Every day, we are faced with decisions. Some don’t have a great impact. But others have serious consequences. But we can get help. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. According to the “Catechism of the Catholic Church,” if we want “to be in touch with Christ, we must first have been touched by the Holy Spirit. He comes to meet us and kindles faith in us. By virtue of our Baptism, the first sacrament of the faith, the Holy Spirit in the Church communicates to us, intimately and personally, the life that originates in the Father and is offered to us in the Son.”
The Holy Spirit can help us make good decisions if we pray for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit that are “in their fullness” in Jesus. The gifts include wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. According to the “Catechism of the Catholic Church,” they not only “complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them,” they also “make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.” But before praying for these gifts, we can try to get insight into what they mean. Here are explorations of each of them.