2nd Sunday of Advent
The Prophet Isaiah points us to our task at hand: Holiness is our target and acquiring it our mission. This goal is within our reach because of the Holy Spirit abiding in our hearts. Catholicism recognizes seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit within each of the baptized, and Isaiah names them: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.
I realize this is a long list of words that we can easily forget, but these Gifts of the Holy Spirit are actually our keys to unlocking our holiness. Through our intentional awakening of these Gifts of the Holy Spirit latent within us we are each meant to be transformed more and more into the image of Jesus Christ, transformed into holiness.
I am, however, keenly aware that there is a plethora of attractive “strange teaching” in the world to which people become ensnared; their potential for holiness stunted.
While as a former military officer I believe in protecting a person’s Constitutional freedom to embrace “strange teaching,” I simultaneously pray that in their freedom they will choose to embrace Truth, the Truth Jesus himself entrusts to Catholicism.
To this end I have created something for you. I am resolved to explain each of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit that Isaiah reveals today during our Tuesday Advent and Christmas Season daily Masses.
I will explain how each can be leveraged to advance our individual quests for holiness, and I will then have my explanations posted on our website. I hope you will check it out.
Today John the Baptist speaks of “producing good fruit as evidence of repentance,” warning that “every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down.”
Catholicism teaches that as we leverage the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, we bear the Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit as a result. Later in our Lenten season I will explain each of these Fruits and how they are evidence of our ongoing transformation to holiness. We will use this as an examination of our conscience through Lent.
All of this will be done in the hope that the transformational power of the Holy Spirit’s Seven Gifts and resulting Twelve Fruits within all of us will be amplified.
It is our mission this year to become more holy for then St. Paul’s dream for us can come true. “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul’s dream is the dream of every pastor: that their flock be one in their quest for holiness. For it is at this meal that we with one accord and one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! May our shared meal today, by God’s grace, move us in that direction.