Another Confirmation Year - Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The Baking Girl is in Confirmation preparation class.  She's been praying fervently for guidance about her sponsor.  Our only influence in this choice is to encourage them to bring it to prayer especially in front of the Blessed Sacrament. We don't drop names, we don't suggest anybody.  We let the Holy Spirit do His work. By this time last year, the oldest who was confirmed in April, had a pretty good idea of who his sponsor was going to be.  The girl is not at all sure, the issue is that she has so many options.  It's a good problem to have when you are surrounded by people that you can trust to guide you in the narrow, holy path of faith. So if you are the one the Holy Spirit chooses to be the girl's sponsor know that you have been prayed for ;-)

The one thing she is very sure about is her confirmation saint.  I haven't gotten permission from her to say who it is so I will withhold it for now. But this particular saint has captured her heart for a couple of years now. She read this saint's life story countless times so I know her heart is really set.

Our DRE, Sr. Maria Vianney,  gave the parents a copy of St. Alphonsus Ligouri's Prayer for the Gifts of The Holy Spirit.  It is beautiful.  It is the prayer that the Baking Girl prays during Adoration. In solidarity with her I also started praying it.  Instead of saying the whole thing in one sitting I am slowly meditating on the pleading for each gift both for myself and for her.

Here is the text, pray with us!

Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

St. Alphonsus Liguori

(source)

Holy Spirit, Divine Consoler, I adore You as my true God, 
with God the Father and God the Son. 
I adore You and unite myself to the adoration 
You receive from the angels and saints.
I give You my heart and I offer my ardent thanksgiving 
for all the grace which You never cease to bestow on me. 

O Giver of all supernatural gifts, 
who filled the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 

Mother of God, with such immense favors, 
I beg You to visit me with Your grace 
and Your love and to grant me the gift of holy fear, 
so that it may act on me as a check to prevent me 
from falling back into my past sins, 
for which I beg pardon. 

Grant me the gift of piety, 
so that I may serve You for the future with increased fervor, 
follow with more promptness Your holy inspirations, 
and observe your divine precepts with greater fidelity. 

Grant me the gift of knowledge, 
so that I may know the things of God and, 
enlightened by Your holy teaching, may walk, 
without deviation, in the path of eternal salvation. 

Grant me the gift of fortitude, 
so that I may overcome courageously all the assaults of the devil, 
and all the dangers of this world which threaten the 
salvation of my soul. 

Grant me the gift of counsel, 
so that I may choose what is more conducive to my spiritual advancement 
and may discover the wiles and snares of the tempter. 

Grant me the gift of understanding, 
so that I may apprehend the divine mysteries 
and by contemplation of heavenly things detach my thoughts 
and affections from the vain things of this miserable world. 

Grant me the gift of wisdom, 
so that I may rightly direct all my actions, 
referring them to God as my last end; 
so that, having loved Him and served Him in this life, 
I may have the happiness of possessing Him eternally in the next.
Amen.