CBB Review – The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

We likely have all heard of them, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Did you know that they play a critical role in our times today? We find ourselves in a struggle with the society we live in. A society which tells us to put ourselves first. A society that attempts to marginalize the Church and her beliefs. Dr. Kevin Vost provides readers with a guide on these seven gifts and how to effectively incorporate them into our lives in his latest book The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Every Spiritual Warrior’s Guide to God’s Invincible Gifts.

Kevin incorporates the aid of two giants of the Catholic faith, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Bonaventure, as guides for the book.  Why did Kevin choose these two? Well, as he explains Aquinas “has provided the foundational treatment of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, among the most complete and thorough explanations in the two-thousand-year history of the Church.” Bonaventure in turn also provides “Seraphic insights” on each of the seven gifts as well.

Be prepared to learn a lot about each of the seven gifts. Kevin unwraps each one, explains each in detail and encourages the reader to share each of the gifts with those around them. He goes about this process via what are referred to as “submission plans.” These step by step plans follow a seven-point structure:

1. Grasping the gifts
2. Embracing the sacraments
3. Examining our thoughts and deeds for obstacles to the gifts
4. Practicing prayer
5. Cultivating virtues, beatitudes, and fruits
6. Flying to our Mother’s aid
7. Imitating Christ

Each of the seven gifts has a dedicated chapter where a deep-dive look at each gift is taken. The information Kevin provides is rich but approachable. There are also three “sub-sections” to each chapter that were excellent additions. “Profile in Giftedness” provides an example of a saint whose actions exemplified the gift of the given chapter. In the chapter on fear (Fostering Fear of the Lord) the profile is “From Saul to St. Paul with fear and Trembling.” A second sub-section called “Angelic Analysis” focuses on the thought and writings of St, Thomas Aquinas on the gift of the chapter. Each chapter concludes with a “Profile in Grace” which feature a saint who personified and lived the related gift. For example, the third chapter (Acknowledging Knowledge) was “St. Albert the Great: Doctor of Universal Knowledge.”

There is no doubt that the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are invaluable and their advantages incalculable. The issue at hand is whether we have a thorough understanding of them so as to be able to incorporate them into our lives. Once we understand these gifts, we can then share them with around us. Kevin Vost has written a book that arms readers with the knowledge necessary fulfill this need within ourselves so that we can step out and change the world in some small way.

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