Good morning!
I usually send out a video on Thursdays but some of you don’t have enough data to watch videos and the material for today is pretty important, so….
Firstly, well done to the observant ones of you who counted only six Gifts of the Holy Spirit in yesterday’s reflection. The omission was the gift of Piety. Apologies – it was a simple error.
Secondly, several of you have contacted me about the announcement on Tuesday evening that the restrictions on religious services are being eased. The implementation of this is no simple task considering that social distancing must be adhered to and a limit of only 50 people is permitted. As we go to press, meetings are being held by the bishops and at Archdiocesan level to discuss a way forward. Growing Faith will keep you informed as things develop. In the meantime, please be patient and enjoy the streamed Pentecost Mass from Blessed Sacrament on Sunday. The link will be sent to you on Saturday.
Now to today’s reflection:
Three more of the Gifts of the Spirit are closely linked, and are sometimes confused, namely Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge. In my research, I came across a useful Catholic resource called learnreligions.com. The following are excerpts from the article on the holy Spirit:
Wisdom is the first and highest gift of the Holy Spirit because it is the perfection of the theological virtue of faith. Through wisdom, we come to value properly those things which we believe through faith. Wisdom helps us to order our relationship to the created world properly, loving Creation for the sake of God, rather than for its own sake.Understanding is the second gift of the Holy Spirit, and people sometimes have a hard time understanding how it differs from wisdom. While wisdom is the desire to contemplate the things of God, understanding allows us to grasp, at least in a limited way, the very essence of the truths of the Catholic faith. Through understanding, we gain a certitude about our beliefs that moves beyond faith.Knowledge is often confused with both wisdom and understanding. Like wisdom, knowledge is the perfection of faith, but whereas wisdom gives us the desire to judge all things according to the truths of the Catholic Faith, knowledge is the actual ability to do so. Through this gift of the Holy Spirit, we can determine God’s purpose for our lives and live them accordingly.
Hope that you found this useful.
God Bless & stay safe. Dc Mike
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