The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He never forces His gifts upon anyone, but he gently offers them to us. To those that are open, much is received. Some are never open, and never know what they are missing; nor do they even care.
Of course the Isaiahan gifts that we receive in confirmation are always the most important gifts and are given the highest recognition. These are the gifts of Wisdom, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, Counsel, Piety, Knowledge and Understanding. All who are confirmed receive these gifts and we should pray to the Holy Spirit to increase these gifts daily in our lives.
Some years back I became involved with a small charismatic prayer group and through the Franciscan University of Steubenville, some charismatic priests and my prayer group, I found a much deeper relationship with Jesus through my newfound knowledge and relationship with the Holy Spirit. Along with this relationship with the Holy Spirit came an introduction to the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit that are found in the New Testament, particularly in 1 Corinthians Chapters 12 and 13. Some of these gifts are the gift of tongues, interpretation of tongues, the gift of prophecy, the gift of healing, teaching and discernment of spirits.
When I stepped into the charismatic world (which is promoted and condoned by the Catholic Church, and was a big part of the life of Pope John Paul II) my prayer life became so much more fruitful. I experienced oneness with Jesus like I had never experienced before. Sometimes His presence was so real that I didn't know if I was dreaming or not.
My reason for sharing this is just to encourage any readers to be open to different types of Catholic prayer. Prayer doesn't have to be dull and always memorized rote words. It can be an "encounter" with the living Christ. Step out of your comfort zones and enter into one on one conversation with the best friend you will ever have, Jesus Christ. Pour your heart out to Him and then sit and just listen for His response. You may be surprised how beautiful a different type of prayer can be. God bless you all.
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My blog is a place for me to share my spiritual walk. It is a journal of sorts, where I sometimes write prayers, reflect on scripture, share stories from my own life, or that of others, which have impacted my own walk with God. It is my hope that this blog may help others in their journey toward heaven.
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