflect on Jesus appearing to the two distraught disciples on the road to Emmaus as a microcosm of the gift of understanding: 

1) An opening of the Scriptures, 

2) Recognition of God in the breaking of the bread, 

3) Awareness of God's providence beneath suffering: the Messiah crucified and Israel still under Roman rule. 

"Ordinary people always have room to take in the mystery. Perhaps we have reduced our way of speaking about mystery to rational explanations; but for ordinary people, the mystery enters through the heart. In the homes of the poor, God always finds a place." 

-Pope Francis 

Address to the Bishops of Brazil 

Rio de Janeiro, 2013

Luke 24:30-32

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 

. . . A million ancient bees

Began to sting our knees.

While we were on our knees,

Prayin' that disease,

Would leave the ones we love,

And never come again.

On the radio

We heard "November Rain"

That solo's real long:

But it's a pretty song.

We listened to it twice

'Cause the DJ was aslee-eep . . .

Holy Spirit, Give Your Gift of Wisdom

1 Corinthians 2:7

. . . (W)e declare God's wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

Old Testament figures who acted in God's wisdom:

• Noah
• Job
• Solomon
• Daniel - Stories about him fortified the Jews persecuted two centuries before Jesus (see Maccabes)

Daniel as a Model for Wisdom

Daniel & His Friends at Nebuchadnezzar's Feast

The Babylonian King at the time, Nebuchadnezzar, chose Daniel and his friends to be royal advisors after the Babylonian army destroyed Jerusalem and held Israel captive 

Wisdom as "loyalty to God" even in the small aspects of daily life

• Daniel refused to eat the rich foods offered to them by the Babylonian King because the meat had been sacrificed to false gods

Wisdom as praying in fellowship with others for God's intercession - Prayer should accompany ALL that we do

• Daniel asked his friends to pray with him when all the King threatened to kill all his counselors when they couldn't interpret his dream

Wisdom as receptivity to the promptings of the Spirit--and acting

• Daniel is compelled to intervene to save an innocent woman (Susannah) falsely accused of adultery by two lecherous elders after hearing the voice of the Lord

"(Wisdom) is simply this: seeing the world's situations, conjunctures, problems, everything with God's eyes . . . Often we see things as we want to see them or according to our heart: with love, with hate, with envy. Wisdom is what the Holy Spirit does within us so that we can see everything with God's eyes. This is the gift of wisdom." (Pope Francis, General Audience on April 9, 2014)

Adapted from The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

"The Gift of Wisdom:Living in Friendship with God"

-Rev. Aruther J. Serratelli (STD, SSL, DD)

"Hey Brother"

Avicii

What if I'm far from home?

Oh Brother --

I will hear you call.

What if I lose it all?

. . . 

Ooooh, if the sky comes falling down, 

For you,

There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do

Romans 8:28-29

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn within a large family.

The Eastern Approach: Interior Transformation

John 5:1-4

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, He takes away. And every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

In these few short words, Jesus explains the way to spiritual progress is through Him. Our job is to say yes, to surrender.

When we remain in Christ, we acknowledge that God is the source of all that is good, including the good that He calls me to do.

So often we struggle and make no progress, then in frustration we wonder why.

The answer is simple. What is it that I am afraid to lose? What the Lord offers is so much more than anything I have. So let go! What is it that I am afraid of?

-Deacon Michael Bickerstaff 

"Daily Reflection: The Vine and the Branches"

Integrated Catholic Life

I know that answer for me: it's the fear of being alone. All the things of this world that I chase, I chase hoping to win the affection and approval and esteem of others. There's a deeply rooted childhood wound that underpins that. And still, the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit calls me, reminding me of my God who longs to live ever more deeply in me. And Jesus Who wishes to express His Divine Life through me. I imagine that I'm sometimes so afraid of lonely, dark places that I remain interiorly oriented to a lonely, dark place in my own spirit (cf. John 3:19). And yet, in the face of this fear, the Master of the Universe has already blazed a searing light within me, breathed His Spirit upon me, injected His own Life inside of me. 

St. Gregory the Holy Approaches the Throne of Christ
(Altar Icon, detail)
St. George Antiochan Orthodox Cathedral

O Holy God, Who rests among His saints and is.

O Holy God, Who rests among His saints and is.

O Holy God, Who rests among His saints and is.