Book Reviews and More: 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit - Fr Richard Conrad OP

Wednesday 6 March 2019

7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit - Fr Richard Conrad OP - CTS Deeper Christianity Series

7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit
CTS Deeper Christianity Series
Fr Richard Conrad OP
Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781860825347
eISBN 9781784692452
ASIN B071NMCZHD
CTS Booklet SP27

In the last year I have read 60 books from the Catholic Truth Society, I discovered them by accident doing research on an author from the last Century, and have fell in love with the books and booklets I have read. This book is the fifth I have read in the Deeper Christianity Series that I have read. Up until recently I believed there were 16 books in the series and that 15 of those 16 were available as eBooks. I was mistaken. There have actually been 52 books in this particular series over the years. And many are out of print. And from a contact at CTS, for many of the out-of-print volumes the CTS no longer holds the rights. So tracking down those older volumes is going to prove difficult. The Catholic Truth Society has been publishing books and booklets for over 150 years, they add many new titles each year, and many drop into the out of print category. Of the 60 titles I have read so far all have been 4 or 5 Stars our of 5. And I loved the books in this series.

The description of this volume is:

“Every Christian who has been confirmed has received the fullness of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. This booklet explains what these gifts are, the effect they can have on the life of the person who accepts them and what a life truly led by the Spirit should look like.”

And with my oldest daughters upcoming confirmation it has proved and informative and enlightening read. And I already plan on reading it with my daughter as she picks which specific gift she will pray for during her confirmation. This book is an overview of the 7 gifts, but also has a strong focus on the role and results of the gifts in the confirmation process. The chapters in the book are:

Introduction
Jesus hands on the Spirit to us
The Spirit in our lives
The Seven Gifts
Confirmation – sharing Jesus’ ministry and glory
This book looks at the history of these seven gifts. Including Saint Jerome’s choice in translation. Saint Gregory the great, Thomas Aquinas, and Bonaventure. The book ends with a prayer to the Holy spirit that was composed by Cardinal Manning.

A Prayer to the Holy Spirit
(composed by Cardinal Manning)

O Holy Spirit of God, take us as your disciples.
Guide us, enlighten us, sanctify us.
Bind our hands that they may do no evil.
Cover our eyes that they may see it no more.
Sanctify our hearts that evil may not dwell within us.
Be our God and our Guide.
Wherever you lead us, we will go.
Whatever you forbid us we will renounce.
And whatever you command us, in your strength, we will do.
Lead us, then, into the fulness of your truth.

This book is a great read. It can serve as a reminder to those of us who are already confirmed. And for those yet to be confirmed can serve as a great guide in helping them select a particular gift. It is an excellent read in a wonderful series, and I recommend both this specific book and the series as a whole.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

Books in the Deeper Christianity Series:
7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit
8 Deadly Sins Learning to Defend the Life of Grace