Q. What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

A. The Church has traditionally spoken of seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

This listing is taken from the prophet Isaiah, who tells us:

But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:
A spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A spirit of counsel and of strength,
A spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord,
And his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11: 1-3a)

Christ alone has the fullness of all these gifts, but all who are baptized share in these gifts to some degree. Baptism makes us Christ-like, by conforming us to him. Therefore, we receive incompletely the characteristics that Christ has completely in himself. In confirmation we receive the Holy Spirit more fully, and therefore more fully receive the potential for the Spirit's gifts.

These gifts exist in everyone who is baptized, to some degree. But the gifts of the Lord are not evenly distributed. The Spirit blows where it wills (John 3:8), and the gifts of the Spirit are given to each one according to the will of the Lord. Since God desires that all people be saved (1 Timothy 2: 4), he gives each one of us whatever is necessary for our salvation.

These gifts of the Spirit complete and perfect the virtues in us. They help us to live a Christian life. And the gifts of the Spirit make us docile to divine inspiration. These gifts allow us to grow in our faith, hope, and charity. They help us to discern the Lord's will, as that will is expressed through Scripture, Sacred Tradition, the teachings of the Church, and the leadings of the Spirit that we may personally experience.

We are not purely passive recipients of the Spirit's gifts. They are not magic; they do not simply appear as if pulled out of a hat. As with all grace, we must accept the gifts, and do what we can to cultivate them and act upon them. They are gifts that can be received, or they can be rejected. We may use them, or we may turn our backs on them.