Mental Health - A Gift From the Holy Spirit
By Deacon John Bundra
By the time you read this the “Safer-at-Home” restrictions will have been lifted. People’s reactions will run the gamut from: “I am even more afraid that I will get the virus because restrictions have been lifted” to “life is now back to normal”. I know that I am somewhere in-between the two extremes. While I have never been afraid to be out in public during this crisis, I have been prudent. I have done my best to control what I can control and put the rest of my and my family’s lives in God’s hands.
As I thought about this article, I couldn’t help but ask myself what reasoning am I using to make the decisions that I control? What became clear to me is that it is the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are main influencers of my decision-making process. I am sure that you remember the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit from your Confirmation preparation days; but for those of us that may need a refresher the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are: Wisdom, Knowledge, Counsel, Fortitude, Understanding, Piety and Fear of The Lord.
During these difficult times our actions should be guided by these gifts. The gift of Counsel seems to be the one that has been most influential for me. Prudence can be practiced by anyone, but “Counsel” gives us the ability to judge how to act. Father John A. Hardon writes in his Modern Catholic Dictionary, “When we are infused by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as if by instinct”. Father Hardon continues, “With the gift of Counsel, the Holy Spirit speaks, as it were, to the heart and in an instant enlightens a person what to do. It is the gift that allows us as Christians to be assured that we will act correctly in times of trouble and trial.”
We are made in the image and likeness of God, and it should be in our very nature to live in loving relationship to one another. This continues to be so important as we continue to navigate these uncharted waters. Our actions should reflect a self-giving love. Joe Paprocki in his book A Well-Built Faith, gives us a few examples:
When you check up on a neighbor who is having a difficult time
When you interrupt your favorite tv show to take a phone call from a friend or relative who is lonely
When you take some time at work to help a fellow employee to get a better grasp of his or her responsibilities
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are meant to be used. Do your actions or reactions reflect the gifts of the Holy Spirit and a self-giving love?