The reading from the prophet Isaiah this weekend is a very hopeful description of the Messiah.  And part of that description contains the traditional seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.  As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Messiah, and looking forward to His coming in glory, let’s take a look at those gifts and see how we can use them.

Wisdom is first and it is not a matter of tossing out proverbial quotes.  This wisdom is the gift of seeing God in his creation.  It means that we value the things of this world only as they help us to know and love God more.  The second gift, Understanding, follows from Wisdom: as we appreciate God in His creation, we understand what God expects of us in dealing with creation and other people. This gift helps us to know how to act in a world that seems to ignore God.

Counsel follows from Understanding as the gift of making correct judgments on how to act, how to follow those commands of God.  For example, Understanding can lead us to love others. Counsel guides us to love them in appropriate ways.

Strength or fortitude is the gift that enables us to do those things inspired by understanding and counsel, even if they are difficult. John the Baptist shows that gift in the gospel, when he challenges the Pharisees. It gave him the courage to die for his faith.

Knowledge is similar to counsel (knowing how to act) in that we begin to see what God wants for us in this world. It includes an understanding of Scriptures and how God’s Word applies to our lives.  Knowledge leads us to deeper revelations of the truths of our faith.  This can lead to the sixth gift (seventh in Isaiah’s text: “delight in the Lord”) of Piety.  This is a willingness to worship and love God, a desire to be close to Him in prayer.  Piety leads us to totally rely on God and humbly ask his help.

The final gift, Fear of the Lord, is more than just being afraid:  It is the awe and wonder of recognizing how great God is, how much he loves us, and so how much we want to stay close to Him.  The desire to be close to God leads back to Wisdom, where we see God in his creation.                   – Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications

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December 9th – SAINT JUAN DIEGO (1474-1548)

How well Mary’s own words describe Juan Diego: “God has cast down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly” (Luke 1:52). Through him, for the diverse peoples of the Americas, indigenous and immigrant, the Mother of God became known as their Mother too. Cuauhtlatzin, his given name, means “One Who Speaks Like An Eagle,” and Juan Diego faithfully delivered the Virgin’s request that a church be built at Tepeyac where she had appeared to him. To the skeptical bishop’s request for a sign, Our Lady showed Juan Diego roses blooming through stony ground, despite winter’s cold. When he unfolded his tilma to present them to the bishop, imprinted there was Mary’s image! Her blue sash and the flower over her womb were traditional Aztec symbols of pregnancy and new life. But her features were those of a mestiza, indicating mixed Aztec-European heritage. Thus, to peoples too easily prone to a “clash of cultures,” Our Lady of Guadalupe remains the enduring icon of unity-in-diversity, the fruit of our one baptism into Jesus, her Son.   —Peter Scagnelli, Diocesan Publications

December 10th – OUR LADY OF PILGRIMS

Under this title Mary is venerated in Manila in the Philippines and in Santiago de Compostella, Spain, as patroness of pilgrims, travelers, expectant mothers, childless couples, midwives, the sick, and health workers. Her pilgrimage to visit her cousin Elizabeth is recalled in the straw hat that she wears and her wooden staff with a gourd of oil at the tip.

December 12th –

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas, appeared to native American Juan Diego in 1531, requesting that a church be built on the spot. When the bishop asked for a sign confirming the authenticity of the apparition, she responded by producing roses in December for Juan Diego to gather, and left an image of herself imprinted on Juan Diego’s tilma or mantle.