The Gift of St. Jude's Hope

"Your good Spirit will lead me into the right land." ~ Psalm 143:10

The Holy Spirit extends to us the gift of hope that energizes us as devotees of St. Jude. We cultivate this hope as one of the three great theological virtues—the others being faith and charity—through devotion as we pray novenas, send petitions to the National Shrine, and look to St. Jude with endless gratitude for intercession on our behalf and on the behalf of those dear to us who are also in need.

At the heart of these prayers and practices is the spiritual gift of hope that continually draws us to this patron saint who is always ready to place our intentions before God. The more we practice our faith and this devotion, the better we can become at recognizing the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are truly fortunate to be strengthened and uplifted by the gifts of the Spirit and of St. Jude, enabling us to try to carry out the best responses to our weaknesses and to our difficulties in life.

Each of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit plays an important role in igniting our hope—our deep desire for something that is full with the grateful expectation of assistance in many forms.

source: Faith Reflection, National Shrine of St. Jude