Are you baptized? Have you received your first Communion? Have you been confirmed? If you have received any or all of these sacraments of initiation, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are yours to claim.

You probably don't remember your Baptism, but think back to your first Communion or to your Confirmation, if you have already been confirmed. Did you receive a prayer book or rosary beads, or a card with money in it? Did you unwrap the gift and use it? Or is it still sitting in your room so you can admire the colorful wrapper? Not likely.

But what about the gifts that God gave you through the sacrament? Have you opened those? Or, if you are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, are you anticipating these gifts? Are you ready to unwrap them as eagerly as the gifts from your grandparents?

This Youth Update will explore the gifts of the Spirit to see what they are. It will also give some suggestions on how you might discern or recognize the gifts in your life, open and put them to use.

Fabulous Gifts, Free!

W hat are those gifts of the Spirit? And why do we believe that God will send them to us if we ask for them?

Isaiah, one of the Hebrew prophets, lists these gifts. "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him [the Messiah]: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord [some translations say piety], and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord" (Isaiah 11:2-3).

Jesus, before he died, promised to send the Holy Spirit—the same "spirit of the Lord" that Isaiah was talking about—to us. And you probably remember the description of the first Christian Pentecost: The apostles were all together and the Holy Spirit came to them in a loud, driving wind, in "tongues as of fire," and filled them. Peter, the first head of the Church, preached his first sermon soon after the apostles received the Holy Spirit. He said that we, too, will receive the Holy Spirit, "For the promise is made to you." See Acts 2 for conditions, description and details.

Since the Acts of the Apostles were written to show that what happened to Jesus also happens to those who follow him, we expect the Holy Spirit's gifts to show up in our lives. These gifts are those described by Isaiah: wisdom, understanding, counsel (or right judgment), strength (or courage), knowledge, fear of the Lord and reverence (or piety).

These aren't gifts in the same way your rosary beads were. But they are the same kind of gifts as, say, athletic ability or a good singing voice. They are gifts from God, given to us when the Holy Spirit "rests upon us."

As Catholics, we believe that when we are anointed with the special oil called "chrism" at our Baptism and again at Confirmation we receive the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, alive in the world today, dwelling with us and in us, guiding us and giving us strength. And the gifts that the prophet Isaiah talked about are the characteristics we can see in anyone who has—and is using—the Spirit's gifts.

Redeeming Your Gift Certificate

How do you spot these gifts? You can notice them in the same way you recognize other gifts from God. You know you have athletic ability because you made the team. You know you have the gift of music because you can sing. How did you find out? You tried out for the team, or you opened your mouth and sang! This Youth Update is one of many messages alerting you to gifts already given. These gifts have some of the same characteristics as athletic ability and singing talent. Expressing them, practicing them, seems to enlarge and expand their presence in your life and activities.

These descriptions of each gift are taken from teenagers I know. Perhaps these incomplete but living examples may help you to spot the gifts in yourself and others, to exercise and strengthen them through practice and to appreciate the many ways in which the Holy Spirit is active in your life.

1. Wisdom

Do you tend to live for the moment or do you try to look ahead and consider the future? If you jump right in and worry about the consequences later, you probably haven't unwrapped or called on the gift of wisdom.

I know a boy named Jim who is struggling as he tries to get a good job. Lots of people are unemployed and apply for every job, so references really need to be good. But Jim hated the last three jobs he had because he judged them to have little potential. One he walked out on; on another he came in late and got fired. As a result, he can't put any of them down as a reference, and employers want to know what his work history is. Many people tried to tell him not to quit and to get to work on time, but Jim felt that he knew better.

Wisdom would have looked ahead, made the best of a poor job until a good one came along. Wisdom listens to people with more experience. Sometimes it weighs all the evidence and makes a different decision, but wisdom listens first.

2. Understanding

All the gifts are connected. Wisdom and understanding are certainly linked. Does someone you know seem to have problems? Try being a listener, not giving advice or trying to help. The gift of understanding helps you to really hear what another person is saying. Sometimes that's all that is needed.

Kris, a girl at our youth center, was determined not to be confirmed because she was so angry with her parents. Ron, a group leader at her retreat, just let her talk out the problem. He never told her what she should do, nor did he agree or disagree with her about her parents. When Ron paid attention to Kris and listened to her angry feelings, Kris felt respected. She also heard for herself what she was saying. She realized it wasn't her parents who would be hurt by her action. She'd be shortchanging herself.

Ron expressed the gift of understanding. He had developed his God-given gifts as a listener and he had a real impact on Kris's life. Someone using the gift of understanding, as Ron did, has other skills as well, like the ability to keep a confidence and never talk about anything that is shared.

3. Right Judgment (a.k.a. Counsel)

Right judgment or counsel is a gift you can exercise all the time. Not a day goes by that you don't have to make dozens of decisions. Some are pretty easy, like what to have for lunch. Some aren't so simple. Should you use that cheat sheet? Would your friend be better off if you told his parents that he was drinking pretty heavily or would you be betraying him? Who will you go to the dance with?

The gift of right judgment assists you to weigh all the alternatives and consequences, to consider all you have been taught by your parents and responsible adults, and to pray for guidance. You can be confident that God will be with you in your decision if you take the time for the thoughtful consideration that leads to right judgment.

4. Courage

Acting on your judgments requires—you guessed it—courage. Are there any situations in school that are getting out of hand? Maybe you can exercise your gift of courage by organizing a group that tries to solve the problem.

We were having a Confirmation class on sexuality once and a number of kids said they didn't think anything was wrong with abortion. Then a girl named Patty raised her hand and said she had had a baby. While she wouldn't advise any unmarried girl to get pregnant, she certainly felt it was important to be responsible to the child you have conceived. She has kept her baby and her parents are helping her. Today she is almost finished with a nursing certificate. It took courage for Patty to share her experience with the class, as well as courage—and other virtues—to continue her education!

One of the most popular young couples in our parish—who have gone steady for years—also demonstrated courage quite publicly. They took the pledge to remain chaste until they married. They have confidence in their convictions, and they have the gift of the Holy Spirit to back them up.

5. Knowledge

Do you think the readings at Mass have no relevance to your life, reading classics in school is a total waste of time, and you will never need algebra, so it is stupid that you have to have it to graduate? Then you haven't unwrapped and exercised the gift of knowledge.

A person with that gift can focus and see more than one dimension of an issue. My friend Joshua, who is just barely a teen, already knows what he wants out of life. He plans to be president of the United States someday. Not everything he has to take in school relates to a career in public service and politics, but he knows he'd better make the honor roll. And he reads everything he can find on past presidents, especially his favorites, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. He is always surprised at the things they needed to know.

A person demonstrating the gift of knowledge doesn't take things at face value, but looks for the reasons and the results. Such a person could also ask the Holy Spirit's help in dealing with the things that don't make sense right now.

6. Fear of the Lord (a.k.a. Awe & Wonder)

Fear of the Lord, which wouldn't be half as confusing if we called it awe and wonder, is the gift of stopping to appreciate things, to smell the flowers. Have you ever seen a sunset that just blew you away? How about the colors of the trees in autumn or the immensity of Niagara Falls? Did you ever see a new baby and wonder how it is possible that those tiny fingers really can grasp yours and those little ears can hear?

God inspires us with awe all the time. We are created in the divine image. That doesn't mean we look like God, but it means that we have a spiritual dimension, and we can ask that awesome Holy Spirit to fill us with all the gifts that we need to live according to God's will.

7. Piety (a.k.a. Reverence)

Finally, there is reverence or piety (both expressions of faith). This is a natural follow-up to awe and wonder. If the sunset blows us away, how can we join in destroying the ozone layer so the sun will become an instrument of terror? Why are people burning down the forests instead of watching the trees change color? Is it necessary to throw tires and tin cans into the water rather than watch waterfalls with wonder?

Reverence means respecting God and God's creation. People who neglect the gift of faith or reverence don't see God's hand at work in creation. A person with the gift of reverence couldn't kill an unborn child. And if you have faith you won't want to miss Mass, because you will want to praise God in the community.

The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Us

A few years ago there was a very popular song called "From a Distance." It said that God is watching over us. It's certainly true that God is—but not at a distance. God is right here with us, infusing our spirits with the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised he would not leave us orphans, that he would send the Spirit to be our guide and our advocate before God.

If we unwrap the gifts we have been given through Baptism and Confirmation, we give the Holy Spirit the go-ahead to work in us. All we need to do is trust God and try.

While we all have each gift in sufficient strength to live a good life, St. Paul said to the Corinthians that some of us are prophets and some are teachers. He meant that it's quite likely that we will develop some gifts more fully than others. Some express great spiritual gifts, and others demonstrate very practical gifts.

But they all come from the same source: God. And they are all activated in the same way: trusting God and trying. It's not unlike the gift of intellectual ability. If you have the I.Q. of a genius but never read a book or access the wisdom of history in some way, you may remain an undeveloped genius.

Developing the Spirit's gifts requires recognizing them and exercising them. For instance, the next time you're in a crisis, try discernment. Ask the Holy Spirit's help as you try to use the gift of right judgment. When you see a friend in need, practice your gift of understanding. Just don't forget to call on the Holy Spirit to be with you. And don't forget to praise God afterward! You'll get plenty of chances to use courage, so don't be afraid! Use all the gifts. You probably asked for them at Confirmation (or you will), so assume their presence in your life.

You'll be able to tell you have them because you will begin to experience the fruit (the evidence) of the Spirit, which St. Paul told the early Church about. In a letter to the Church at Galatia he said that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness and chastity.

Kris experienced love when Ron was so understanding; Patty has felt patient endurance as she deals with her child and her life as a single mother. Every courageous couple who pledge to wait to express their love in sexual intercourse experience the fruit of chastity. St. Paul describes love with such poetry and power (see 1 Corinthians 13) to tell us that it is the fruit or evidence that the Spirit's gifts are working in our lives.

It's all there waiting for you. You received the Holy Spirit at Baptism; your faith is strengthened in the sacrament of Confirmation. So unwrap the gifts! As you give evidence of them in your life, you will experience the peace and joy that have been promised.

Sara A. Kirtlink is director of religious education at St. Francis De Sales parish in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. She has prepared many to receive the sacrament of Confirmation, and this Youth Update has evolved from her teaching.

Jeremy German (14), Beth Pophum (15) and Andy Sutton (15) previewed this edition, offering their ideas on its content and suggestions for its design and easy reading. Joseph Shadle, pastoral associate at St. Michael Parish in Ripley, Ohio, Invited the trio to critique this Youth Update.