Applying the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit to Our Work - Part 2
We're continuing our series about applying the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit to our work by first considering each gift in order, using the solid foundation of this
oldest of novenas to help us understand each. Then we'll try to
apply our understanding and see how each gift can help guide us each day
as we strive to work for the greater glory of God.
Today we consider Piety, beginning with how this gift is presented to us in the Novena to the Holy Spirit:
The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect for His sake persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor.
Last time we saw how Fear begets reverence and submission to God's Will. Piety directly recognizes God as our Father, and appropriately instills affection for Him. For the sake of this loving Father, we also treat persons and things consecrated to him with love and respect.
We faithful Catholics, members of the Church Militant, naturally show this respect and love for Our Lady and the Saints, who constitute the Church Triumphant. Our pious practices keep us close to them. These include prayer, reading Sacred Scripture and the study of our Holy Faith, spiritual reading, attending Mass, saying the rosary, and the multitude of other practices suited to our individual personality and temperament.
With the gift of Piety, we acknowledge as well the Church Suffering, so dear to our Heavenly Father. This loving Father provides Purgatory to those souls who have earned their place in Heaven, but who need additional cleansing to be properly disposed to be in the Holy Presence of the Blessed Trinity and share in the eternal happiness prepared for them.
Piety will help us work in the spirit expressed by the words of the Collect (in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass) for Ascension Thursday:
Grant, we beseech You, Almighty God,
that we, who believe Your Only Begotten Son our Redeemer
to have ascended on this day to heaven,
may ourselves also dwell in mind amongst heavenly things.
At work today, even as we diligently apply ourselves to our jobs, Piety reveals the presence of the supernatural. We can thus more easily know and "feel" the presence of our guardian angel, Our Blessed Mother, the saints to whom we have developed special devotion, all of whom help us work for the greater glory of God throughout the busy work day. We're confident they will hear our prayers and petitions, throughout the day, in those fleeting moments when we can pause here and there and lift our gaze from the natural world to the supernatural. Piety helps us insert those little aspirations into our work flow; for example: Jesus, I love Thee; All for Thee, my God, or any others you may prefer. They help keep us in the Presence of God, even as we keep our minds fully on the work at hand.
Such thoughts and practices throughout the busy day keep our work "super-naturalized." A new light permeates that which before the gift of Piety seemed ordinary, mundane, even boring. Our efforts now serve not only our customers, not only please our boss, but become worthy offerings to Almighty God. Just as Piety lightens what can sometimes appear as the "load" of the practice of our religion, so too can it lighten our work such that it becomes, in the words of the Novena, "not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor."
Next time we continue our discussion of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit with the gift of Fortitude.
Until then, we pray
Today we consider Piety, beginning with how this gift is presented to us in the Novena to the Holy Spirit:
The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect for His sake persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor.
Last time we saw how Fear begets reverence and submission to God's Will. Piety directly recognizes God as our Father, and appropriately instills affection for Him. For the sake of this loving Father, we also treat persons and things consecrated to him with love and respect.
We faithful Catholics, members of the Church Militant, naturally show this respect and love for Our Lady and the Saints, who constitute the Church Triumphant. Our pious practices keep us close to them. These include prayer, reading Sacred Scripture and the study of our Holy Faith, spiritual reading, attending Mass, saying the rosary, and the multitude of other practices suited to our individual personality and temperament.
With the gift of Piety, we acknowledge as well the Church Suffering, so dear to our Heavenly Father. This loving Father provides Purgatory to those souls who have earned their place in Heaven, but who need additional cleansing to be properly disposed to be in the Holy Presence of the Blessed Trinity and share in the eternal happiness prepared for them.
Piety will help us work in the spirit expressed by the words of the Collect (in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass) for Ascension Thursday:
Grant, we beseech You, Almighty God,
that we, who believe Your Only Begotten Son our Redeemer
to have ascended on this day to heaven,
may ourselves also dwell in mind amongst heavenly things.
At work today, even as we diligently apply ourselves to our jobs, Piety reveals the presence of the supernatural. We can thus more easily know and "feel" the presence of our guardian angel, Our Blessed Mother, the saints to whom we have developed special devotion, all of whom help us work for the greater glory of God throughout the busy work day. We're confident they will hear our prayers and petitions, throughout the day, in those fleeting moments when we can pause here and there and lift our gaze from the natural world to the supernatural. Piety helps us insert those little aspirations into our work flow; for example: Jesus, I love Thee; All for Thee, my God, or any others you may prefer. They help keep us in the Presence of God, even as we keep our minds fully on the work at hand.
Such thoughts and practices throughout the busy day keep our work "super-naturalized." A new light permeates that which before the gift of Piety seemed ordinary, mundane, even boring. Our efforts now serve not only our customers, not only please our boss, but become worthy offerings to Almighty God. Just as Piety lightens what can sometimes appear as the "load" of the practice of our religion, so too can it lighten our work such that it becomes, in the words of the Novena, "not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor."
Even if you don't see yourself as being especially "pious," (as is the case with me) I hope you can see how important and wonderful is this gift of Piety given to us by the Holy Spirit. And even if you haven't prayed the Novena to the Holy Spirit, you can simply, sincerely ask Him for this gift right now.
Next time we continue our discussion of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit with the gift of Fortitude.
Until then, we pray
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy Love.
Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.
And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
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