The little known seven gifts of the Holy Spirit

We recently finished celebrating the Easter season with the Solemnity of Pentecost. This period of the liturgical year is the time we find ourselves historically in today, in the year of 2023. Jesus has been born, he lived, he suffered and died, he rose from the dead, he has spent 40 days risen and appearing at different times and places, he has ascended to the Father, and he has sent the Holy Spirit. This is us today in 2023. 

The only thing left is for Jesus to return at the end of time. In our liturgical calendar today, we call this Ordinary Time, which doesn’t mean it’s “ordinary,” as in nothing special, but rather “ordinal,” that the weeks are numbered. However, in the old calendar before the liturgical reforms of the 1960s, this time was called “Time after Pentecost.” For example, instead of Sunday, July 2, being the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, it would be called the 5th Sunday after Pentecost. 

What was important about identifying the weeks this way was that it referenced Pentecost. Pentecost was the day the Catholic Church received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It was from that day on that the Apostles and disciples took off to the ends of the world to proclaim the Gospel. It was when the mission of the church really began. 

This is important for us to remember. Pentecost has come and gone. Now we have to live it and get to mission! You and I have received the Holy Spirit. We are also sent on mission to the world. 

One particular dynamic of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit is the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are essential to the life of a Christian, especially a Christian on mission. Let’s get a better understanding of these gifts. 

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are derived first and foremost from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. We hear this passage multiple times, especially during Advent: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord (piety). And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord” (11:1-3). 

To understand the gifts, we need to see how they differ from the virtues. Virtues are stable dispositions to do the good. For example, if you are a religious person, you can discern when to make a religious act. It is your reason that decides to do it. 

The gifts are different. It isn’t you that reasons and decides that you should do it. Rather, regarding a religious act, it is the Gift of Piety that allows us to be prompted and moved by the Holy Spirit to do the religious act. 

A person receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit initially at baptism. A person receives an increase in the gifts at their confirmation. A person has the gifts as long as he is in a state of grace. 

If we are in a boat, and we want to get to the other side of the lake, we can paddle. However, that takes a lot of time and effort on our part. This is what it is like for us to rely solely on the virtues. On the other hand, we can put up sails and allow the wind to take us across the lake. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are like the sails. They allow the soul to be moved by God and carried towards him. 

Every soul in sanctifying grace has the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, every soul is ready to receive the promptings of God. Like the sails in the boat, they can’t control when the wind blows, but when the wind does blow, they are ready to move the boat. Similarly, we can’t control when the Holy Spirit will inspire us. “For the Spirit blows where it wishes” (John 3:8). But we can be ready for him. 

Another image will be helpful, that of an extraordinary ballerina or figure skater. If you watch them, they move so gracefully and smoothly. It’s as if they aren’t even thinking. And I would argue that they aren’t really thinking. If they were to think, their performance would not be so graceful. Even if someone has some of the requisite skill, she may be able to complete some of the moves, but it would just look clunky as she has to think and focus on every move and what comes next. So it is with the saints and us when we are in a state of grace and living a recollected life and seeking holiness. It is then that we freely go about our day, doing good and avoiding evil. That while there are challenges and difficulties, I am being prompted by the Holy Spirit and able to fulfill my duties and smoothly move through the day. 

St. Thomas Aquinas says the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are essential to salvation because they allow us to transcend mere human reason and to participate in the very life of God. They really do a lot for us. Take time to get to know them individually! 

Father Nick Nelson is pastor of Queen of Peace and Holy Family parishes in Cloquet and vocations director for the Diocese of Duluth. He studied at The Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Rome. Reach him at [email protected]