The gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit are blessings that God has given to each of his children for his glory and honor. With them he demonstrates his love, kindness and mercy. Through these we receive the promises of the Lord, just as his word says: “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5)
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The gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit and their meaning
The existence of each of the gifts attributed by the Holy Spirit represent a truth at the level of theology, since it is endorsed by Holy Scripture and supported by the Magisterium of the Church. For this reason it has been shown that the Lord has given these gifts to His Children for a specific purpose.
There are many testimonies in the Bible that prove its existence, as the prophet Isaiah announces in the following biblical passage: “The Spirit of Yahweh will rest, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of understanding and fear of God.” (Isaiah 11:2).
In this sense, any act of compassion, gift or donation without any condition is known as a gift. Sacred Scripture teaches us Christian grace as a reflection of God’s love. The Apostle James tells us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of lights, in whom there is no change, nor shadow of variation” (James 1:17).
For his part, Saint Paul gives us a reference to the importance of the gift of God in the life of a Christian, faith and baptism. In this regard, he tells us the following: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).
In this sense, the Holy Spirit represents the first gift and from this come all the other divine gifts. In the Bible we find many examples of them and the purpose they have in the life of the Children of God, since through them God glorifies himself and allows us to see the fruits of his Holy Spirit.
We must understand that gifts are supernatural qualities, and they are very different from the virtues that we may have in our lives. With these gifts the person has the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to reach or achieve things that they cannot do on their own.
In this way the gifts of the Spirit are connected to each other, in such a way that the one who is in grace possesses them all and without it cannot obtain any. Furthermore, they will remain in heaven in their absolute perfection. But the gifts of understanding and wisdom are the most perfect and have an impact on the enlightened life.
What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit
As previously mentioned, the gifts of the Holy Spirit correspond to some supernatural habits attributed by God and have a purpose determined and imposed by him, in order to be glorified and adored by humanity in its entirety.
For this reason, people become naturalized with the acts to which they are moved by the Spirit in order to carry out supernatural acts corresponding to the divine and supernatural world that only God can control.
In this way, the Children of God who have these spiritual gifts are moved by the Holy Spirit as direct instruments of him. We follow the special mandate of the divine Spirit of the Lord.
In the book of Isaiah 11:2-3 we can witness six spiritual gifts: “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him; the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.”
But in the book of Romans Paul mentions the gift of adoption as a gift of piety in his Letter to the Romans: “For you have not received the spirit of slavery to fear again, but you have received the spirit of adoption, by which we cry: Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:16).
In this way, the gifts of the Holy Spirit reveal who the true Children of God are and have the purpose of exalting the name of Our Heavenly Father. In this regard, we will know more about each of them:
1.- The Gift of Wisdom
This attribute that God gives us is privileged and is the basis for the acquisition of a new knowledge, full of compassion, goodness and love of the Lord, and for this reason the soul begins to have contact with the spiritual and divine world. So this supernatural knowledge gives us the ability to judge all things but always according to God’s gaze and judgment.
In this sense, the faithful Christian who has the privilege of acquiring this divine gift, enjoys the ability to see the interior of the realities of this earth, can also value all creation, seeing them with the Lord’s own eyes. So this gift represents the most important of God-given attributes.
2.- The gift of understanding
This gift enables us to “understand” the truths of faith in Christ, according to our own needs. It gives us the ability to deeply understand the Word of the Lord.
This divine gift not only sharpens the intelligence of divine and spiritual things but also gives us another vision of the things of the world and the people that surround us.
3.- The gift of advice
This gift leads us to select what will give us salvation and to reject, in the same way, everything that opposes it. It can also enlighten our conscience to know how to make the right decisions in our daily lives.
In this way, the gift of advice acts on our conscience and gives us a new vision of things. It suggests to us what is right in the eyes of God, what suits our soul.
On the other hand, this divine gift complements prudence and guides us in spirit and in truth. It enlightens us about what we should do, especially if it refers to very important decisions.
4.- The gift of Fortitude
This divine attribute refers to the supernatural strength that sustains us to be able to courageously do what God wants from us, and thus be able to cope and overcome the adversities of life.
In this sense, this gift guides us and helps us fight against sin, with our carnal desires. It also helps us overcome anger and shyness.
5.- The gift of Science
This gift provides us with the true value of all creatures in their relationship with God who is their creator and with everything that exists on the face of the earth.
In this way through this divine and powerful gift we can know what is good or bad for our own salvation.
It also helps us to decipher and know the meaning of everything created, observing things as true and real manifestations, somewhat limited, of what is true, of beauty, of the eternal love that is God.
Man, who is enlightened by this gift, deciphers at the same time the eternal distance that divides the things that belong to the Creator. He makes known to us the intrinsic limitation, the threat that can arise if he sins by misusing them.
This gift then allows us to discover the evil of the sin that stalks us, the temptations of life and how to avoid them. It shows us the path of light that we must follow, and achieve the fullness of the Lord, knowing in depth all the things of his creation.
6.- Mercy
This gift has the power to heal the wounds of our hearts of all kinds of hardness and opens it to love for God as our Heavenly Father. Also for our brothers who are children of the same Father. It also helps us to have an intimate and innocent attitude with God.
In relation to our brothers, this gift eliminates from the heart those aspects that cause us certain tension and disunity such as anger, impatience, bitterness, and nourishes it with feelings of compassion, forgiveness and tolerance. That is to say, he fills us with mercy.
7.- Fear of God
This gift refers to the fear that we have of offending God with our actions, thoughts and spirit, since we know that he can punish us like the Father that he is.
It provides us with a contrite spirit before the Lord, to be aware of our sins and divine punishment, but knowing that God has mercy and can help us in everything we ask from our hearts.
This gift makes our soul worry about not displeasing the Lord, not offending him in anything we do, think or feel in our hearts, since he scrutinizes it and knows everything about us.
In this regard, the word refers to this gift as one of the principles that every believer must have: “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; Fools despise wisdom and teaching.” (Proverbs 1:7)
In this sense, the attributes that the Holy Spirit gives us are samples of the power of God in his children, who have purposes here in this world, giving the message of salvation to all people. Each of these gifts are given for that purpose and they are all related to each other.
In this way, the gift of wisdom is related to piety, and people who possess this attribute see everything through God and judge it within the divine plane, crossing the borders of what we know.
The gift of understanding is related to faith, and has to do with supernatural mysteries. The gift of advice is related to prudence, in such a way that it guides us and shows us the path to follow.
For its part, the gift of strength is reinforced in itself, where heroism is present, resisting attacks and dangers, firm in the line of duty, defying all obstacles that may arise along the way.
The gift of science is related to faith, teaching it to correctly judge the things created by God. The gift of mercy is related to justice. This gift likewise really elevates and perfects patriotism.
The gift of fear is related to hope and temperance. There is nothing more effective to curb carnal desires than the fear of divine punishment.
The twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit
When the Holy Spirit works in our soul and remains in a state of sanctifying grace, the fruits of this Divine Spirit begin to be seen, which are:
1.- Charity
This fruit allows us to visualize Christ in our neighbor. This is why we help them even if it turns out to be a sacrifice for us.
2.- Joy
This fruit arises from the possession of the Lord. It makes us happy and cordial people, always seeking to generate joy in others. This joy comes from the presence of our Lord, who gives us an inexplicable joy that goes beyond understanding, as expressed by the word:
3.- Peace
This fruit makes us harmonious, calm, calm people. It keeps our soul joyful against everything that opposes it. Therefore it drives away fear and all disturbance.
In this regard, Jesus Christ speaks to us in the word regarding this fruit of the Spirit: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)
4.- Patience
This fruit allows us to control our character. Knowing how to wait on God and having the confidence that the Lord will work in his time, according to his will. It also takes away our anxiety, the eagerness, and gives us the certainty of…