The gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit

Question 176

Which are the effects of Confirmation?

The effects of Confirmation are an increase of sanctifying grace, the strengthening of our faith, and the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

Question 177

Which are the gifts of the Holy Ghost?

The gifts of the Holy Ghost are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord.

Question 178

Why do we receive the gift of Fear of the Lord?

We receive the gift of Fear of the Lord to fill us with a dread of sin.

Question 179

Why do we receive the gift of Piety?

We receive the gift of Piety to make us love God as a Father and obey Him because we love Him.

Question 180

Why do we receive the gift of Knowledge?

We receive the gift of Knowledge to enable us to discover the will of God in all things.

Question 181

Why do we receive the gift of Fortitude?

We receive the gift of Fortitude to strengthen us to do the will of God in all things.

Question 182

Why do we receive the gift of Counsel?

We receive the gift of Counsel to warn us of the deceits of the devil, and of the dangers to salvation.

Question 183

Why do we receive the gift of Understanding?

We receive the gift of Understanding to enable us to know more clearly the mysteries of faith.

Question 184

Why do we receive the gift of Wisdom?

We receive the gift of Wisdom to give us a relish for the things of God, and to direct our whole life and all our actions to His honor and glory.

Question 185

Which are the Beatitudes?

The Beatitudes are: 1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 2. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land. 3. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. 4. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall be filled. 5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 6. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. 7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. 8. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Question 186

Which are the twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost?

The twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost are Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Benignity, Goodness, Long-suffering, Mildness, Faith, Modesty, Continency, and Chastity.

Gifts received in reverence and love

Questions 176, 177, 178, 179

The source relates Confirmation to stronger faith and the gifts of the Spirit. Fear of the Lord is paired with piety, which the lesson explains through loving God as Father. Read the two together: reverence takes sin seriously while filial love moves toward God. The list is not an invitation to measure faith by how frightened someone feels. It describes dispositions for receiving and responding to God's guidance.

Understanding, judgment, and action

Questions 180, 181, 182, 183, 184

Knowledge and understanding concern seeing truth more clearly; counsel concerns sound direction; fortitude concerns carrying out the good; wisdom directs the whole life toward God. These brief definitions work together. In a difficult conversation, recognizing what is true does not by itself supply the courage or judgment to say it well. Use that example to see why the lesson names several gifts rather than presenting one undifferentiated ability.

The Beatitudes as a portrait of discipleship

Questions 185

Matthew places the Beatitudes at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. The promises accompany mercy, purity of heart, peacemaking, and perseverance amid persecution. They do not call grief or mistreatment desirable in itself. Read each blessing with its promise and then look at the next verses about salt and light. The teaching moves toward a life whose goodness can serve others and give glory to God.

Recognizing fruit

Questions 186

The Catholic tradition lists twelve fruits, as Catechism 1832 records. The selected King James passage in Galatians presents a shorter wording; these are different traditional presentations, not missing verses. Benignity means kindness, mildness means gentleness, and continency concerns self-control. Fruit directs attention to what grows from a life. A useful examination asks whether patience or generosity is becoming more visible in how one treats people, not merely whether one can recite the list.

Isaiah 11:1–9

The prophecy describes the Spirit resting upon the coming ruler and the justice and peace of his reign.

1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Matthew 5:1–16

The Beatitudes are read with Jesus' following images of salt and light.

1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Galatians 5:16–26

Paul contrasts patterns of conduct and names the fruit of life in the Spirit.

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.