Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

Mary and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

In the Annunciation, Our Lady receives a message from the angel Gabriel announcing that she is to have a son through the Holy Spirit. She immediately accepts. We learn from her to be docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who acts in us through his seven gifts. In this meditation we consider how:

  • There are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, which we received in Baptism
  • The gifts differ from the virtues
  • The gifts were first announced in the prophecy of Isaiah
  • The gifts help us to respond to the action of the Holy Spirit in our soul
  • Each one of the seven gifts helps us in a particular way

Loving with the Holy Spirit

Mary at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles.The Holy Spirit is love and, as St Paul writes, love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Since God has loved us first, we should love God with our whole heart, and love one another. In this meditation we use the Scriptures and a letter of Mgr Fernando Ocariz to pray about important aspects of love for our neighbour:

  • Understanding
  • Forgiveness
  • Spirit of service