FROM THE REC
The 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The gifts refer to the seven graces bestowed upon Catholics who follow their faith correctly. The gifts -- wisdom, piety, fear of the Lord, understanding, counsel, knowledge and fortitude. Catholics are encouraged to use these gifts in daily life. Gifts come as a by-product of living a spiritually pure life, and also through the sacrament of Confirmation.
1. Wisdom
Wisdom speaks to the ability to use good judgment, and is grounded in life experience, reflection and integrating life's hard lessons. One way to practice this gift is to view the body as the sacred property of God.
2. Understanding
Understanding is the gift of discernment and insight. It helps followers to correctly perceive situations. Understanding can be practiced through learning our faith, and praying for, and carrying out God's purpose in life.
3. Counsel
Counsel refers to the ability to both give and receive good advice, to guide and be guided by others, to encourage and be encouraged. If we remain spiritually righteous, others will look up to us and seek our counsel. A way to benefit from this gift is to seek out church elders and priests who can provide spiritual guidance in time of need.
4. Knowledge
Knowledge refers to being able to educate oneself and build up a base of information from which to operate in the world. The Bible encourages followers to employ knowledge for the good of all humanity. We can exercise the gift of knowledge by knowing and staying true to long-term goals.
5. Fortitude
Fortitude is another word for strength and refers to spiritual rather than physical strength. Fortitude is the ability to commit to God despite temptations or external pressures to the contrary. Fortitude is also the ability to endure suffering and hardship in the name of following God's commandments. To exercise fortitude, we put our relationship with Christ first in our lives, no matter what arises.
6. Piety
Piety is another word for devotion and is the demonstration of commitment to faith. A pious person is one who lives a sin-free, moral life, and who surrenders his own will to that of God.
7. Fear
Christians believe that a certain degree of fear of God will help followers lead a moral life. Fear can also be interchanged with awe or reverence, which encourage followers to pay devotion to God. Fear of the Lord is apparent when followers try not to do anything that would cause them to separate from God.
(Parker Janney, 29/09/2017, https://classroom.synonym.com/what-are-the-seven-virtues-in-catholicism-12082876.html)