Depending upon the number of birthdays, Christmases, weddings, anniversaries, and graduations we have accumulated in a lifetime, we have all received many, many gifts and presents.  Even if we were raised in very modest circumstances and received few gifts, many of these gifts have long since been forgotten. Looking at old photographs might jar our memory of a game, a toy, or article of clothing that someone (including Santa) gave us. The clothes we outgrow, wore out, or never cared for in the first place. The toys and games lost their luster after a while. Some gifts that we never liked in the first place ended up being re-gifted like the proverbial Christmas fruitcake. And the money—long gone.

Among these many gifts that we received and then eventually forgot are some gifts that never wear out, never lose their luster, and we never outgrow. They are gifts that we all received regardless of our family’s finances. They are gifts that some of us never bothered to unwrap. I am talking about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which were bestowed upon us at our baptism and renewed in us at our confirmation. Today on Pentecost, we honor the member of the Holy Trinity who lives within us, reminds us of everything that Jesus said and did, and serves as our advocate when we are in danger of being overwhelmed by the false promises of the world. These seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (based on Isaian 11) are seven ways in which the Spirit operates in our life and enables us to live a life of faithfulness to God and fulfill our mission to the world. But they need to be actualized. In other words, we have to unwrap them in public.

I have often thought that one of the most disrespectful things that we can say to one another is “That’s easy for you.” Yes, we are all born with innate talents and abilities that others do not have; but nobody gets good at something without putting in the work. We know it is possible to become rich and famous without being good at anything; but to be good as an athlete, a performer, a writer, or a financial advisor, or anything else, we have to work at it. Nothing is all that easy. So it is with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We have to unwrap them and practice using them in the context of daily life. That is why after the homily, as we have done in past years, we will pass out folders with the name of one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit on the inside. During the coming year, try to be more conscious of the fact that you have that gift, and look for opportunities to employ it.

The word wisdom comes from the Latin word “to savor.” We use wisdom when we slow down and savor the goodness of God and the goodness of people around us. Wisdom helps us see the difference between things that can be overlooked and things that really matter in the long run.Understanding is the inner yearning to know more about God and our place in God’s creation. It is about remaining hungry for God and the growth of the reign of God. The gift of knowledge is the practical side of understanding.  It enables us to get the most out of everything that happens in life, whether talking to someone about Christ, caring for those in need, or putting up with suffering or disappointment. Counsel helps us make decisions when common sense and reason are not enough. What is God asking me to do in this situation? Fortitude (or courage) enables us to do the right thing even if it costs us something. It enables us to refuse to do the wrong thing when it is the easy thing to do.

When I was confirmed in the third grade, we had to memorize the gifts of the Spirit and my favorite gift was piety, because it contained the word pie and I liked pie. But piety has nothing to do with pie or about acting pious. It is the old Roman virtue of being in right relationship with one’s family. Jesus expanded that virtue to being in right relationship with God and the whole human family. Pope Francis expanded it to include all of creation. Awe and wonder (fear of the Lord) prevents us from losing our sense of amazement at who God is and the universe God crated. It helps us live with humility, being grateful for what we have and not being jealous of what others have.

There you have it. The gifts of the Holy Spirit. Actualized they make for a very dynamic faith community. Let’s all see how we can grow in the life of the Spirit this coming year.

                   Fr. Joe

.