As we approach Pentecost this weekend, it seems like a good time to take a little ‘inventory.’ One of the Pentecost readings reminds us of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Gal 5:22-23) These are very familiar words to us, especially in our faith life, but how are we doing in allowing these fruits to live, work, and grow in us? Although I know them, I can’t say that I’ve given them the attention they deserve as the life-giving fruits they are. However, after praying on them, I can more easily recognize that these ‘notions’ are more extraordinary and powerful than they may initially seem. They each encourage positivity and goodness, but how do they fit? How do they become essential elements of our spiritual lives?
Your prayer will be revealing as you spend time with these fruits of the Holy Spirit. I offer these brief reflections and invite you to consider: Which one means the most to you? Which one (or two or three) could use a little more growth as a fruit in your faith life? Do some seem to present themselves more readily than others? It was helpful to look beyond what I knew about these words of grace and contemplate their role in my spirituality.
Love – Embraced by God’s love, we are to also love one another. This love of God is deep, constant, forgiving, and limitless. Love is the verb of God, and when our hearts are hurting, it is what heals and restores us.
Joy – Joy is a way of life, a choice in attitude and approach. We have joy because we know the Lord and invite Him into our lives. Even in times of difficulty, joy is the promise of our lives now and eternally.
Peace – Peace is the place our prayer takes us to find calm, clarity, and tranquility in our souls. It is the place where, with confidence, we rely on God’s goodness and grace in our lives. We know we are away from God when we do not feel peace.
Patience – Love is patient – God’s love in us and our love in God and in one another. Patience is waiting as we trust in God’s plan for our lives, and it is moments of understanding and forgiving each other while we seek and offer mercy.
Kindness – Kindness resides in our compassionate hearts. Do those we encounter see Christ within us by how we respond to them, care about them, and love them? Kindness lives when we show each other the respect and dignity of being children of God.
Generosity – We are generous when we share from what we’ve been given. It may be material, supportive goods and resources, but it may also be our time, our awareness, our companionship. True generosity of Spirit fills us and those we care for.
Faithfulness – Our faithfulness binds us to God in complete trust, especially when our path is difficult and challenging. We enrich and strengthen each other’s faithfulness when we share our journeys and walk together in Christ.
Gentleness – As if handling something fragile, we reach out in gentleness to those around us. We offer tenderness and appreciation while sharing concern for their physical and spiritual well-being.
Self-Control – Our humanity can get in the way of our self-control, so we recognize the noise and temptation of the world around us. We seek strength in God to find the courage and awareness to choose good.
May we always seek the source of the Holy Spirit to receive these fruits, strengthen them in our lives, and offer them to one another.
Journeying to Grace 