GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT ARE AVAILABLE TO ALL; ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS PRAY FOR THEM

 Do you look around and wonder at those who have a gift of knowledge, or love, or prayer?

There are many gifts of the Spirit, and God may have the same in store for you. 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. God flows through us when we ask Him to -- and we should ask Him often. Although it's up to the Lord what He will parcel out, He will often 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, and so forth. 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 as they begin to manifest. 

What else to pray for? 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 when we're around people, they feel joy. They feel happiness. What a gift that is! What a gift it is to watch as God lifts our spiritual blinders and lets us and those around us see with His eyes.

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 and the Lord will grant what fits your mission and then once you feel the arrival of a gift, work at keeping it. Treat it preciously. Nurture it. Watch it grow. Too often the Holy Spirit bequeaths something to us, but then we begin to stray back into worldliness or sin and watch the gift or gifts diminish. 

On the other hand, when we're faithful, God gifts us freely. He gives 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.  

These are the gifts to ask for, and if we start now -- with enough faith -- they'll be here by Christmas.