THE GIFTS OF THE
SPIRIT
“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit.” (1Cor. 12:4)
St. Paul
goes on to explain in this letter that every one has the Spirit within and that
Spirit manifests itself in different ways in each person. He lists some of them such as wisdom or
mighty deeds or prophecy. Most people think those gifts are way beyond them, but
Wisdom is not necessarily having all the answers. Mighty deeds are not necessarily public
heroics. Prophecy is not necessarily the
ability to predict the future. The gifts
of the Spirit are often quiet and almost unnoticed but fully capable of
achieving the purpose, which God intends.
God has
given everyone the potential to do wonderful things but most people either don’t
know it or don’t believe it. So many people demure and say they don’t have any
gifts and that’s that. That is a learned
reaction and one that needs to be corrected.
Try to see yourself through God’s eyes as a creation with gifts and
potential to bring others to Him. If this chapter had a subtitle, it would be “God don’t make junk”. (Not grammatically correct maybe but true
nonetheless. )
Mighty
deeds are done daily by people who face their everyday problems with grace and
fortitude and trust in God. Wisdom is
shown everyday by those who budget their money, recycle, help others and make
prayer a part of their lives. Prophets are people who speak up against injustice,
demand fairness and preach trust in God.
Among other
gifts of the Spirit that people don’t even know they have are honesty,
patience, open-mindedness, understanding, joy of living, and gratitude for the
gift of life. This the 21st
century and we should have grown up enough to trust that God has given us all
we need to share the faith, to guide others to Him and be open about our
faith. It’s not about religion; it’s
about faith in the Creator. It’s about
acknowledging that God is intimately involved in our lives, wants only that we
use the gifts bestowed on us to make the place we occupy a place where He may
be found.
Blessings,
Carol Lemelin OPA
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