By Father Fred Edlefsen

As we enter Ordinary Time – the Season after Pentecost – I will write a brief article for each Sunday bulletin about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Virtues, and the Beatitudes. Today, I will begin with a summary of what the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are about.

“On Him, God the Father has set his seal” (John 6:27). In Baptism and Confirmation you are “sealed” and “sealed again” with the Holy Spirit. You become “another Christ” – an anointed one of God. After Confirmation, your soul is given special graces for life’s adventure. As we mature and grow in holiness, we are more and more guided by the Holy Spirit working through his Seven Gifts: Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Piety, Courage, and Fear of the Lord. The Gifts work best when you ask for them. Get into the habit of making a brief prayer, or request, to the Holy Spirit to guide you through his Gifts. He won’t turn you down. Be open and willing to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. If you do, the Gifts of the Spirit will soak in “like rain upon the meadows, like showers that water the earth” (Psalm 72:6). “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).