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 Two
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.
Piety. The word is not a popular one in this day and age—its austere connotations seemingly reserved for priests and religious, disconnected from our fast-moving and rapidly changing world. But sisters, contrary to what popular culture may lead us to believe, how desperately each of us needs the gift of piety!
I saw piety in the response of Catholics to the devastating abuse crisis our Church suffers from—Catholics who fled to the foot of the Cross in prayer, ran to the Blessed Sacrament, and faithfully prayed (and continue to pray) for healing, reparation, and guidance. I saw piety when my diocese’s Bishop knelt before the congregation with tears streaming down his face, begging the people he serves to bring their heartbreak and pain to him so he could do whatever he could to help carry it. I saw piety in the lay people who answered the promptings of the Holy Spirit and offered their skills, expertise, and abilities to the Church in order to bring healing and reform a little closer in reach. I saw piety in our brothers and sisters who showed up to Mass on Sunday even though they felt betrayed, and continue to do so, keeping holy the Sabbath day as God commanded.
Piety is anything but an archaic virtue. It is something we need in order to live out the Christian life with fervor and devotion in a time when it seems that everything and everyone tries to prevent us from doing so. Our Church needs pious leaders, pious priests, pious religious, and pious lay people to carry our Faith through our modern age.
Consider how you have personally observed piety in action, especially over the last six months.
Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners
What are your biggest roadblocks to asking for or accepting the gift of piety?
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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