The scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday in the Octave of Easter | USCCB
In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we
continue to hear about how the Apostles were going about spreading the good
news of Jesus Christ as savior and Lord. Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit,
which they received at Pentecost, they had the power to bring healing to people
that were blind and lame, and also were able to proclaim that Jesus Christ is
Lord. It was through the promptings of the Holy Spirit that they were able to
do this.
In Acts of the Apostles, we hear of how the 7 gifts of
the Holy Spirit worked through the Apostles to help spread this Good news of
Jesus Christ. You may remember that the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit are as
follows:
1. Wisdom. Which is when we seek
God above all things. (The apostles sought God above all things, without fear
of what others would say or do to them).
2. Understanding. ... (the
apostles received understanding of who God is and what he expected them to do
in their service to Him)
3. Right Judgement (Counsel)
...(the Apostles were able to do the right thing in all the challenges they
faced as they proclaimed the Word of God.)
4. Knowledge. ...(they were
able to know and to love God with all their hearts)
5. Courage (Fortitude) ...(they
had the courage to go out and share the Good News of God, even if it meant
facing imprisonment or death)
6. Reverence (Piety) ...(the
Apostles, upon receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit, were able to show true
love and reverence towards God)
7. Wonder and Awe (Fear of
the Lord) (the Apostles were able to know and appreciate the greatness of God
and to show appropriate love and respect towards Him as creator).
All of us who have been confirmed received these gifts
of the Holy Spirit and are called to bring this knowledge and love of God to
everyone in our lives, even when it’s difficult or challenging. We are to apply
these 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.
In our day and age with all the distractions of the
virus and worldly problems, let us ask God to give us the wisdom needed to know
that He’s present among us, even when things are most challenging. Let us pray
for the gift of understanding to respond to our daily challenges in a way
pleasing to Him. In the difficult decisions we may face in our lives, let us
ask God for Right Judgement in order to respond and act in a way pleasing to
Him. Let us, through the frequent reading of Scripture and daily prayer, gain
knowledge of God to know, love and serve him. In the difficult moments of our
lives, let us pray for the courage to respond in a way that would be pleasing
to God. Let us pray for that Reverence to have the proper love and respect of
God as our creator. And finally, let us maintain the wonder and awe in our
daily lives, knowing that God’s hands are in every aspect of our lives to help
and protect us.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle them in the fire of your love.
Here's an email I received in response to this blog: Good afternoon, Deacon Tom
ReplyDeleteI truly enjoyed hearing your reflection in Church, yesterday, on the first Reading of the Mass, from the Acts of the Apostles.
You related the event about Peter and John who went about teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead, right after Peter had healed a crippled man, to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which they had received from God at Pentecost. I found it very enlightening that you expanded this bit of reference, by naming and defining the seven fruits of the Holy Spirit, as well.
It was a consoling to me, and maybe to the rest of the congregation, when you reminded us, "All of us who have been confirmed, received these gifts of the Holy Spirit, and are called to bring this knowledge and love of God to everyone in our lives, even when it’s difficult or challenging.” Then you went on to include that "we are to apply these 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives”, in times of turmoil, such as those we are presently undergoing: the Covid pandemic and all other worldly problems.
I agree with the premise that it is a time for us to apply these 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit in our daily prayers and petitions to God, as true faithfuls, with all our due love and respect, as well as with all our trust and hope that He is ever present to us.
Peace, Hope and Joy in Christ,
Nilda V., OCDS
Yes, we ALWAYS need to have & use the 7 fold gifts, the charismatic gifts & the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives, in the Church, & especially in today's world & in our country when things are going on that are difficult to understand, such as the tragic COVID-19 pandemic & the tragic political climate in our country.
ReplyDeleteYour blog post was written & delivered the day before the Sacrament of Confirmation was conferred upon 3 different groups of teens by Bishop Cisneros (sp?) at noon, 1:30pm & 3pm at St. Margaret's parish & I had the privilege of singing our singer's mask wearing socially distanced choir/ensemble at all 3 services & we prayed that they will remain faithful & experience life in the fullness of the Holy Spirit working in & through them. So it was very fitting to be reminded of the 7 fold gifts of the Holy Spirit described by the prophet Isaiah, demonstrated by Our LORD JESUS & given to us in the sacraments of Baptism & especially at Confirmation at this time.
It is a challenge & a great mystery living at a time when a pandemic emerging from a Chinese lab (for which it is suspected that it was perpetrated by the Communist government & selected scientists that have nothing to do with the vast majority of innocent Chinese or any other Asian people living under the oppressive regime in China or living in the US & other countries, so stereotyping & perpetrating hateful & violent actions toward Chinese or any other Asian people is totally immoral & inexcusable) resulted in illness, death, quarantines & an aftermath of an economic downturn just when in the USA unemployment had reached its lowest point in over 50 years, much progress was being made for the pro-life cause, jobs, industry & fairer trade were returning to America, we were headed toward energy independence, & we had a successful Israel supporting Middle East policy & religious freedom & conscience rights were being supported by our government within the US & throughout the world. Suddenly the pandemic & the subsequent US elections seemingly has been causing much of the good accomplished for our country, for the world, & for the pro-life cause to fall apart! It is a mystery why God would allow this to happen at this time, so we need the help of the Holy Spirit to trust that God can & does work even what seems to be the worst that could happen into the best that could happen, as clearly seen in the Passion, Crucifixion & death of our Messiah & LORD JESUS CHRIST, when all seemed lost, becoming the means of our salvation & resulting in Our LORD's glorious Resurrection & victory over satan, sin, evil & death & the promise that in HIM we will one day rise & find ultimate victory of God & all that is good over satan & all that is evil. Seeing bad things happening, like the pandemic, racial strife, domestic terrorism, & the election of an administration opposed to the pro-life cause & certain teachings of Christianity & our Catholic Church, especially by those who claim to he devout Catholics, can leave us sorely tempted not to give God the reverence & awe He deserves & provoke questions that our human wisdom & human understanding cannot answer & for which we sorely need the gifts of God's wusdom & understanding from His Holy Spirit. We might be headed once again for times in which we need to discern what GOD would have us do to stand up for our faith & our moral beliefs & the courage & fortitude to do so. And we also need to be led by the Holy Spirit in exercising His gifts & especially living by the fruit of the Holy Spirit that make us more CHRISTLIKE & more effective witnesses for CHRIST & the truth of the Gospel in these challenging times: love, joy, peace, patience/endurance, faithfulness, gentleness/meekness, self control & the rest listed in Galatians 5.