Beatitudes and Gifts of the Holy Spirit

I can't believe it has been a whole month since my last blog! I can't even blame it on my 2 Fridays being away on vacation. I have realized that this change from simply reading the whole bible every year to studying in detail from the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is a much slower process than anticipated. I honestly think that I shouldn't try to study en entire book in the New Testament every 2 weeks as was planned. I will take my time to savor through this amazing resource and ask God to bless me with new insight every day - not only to feed my mind, but also my soul.

So I am now in Chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew. The Beatitudes (verses 3-12) are familiar verses. The Study Bible asks the question:
Reflect on and discuss how the first seven beatitudes might correspond to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2)
So here are the first seven beatitudes:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (I found out I can easily find pretty much anything in the Catechism by googling CCC, e.g. "CCC gifts of the holy spirit" and look for it in the Vatican.va site; which in this case leads me to CCC 1830-1845) the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are:
1845 The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon Christians are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. 

So how do the Gifts of the Holy Spirit enable me to be poor in spirit?
It is that I will recognize my need for God and His grace. I become less attached to this world and find security in the Lord. I will rely on His mercy rather than my own merits or material wealth. And I will develop a longing for the future inheritance of God's Kingdom at the final judgement (Matthew 25:34). Only the gifts of the Holy Spirit will enable me to do this! CCC 2544-47 further explains this:

2544 Jesus enjoins his disciples to prefer him to everything and everyone, and bids them "renounce all that [they have]" for his sake and that of the Gospel. Shortly before his passion he gave them the example of the poor widow of Jerusalem who, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on. The precept of detachment from riches is obligatory for entrance into the Kingdom of heaven.

2545 All Christ's faithful are to "direct their affections rightly, lest they be hindered in their pursuit of perfect charity by the use of worldly things and by an adherence to riches which is contrary to the spirit of evangelical poverty."

2546 "Blessed are the poor in spirit." The Beatitudes reveal an order of happiness and grace, of beauty and peace. Jesus celebrates the joy of the poor, to whom the Kingdom already belongs:

    The Word speaks of voluntary humility as "poverty in spirit"; the Apostle gives an example of God's poverty when he says: "For your sakes he became poor."

2547 The Lord grieves over the rich, because they find their consolation in the abundance of goods. "Let the proud seek and love earthly kingdoms, but blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven." Abandonment to the providence of the Father in heaven frees us from anxiety about tomorrow. Trust in God is a preparation for the blessedness of the poor. They shall see God.