The word “Counsel” can often make us think of getting advice from a friend or a teacher. In our faith, however, Counsel (or “Right Judgement”) is something much deeper. It is one of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which we are sealed with at Confirmation.

This gift is not about God giving us a ‘cheat sheet’ for life’s problems. Instead, the Gift of Counsel is the quiet, steady wisdom that helps us to know right from wrong, and to choose the right path—God’s path. It is the spiritual common sense that helps us make good, moral choices in everyday situations.

When we are unsure what to do, the Holy Spirit gives us counsel. It guides us to be peacemakers in arguments, to be honest when it would be easier to lie, and to be brave in standing up for others. To use this gift, we must first be quiet enough to listen for that guiding voice, and then brave enough to follow it.

When thinking about what you’d do (answers in the comments by the way!) it makes us think about how God (The Holy Spirit) might act in our lives too. Does God give us the choice to do things, and simply advises us, or does he get involved more directly?

These are questions that we’re still figuring out but what you think make a difference too. How do you decide what to do? Do you have free will and what council’s you to make the discissions that you make?