Mary and the gifts of the Holy Spirit

By Lora Goulet

Painting by Francesco Albani, Wikimedia Commons.

Mary lived the gifts of the Holy Spirit.


1)Wisdom - The Blessed Virgin Mary said yes to carrying Jesus in her womb. The highest of these supernatural gifts, this gift enables us to love and desire our Creator above all things.

2)Understanding - Mary waited patiently for Jesus' water to wine miracle and taught others to obey Him. This gift is the supernatural ability to grasp teachings of our faith.

3)Counsel- Escaping to Egypt, a land hostile to their beliefs, the Holy Family lived according to the precepts their God given faith. This gift supernaturally helps us to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance in all of our actions.

4)Fortitude- The Most Holy Mother of our Savior valiantly followed Jesus in Via Crucis.nbsp;This gift is the supernatural courage to uphold our faith even unto death.

Continue reading at Lora's blog mommynovenas.

My widow's mite

By Patricia

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44)

Jesus is so delightful.  Nothing escapes His notice….the story of the “widow’s mite” is  a perfect example.  He not only observed her with obvious love and kindness, but He deemed her example worthy of pointing out to His apostles…and to us.

When I think of this story, I believe that Jesus is speaking not only of money, but of everything we offer to God.

I know many people who have wonderful gifts of teaching and speaking and leadership and organization etc., who really make a difference in my parish and diocese.  But, I’m not one of them.  I don’t have those gifts.

It has always been that way.  I was the quiet, compliant child who prayed that the teacher wouldn’t call on me, not because I didn’t know the answer, but because I knew my face would blush bright red as soon as I heard my name.


Continue reading at Patricia's blog I Want to See God.

Small gifts, great love

by Elizabeth Tichvon

Grandmother's Birthday by Brenner (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons).

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you" (Luke 6:36-38).

Where else in the New Testament does Jesus speak so intimately to each of us? None of us has the same opportunities to be merciful, to love, to forgive. Jesus gives each of us different talents that match the role He assigns us. Talents come in as many varieties as there are people, and all are equally important to His perfect plan. But we must use our talents to do His will by giving away gifts we design from our own passions and from our own desire to give.

A smile is a gift when it transforms a life. A prayer is a gift when it alters the direction of a soul. Wealth is a gift when it feeds a stranger. A word of encouragement is a gift when it lifts the spirit of someone we find hard to love. These gifts seem minor to us, but their weight is measured by Jesus alone. Our small gifts given with great love are just as precious to Him as a gift given by someone we hold high, like Mother Teresa, whose arms were a gift to countless children as she held them with their last breath.

Jesus places people of His choice, not ours, in our path for us to love. We must not waste the opportunity, but move forward according to this assumption, using our free will.

Our reward will be measured on its own and against no one else's. We'll recognize that our gift was considered great in Jesus' eyes when the measure He returns to us fulfills the deepest desires of our hearts.  Once again, we learn that loving acts bring us the greatest joy!


Elizabeth originally posted this as a reflection on the day's Scripture reading at her blog Clickity Click.

The surprising charisms of the Holy Spirit

by Nancy Ward

Pentecost by Girolamo da Cremona (photo credit: Getty Museum)

 What are your spiritual gifts? Has the Holy Spirit ever surprised you with the grace to serve in a way you never imagined?  Or taken your natural talent and empowered you to use it to honor God?

For me, writing was about personal fulfillment, if not fame. The Holy Spirit transformed my desires, helping me surrender that natural talent to the Lord. So my inherited talent became a charism dedicated to building up the Body of Christ for the glory of God.


The change happened after I filled out a questionnaire revealing my charisms of the Holy Spirit.  My spiritual life flourished, directing my natural talents more outward than inward.

Other gifts teetered on the line between “mine” and “God’s.” My gift of administration, defined as providing the planning and coordination needed to accomplish good things, was not exclusively directed outward.  I could accept the grace to seek the good of all involved in a ministry or project, or just as easily use this gift to get my way without consulting or honoring God.

I scored high on discernment, the ability to sense the spiritual struggles of others. But my low score on mercy equaled a very judgmental Christian, without the impetus for practical acts of compassion to relieve their distress.

The Lord develops new charisms to enhance the ones we have. I seek the charism of wisdom, that is, remarkable insight and creative solutions, to ensure my writing conveys God’s love effectively and consistently. The Holy Spirit surprises me with illuminating perception far beyond my ideas. I wrote about this in Holy Spirit Sandwich.


Continue reading at Nancy's blog  JOY Alive in our hearts.