THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

​
"The Holy Spirit gives wisdom against folly, understanding against dullness, counsel against rashness, fortitude against fears, knowledge against ignorance, piety against hardness of our heart, and fear of the Lord against pride."

-St. Gregory the Great, (Moral. ii, 26)
​
"Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God's presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts."
​
-St. Ambrose, De myst. [7,42:PL 16,402-403.]​
                                                                                                    
                                                                                                        THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE GIVEN TO US AT BAPTISM

                                                                 1.  They are nurtured by practicing the theological & cardinal virtues.
                                                                 2. They help us grow in the  virtues and dispose us for God to elevate our virtues to a heroic level.
                                                                 3. They are increased and  sealed   with the sacrament of confirmation
                                                                   [The sacrament of confirmation amplifies or confirms what’s given in the sacrament of baptism.]
                                                                        
THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT DEFINED:
  1. Wisdom: helps us judge what is important, meaningful, purposeful, etc.
  2. Understanding: to know something is different from truly understanding it. I can know a lot of facts about someone, but that is different from truly understanding that person.
  3. Counsel: helps us differentiate between right and wrong.
  4. Fortitude: courage and endurance.
  5. Knowledge: helps us to know God.
  6. Piety: proper reverence for God, helps us obey God out of love.
  7. Fear of the Lord: proper disdain for sin and awe of God’s goodness and love.
Wisdom is both the knowledge of and judgment about “divine things” and the ability to judge and direct human affairs according to divine truth (I/I.1.6; I/II.69.3; II/II.8.6; II/II.45.1–5).
Understanding is penetrating insight into the very heart of things, especially those higher truths that are necessary for our eternal salvation—in effect, the ability to “see” God (I/I.12.5; I/II.69.2; II/II.8.1–3).
Counsel allows a man to be directed by God in matters necessary for his salvation (II/II.52.1).
Fortitude denotes a firmness of mind in doing good and in avoiding evil, particularly when it is difficult or dangerous to do so, and the confidence to overcome all obstacles, even deadly ones, by virtue of the assurance of everlasting life (I/II.61.3; II/II.123.2; II/II.139.1).
Knowledge is the ability to judge correctly about matters of faith and right action, so as to never wander from the straight path of justice (II/II.9.3).
Piety is, principally, revering God with filial affection, paying worship and duty to God, paying due duty to all men on account of their relationship to God, and honoring the saints and not contradicting Scripture. The Latin word pietas denotes the reverence that we give to our father and to our country; since God is the Father of all, the worship of God is also called piety (I/II.68.4; II/II.121.1).
Fear of God is, in this context, “filial” or chaste fear whereby we revere God and avoid separating ourselves from him—as opposed to “servile” fear, whereby we fear punishment (I/II.67.4; II/II.19.9).
These gifts, according to Aquinas, are “habits,” “instincts,” or “dispositions” provided by God as supernatural helps to man in the process of his “perfection.” They enable man to transcend the limitations of human reason and human nature and participate in the very life of God, as Christ promised (John 14:23). Aquinas insisted that they are necessary for man’s salvation, which he cannot achieve on his own. They serve to “perfect” the four cardinal or moral virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance) and the three theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity). The virtue of charity is the key that unlocks the potential power of the seven gifts, which can (and will) lie dormant in the soul after baptism unless so acted upon.

Because “grace builds upon nature” (ST I/I.2.3), the seven gifts work synergistically with the seven virtues and also with the twelve fruits of the Spirit and the eight beatitudes. The emergence of the gifts is fostered by the practice of the virtues, which in turn are perfected by the exercise of the gifts. The proper exercise of the gifts, in turn, produce the fruits of the Spirit in the life of the Christian: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, modesty, self-control, and chastity (Gal. 5:22–23). The goal of this cooperation among virtues, gifts, and fruits is the attainment of the eight-fold state of beatitude described by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:3–10).

[Taken from Catholic Answers, catholic.com ]