Happy Church Birthday, friends!

Today, during the Homily, Father Nicholaus went over The Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which was a good review and flashed me back to middle school.

The seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord, and I pray that each of them will grow in my heart by the grace of the Holy Spirit himself.

Here’s how I specifically hope to grow in those virtues:

Wisdom

I hope as I grow and mature in my life and make moves towards full independence, I can make sure I’m still honoring and loving those who have been a big part of my story, specifically my family, boyfriend, and roommate (who is like my adopted grandma).

Understanding

Through my continued time in Adoration and receiving Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I hope to grow in my understanding of the mystery of the Holy Eucharist and just how much of a profound gift that is.

Counsel

I hope to continue on the path of honesty and openness in all my communications, both professional and personal. Sometimes, my penchant for perfectionism causes me to tell white lies, which brings me to the sacrament of Confession frequently, but I want to eliminate that sin from my vocabulary altogether.

Fortitude

Through this blog and to my friends searching for the truth of the faith, I pray that I can better evangelize, proclaim my love for the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, and spread the good news of the Gospel.

Knowledge

I want to get out into creation and nature more, focusing on how natural beauty is ordered to honor and praise the God who created it.

Piety

Specifically at Mass, I hoep to grow more pious in my love for the Eucharist, and get over the obstacles that are keeping my heart from being oriented towards veiling in Mass.

Fear of the Lord

This fear is not fear of the Lord in the sense that you are on the precipice of falling off a cliff and plunging into the depths of the ocean. Rather, it is awe and the utmost respect when you are in God’s house, receiving God in your hand, or even meeting God in your neighbor. Whenever we are in the presence of the Lord, he ought to be rightfully feared.

By continuing praying to the Holy Spirit and involving him in my everyday life, I know he will work the wonders in me that I have prayed for … that he will provide in every aspect of my needs and keep me safe and secure in all my goings on. Today and always, I am greatful for how the Holy Spirit has provided for me.

What about you? Leave a comment below if you’d like to share how the Holy Spirit has worked in your life.