There are many blessings of the Spirit, and God almost always has something surprising in store for you. When it comes to “gifts,” what you need to do is pray for them. We forget the simple admonition: ask and you will receive.

This pertains to gifts of the Holy Spirit. Incredible as it may seem, the miraculous is often there for the asking. We just don’t ask! God flows through us when we go to Him as children with requests.

Although it’s up to the Lord as to how He will answer, often He will grant the gift of tongues or prophecy or even healing to those who earnestly and diligently and faithfully request it.

Prayers open the doors to grace that flows in powerful new ways, especially during Communion. This is when the gates of Heaven open the widest and it’s the time for our most direct requests.

And so during Mass, request spiritual gifts. Request the gifts of peace, joy, love, tears, wisdom, consolation, visions, happiness, discernment, knowledge, deliverance, understanding, love.

Ask the Lord to have it so that angels surround you. Ask that you have a closer kinship with your angels. Ask for the gift of prayer so you always know what to pray for!

Make your requests and then watch—over time (God’s time)—as they begin to manifest. Many gifts we never think to request.

A beautiful gift of the Spirit is the grace to bring joy to all who are in our presence. We are all temples of the Holy Spirit and can pray that He comes in such a way that people feel joy when they’re around us.

What a gift that is!

Pray for the Love of God to enter you (inhale it) and then exhale it to others. As you do, you will not only bless (and heal) others but also yourself.

Pray to be a fount of the Holy Spirit. Pray to be His citadel. Pray to be a sanctuary.

Pray for the whole range of gifts; the Lord will grant what fits your mission; once you feel a gift arrive, work at keeping it. Nurture it. Watch it grow. Treat it preciously.

Too often the Holy Spirit bequeaths something to us but then we begin to stray back into sin or worldliness. The gift diminishes.

On the other hand, when we’re faithful, God “gifts” us freely. He sends us understanding and patience and longsuffering. He grants us the gift of mercy. Or charity. He may allow us to heal. He may allow us to glimpse the heavenlies!

Love. Patience. Healing.

Remember when Jesus told His followers to go to the sea, take up the first fish they caught, and look for a coin (Matthew 17:27)? It was a sign that He had orchestrated as He also orchestrates them for us.

The more we meditate on what God already has done for us, the more signs He sends. Remember in prayer to savor past times God has helped you. Love Him repeatedly for it. Recall every detail. Give thanks all over again (with the same specificity as the request)!

Jesus I trust in You.

Jesus I trust in You.

And with faith, keep the cycle going. Make your life a flow of miracles.

[resources: A Life of Blessings]