When we are baptized, we are imbued with the Holy Spirit and at our confirmation, that Spirit is strengthened within us. We don’t get supernatural powers, but, with practice, we can tap into the Holy Spirit to give us direction. The Holy Spirit also gives us gifts to use to help ourselves and others find the way to Heaven.
There are at least seven gifts given to us from the Holy Spirit. God offered King Solomon whatever he wanted and he chose the gift of wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to make sound judgements. Knowledge is another gift that involves familiarity with something or someone. Knowledge is more about facts and wisdom is more about judgement. The gift of understanding is the ability to perceive, comprehend, and interpret knowledge. Some people are good with the gift of counsel. This involves teaching, directing, or guiding others. Good teachers are so precious because they help others to grow and become better. I have seen many people with the gift of fortitude. These people are resilient and have courage, strength, and endurance during tough times. As St. Lawrence was being burned alive, he supposedly proclaimed, “Turn me over, I’m done on this side.” People with the gift of fear of the Lord have a sense of awe and a deep reverence of God. Finally, those with the gift of piety do what they are supposed to do and follow the laws of God. They have a deep respect for God and the Church.
We should be able to pick out at least one of those gifts as something we are good at. Some people may have only one gift and others might have all of them. No matter how many gifts we have, we need to make good use of them and not let our talent go to waste.
Coasting through life can be easy, but getting to Heaven can be hard. We need to use any gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us to help us stay on the narrow path to Heaven. Heaven will be even better if more people make it there. There is no such thing as too many people in Heaven. Therefore, if we want to be happiest, we should use our gifts to help as many people as possible get to Heaven as well.
