Why is the Holy Ghost called a spirit, and the Holy Spirit?
Because He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and is as it were, the Spirit of the Father and the Son.
What does the Holy Ghost effect in men?
He renews their hearts, by cleansing them from sin, by imparting to them the sanctification and likeness to God gained through Christ, together with all these supernatural gifts and graces by which they can become holy and happy, and bring forth in them wonderful fruits of sanctity.
Which are these gifts of the Holy Ghost?
The seven following:
1) The gift of wisdom, which teaches us to value the heavenly more than the earthly, infuses in to us a longing for the same, and points out to us the right means to salvation.
2) The gift of understanding, which enlightens us to rightly understand the mysteries and doctrines of our holy religion.
3) The gift of counsel in doubtful cases, which enables us to know what to do or omit, and what to advise others. This gift is particularly necessary for superiors, for those who are changing their state of life, and for those who are entangled in perplexing and unfortunate marriage relations.
4) The gift of fortitude, which banishes all timidity and human respect, strengthens a man to hate sin, and steadfastly to practice virtue; preferring contempt, temporal loss, persecution, and even death, to denying Christ by word or deed.
5) The gift of knowledge, by which the Holy Ghost enlightens us with an inner light, that we may know ourselves, the snares of self-love, of our passions, of the devil, and of the world, any may choose the fittest means to overcome them.
6) The gift of piety and devotion, which infuses into us veneration for God and divine things, and joy in conversing with Him.
7) The gift of the fear of God, that childlike fear, which dreads no other misfortune than that of displeasing God, and which accordingly flees sin as the greatest evil.
Source: Goffine’s Devout Instructions, page 242-243, Copyright, 1896 by the Benziger Brothers, New York.
In Christ,
Julie
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Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner