Da tuis fidelibus, Give to your faithful,
in te confidentibus, those who trust in you,
sacrum septenarium. the sevenfold gifts.
When the Bishop celebrates the sacrament of Confirmation, he prays a prayer that includes asking God to pour out his seven gifts upon the candidates: Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, and Fear of the Lord. This prayer, coupled with the gesture of the laying on of hands, is a significant and key part of the sacrament of Confirmation which can be somewhat easy to miss.
And, truthfully, if you do not remember your Confirmation, or only slightly remember the Bishop saying those words over you, you might wonder how effective it was. I know after my own confirmation, I certainly didn’t feel more wise, understanding, knowledgeable, etc. No, what I have learned over the years is that if I want to grow in these seven gifts I need to grow in a desire for them presently, here and now. The sacrament worked, but my reception of it is ongoing and grows over time. I have found great consolation in continuing to pray for these gifts, and I highly encourage everyone to do so – to renew, nourish, and strengthen the graces given in Confirmation.
I want to share with you a way that I love to pray for these gifts. It involves using a standard rosary. I’ll set it out in a series of steps:
- I first think of some people I want to pray for, always including myself.
- Then I begin with the traditional prayer, “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your Faithful and kindle in them the fire of your Love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the Earth. O God, who instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us by that same Spirit to be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.”
- Then, I skip the short introductory beads and move straight to the decade beads.
- On each of the first ten beads: “Come Holy Spirit, fill us with the fire of your Love.”
- On the next ten beads, “Come Holy Spirit, fill us with the fire of your Wisdom.”
- The next decades:
- “Come Holy Spirit, fill us with the fire of your Understanding,”
- “Come Holy Spirit, … Knowledge,”
- “Come Holy Spirit, … Counsel,”
- “Come Holy Spirit, … Piety,”
- “Come Holy Spirit, … Fortitude,”
- “Come Holy Spirit, … Fear of the Lord.”
- This takes you around the rosary about one and a half times.
- On each of the regular Our Father beads, I say a single Hail Mary, though it’s entirely up to you to choose what to do on that bead.
- At the end, I usually say another Hail Mary and then the traditional “Come Holy Spirit” prayer again, then finish with a Glory Be.
This is the sort of prayer you can modify and make your own as you pray it. I find that it is a great way to memorize the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and to grow in a devotion to the person of the Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit, set us on fire with your love!