Get those gifts now!

Advent, of course, is a time of preparation for Christmas, but for many people, most of the preparation for Christmas is shopping for gifts – especially those “must have” gifts.

Today’s first reading (Isaiah 11:1-10) offers us an opportunity to remember of some very special, indeed critically important “must have” gifts:

The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
a spirit of counsel and of strength,
a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.

This list would form the basis for a traditional list of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which many of us learned in Catechism, especially in preparation for Confirmation: Wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord (the ancient Greek translation of this passage translated the first repetition of “fear of the Lord” as “piety”).

And so, as we continue through the last weeks of shopping for Christmas gifts, we would do well to focus also of seeking these more valuable gifts, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as part of our preparations during Advent.

During these days before Christmas, we need to pray with special devotion for an increase in these gifts and try to make them more a part of our lives – not just in this season, but every day of our lives.

Fear of the Lord.
Piety.
Knowledge.
Fortitude.
Counsel.
Understanding
Wisdom.