An article published in the March/April 2023 Faith Companion Magazine - Permission to publish granted Visit the Faith Companion Community Space What are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit? The first gift we receive is the gift of ‘sanctifying grace’, which is “a participation in the nature and life of God.”1 It is the gift by which we are inserted into the “intimacy of Trinitarian life.” 2 It is a gift that is infused by the Holy Spirit into the soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It raises us to a new supernatural level of being which is capable of living an elevated supernatural life. It is the grace by which we are born again: “It perfects the soul itself to enable it to live with God and to act by His love.” 4 It remains in us while we are in a state of grace and is lost by mortal sin. It is a permanent grace which is given for us to keep. Jesus calls us all to holiness.5 Sanctifying grace is therefore given to us for our personal sanctification or holiness. With it comes all the additional helps we need to co-operate with the Holy Spirit in the work of our own sanctification. These helps are known as the ‘seven virtues’ or the ‘seven gifts of the Holy Spirit’. The seven virtues are divided into two groups. The theological vir- tues are the virtues of faith, hope and charity. They are called theo- logical because they unite us to God: “[they enable us] to believe in God, to hope in Him, and to love Him.” 6 The second group are called the cardinal virtues, which “[allow us] to grow in goodness through the moral virtues” and lead vir- tuous lives.7 These are prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are known as the ‘Isaiah 11 gifts’, to distinguish them from the ‘charismatic gifts’ that Paul spoke about in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10. These are the gifts that we were taught about in preparation for our Confirmation, and they are probably the gifts with which we are most familiar. Isaiah prophesied that when the promised Messiah came, the Spirit of the Lord would rest on Him and that He would demonstrate a number of attributes. These are: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might (i.e. courage or fortitude), the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.8 The final gift is that of piety (reverence), which the Church Fathers always included. This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus. The ‘charismatic gifts’ of the Holy Spirit refer to a second group of gifts. It is to this group that I refer to primarily in this article. According to the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’, “...grace also includes the gifts that the Spirit grants us to associate us with his work, to enable us to collaborate in the salvation of others and in the growth in the Body of Christ, the Church.”9

An article published in The Faith Companion Magazine - Permission to publish granted. - View the Community Space St Faustina is one of the most important saints of the 20th century due to private revelations she received from Jesus and recorded in her Divine Mercy diary,1 which has now been officially sanctioned by the Catholic Church. It is through St Faustina that God made known His message of abundant Divine Mercy to the entire Church – a rich devotion. Devotion to the Divine Mercy of God shows us He sees us through the eyes of Mercy – the reason for our salvation. There are five ways in which the message of Divine Mercy can be understood: firstly, Jesus asked that the Divine Mercy image given to St Faustina be meditated upon; secondly, through the establishment of a Divine Mercy celebration, which is now the Solemnity of Divine Mercy Sunday; thirdly, through praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet, preferably daily; fourthly, honouring the day (Friday) and hour of Jesus’ death (3pm), remembered preferably by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet; and lastly, He asked for all to actively spread the message of Divine Mercy by sharing its message and showing Mercy to others.2 When requesting a special Feast Day to be attributed to His Divine Mercy, which is now held on the first Sunday after the Easter weekend, Jesus said, “I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.”3 It is worthy to note that at one point St Faustina’s diary was forbidden by the Church due to the message of Divine Mercy being given via a private revelation. The Church had to spend time discerning its legitimacy. The Church has created norms discerning the legitimacy of private revelations and apparitions in the document, ‘Norms Regarding the Manner of Proceeding in the Discernment of Presumed Apparitions or Revelations.’ 4 Backed by Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis we have no need for caution with St Faustina’s private revelations. The types of experiences and private revelations we uncover in ‘The Faith Companion’ are not officially sanctioned and recognised by the Church; we simply publish peoples’ experiences of God as lived in ordinary life. However, like officially sanctioned private revelations, God doesn’t intend them to be ‘private’ for the individual but are given for the good of the whole of God’s children and His Church, which is why we share them

An article published in The Faith Companion Magazine - Permission to publish granted. - View the Community Space  These are a few simple suggestions for people who are willing to make an experiment. You can discover for yourself the most important and practical thing any human being can ever learn – how to be in touch with God. All that is needed is the willingness to try it honestly. Every person who has done this consistently and sincerely has found that it really works. Before you begin, look over these fundamental points. They are true and are based on the experience of thousands of people. 1. God is alive. He always has been, and He always will be. 2. God knows everything. 3. God can do anything. 4. God can be everywhere – all at the same time. (These are the important differences between God and us human beings). 5. God is invisible – we can’t see Him or touch Him – but God is here. He is with you now. He is beside you. He surrounds you. He fills the room or the whole place where you are right now. He is in you now. He is in your heart. 6. God cares very much for you. He is interested in you. He has a plan for your life. He has an answer for every need and problem you face. 7. God will tell you all that you need to know. He will not always tell you all that you want to know. 8. God will help you do anything that He asks you to do 9. Anyone can be in touch with God, anywhere and at any time, if the conditions are obeyed..