Week Four // Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit,
Divine Consoler,
I adore You as my true God,
with God the Father and God the Son.
I adore You and unite myself to the adoration
You receive from the angels and saints.
I give You my heart
and I offer my ardent thanksgiving
for all the grace which You never cease to bestow on me.
O Giver of all supernatural gifts,
who filled the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, with such immense favors,
I beg You to visit me with Your grace
and Your love and to grant me the gift of holy fear,
so that it may act on me as a check to prevent me
from falling back into my past sins,
for which I beg pardon.
Grant me the gift of piety,
so that I may serve You for the future with increased
fervor,
follow with more promptness Your holy inspirations,
and observe your divine precepts with greater fidelity.
Grant me the gift of knowledge,
so that I may know the things of God and,
enlightened by Your holy teaching, may walk,
without deviation, in the path of eternal salvation.
Grant me the gift of fortitude,
so that I may overcome courageously all the assaults of
the devil,
and all the dangers of this world which threaten the
salvation of my soul.
Grant me the gift of counsel,
so that I may choose what is more conducive to my
spiritual advancement
and may discover the wiles and snares of the tempter.
Grant me the gift of understanding,
so that I may apprehend the divine mysteries
and by contemplation of heavenly things detach my thoughts
and affections from the vain things of this miserable
world.
Grant me the gift of wisdom,
so that I may rightly direct all my actions,
referring them to God as my last end;
so that, having loved Him and served Him in this life,
I may have the happiness of possessing Him eternally in
the next.
Week Four Intention
We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Universal Church.
Week Four // Day Five
Grant me the gift of counsel,
so that I may choose what is more conducive to my spiritual advancement
and may discover the wiles and snares of the tempter.
I am a rule-follower by nature, perhaps to a fault. Hand me a set of instructions, a recipe, or a map, and I’ll stick to it faithfully, trusting that someone else’s knowledge trumps my own and worrying that I might find myself in trouble if I stray from what I’m told. As a result, my driving record is spotless and all I know about detention is what I’ve seen in movies. But, I also find myself lost and insecure when the directions are mine to set.
In His generosity, God gives us countless choices throughout our lives. Some, like what career to pursue or who to marry, are easy to remember to pray about. But when it comes to seemingly less significant decisions, it’s all too easy to forget to ask for the Lord’s guidance. God desires our hearts in all of our discernment, big and small, because even the smallest decisions we make can have eternal consequences, for ourselves and for others.
That’s what the gift of counsel is about—the ability to identify those decisions that God has a special purpose for and to see and follow that plan. Rather than one point-A-to-point-B list of instructions to Heaven, God presents us with options. Think of it as a trail map at your favorite state park. Some trails are short and sweet, while others are more treacherous, but worth it for the sweeping vista views and waterfalls if you can brave the hike. No matter the trail you are drawn to, they all lead to the final destination, just as long as you stay on the path. Prayer, communion with God, and the gift of counsel enable us to do just that: to always see the arrows spray-painted on the trees pointing us in the right direction.
When we receive and welcome him into our heart, the Holy Spirit immediately begins to make us sensitive to his voice and to guide our thoughts, our feelings and our intentions according to the heart of God. -Pope Francis
What decisions in your life right now have you neglected to bring to God? Ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of counsel as you move forward with those decisions.
Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners
Share one decision you are praying about right now. What do the paths you are discerning look like? Remind each other of the truths of the Gospel and encourage one another.
Lisa Kirk is a regular contributor to the BIS blog. New York City-born and internationally raised, she now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her study-abroad-crush-turned-husband and their two children. A former wedding magazine editor and fashion copywriter, she now writes primarily for Something Pretty, the Catholic living and classic style blog she began in 2010. She loves learning about the Saints, wandering the city with coffee in hand, and making new friends on Instagram. Read all of Lisa's posts here.
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