This Sunday we shall celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, when we mark the birthday of the Church and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is sent both corporately, meaning to the whole Church and the Holy See as well as to us individually as the Paraclete and guide to all (The) Truth. At the Mass we will hear the Veni, Sancte Spiritus, which is sung when the Holy Spirit is invoked at Mass,  traditionally on Pentecost and other particular days. It is a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to come and  renew the Church and the hearts of believers, just as the Spirit came upon the apostles at Pentecost.  It expresses the central theme of Pentecost, the Spirit’s power, presence and gifts: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude knowledge, piety, and fear (awesome respect) of the Lord, which are the traditional seven (7) gifts of the Holy Spirit.  

As we are called to celebrate the Holy Spirit, let us consider how those seven gifts can strengthen our spiritual lives and improve our discipleship, so that we can grow in reflecting the divine image of God through them. It is in this way that we see how the Spirit comes to us as individuals—not just to guide the institutional Church, but to lead us in wisdom and knowledge and understanding of God, in piety to  realize that we are the created, not the Creator; and, in the respect we have for the Lord so that our  counsel to others is based on His Truths and not our opinions or worldly conveniences. In these ways, we shall develop fortitude to face the difficulties and challenges of this world without giving up our Hope in the Promises of Christ. This will help us endure the difficulties of life so that we are not overwhelmed by them, but that we grow through them to choose betterment rather than becoming bitter.