Reflections on the Fruit of the Spirit

by Mr. Michael C. Vollmer S.M. & Fr. David C. Schwartz S.J.

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Gal. 5:22

The fruit of the Spirit is the result of the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The fruit of the Spirit demonstrates that we have accepted God into our lives and are in relationship with God. This is made possible through Jesus Christ; his life, ministry, death, resurrection, and his sending of the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us complete the kingdom of God. We are known by the fruit that we bear. The fruit of the Holy Spirit makes it clear that we are Christian.

We might thing that we are not always patient, joyful, or in self-control. Yet it remains true that the fruit of the Spirit stays with us even when we fall into sin. If we allowed the fruit of the Spirit to be manifest through us at every moment of our lives, we would always experience the fullness of the fruit of the Spirit. The challenge, therefore, is to ever more fully cooperate with the Spirit.

Notice the verb `is' in Galatians 5:22 quoted above. There is one fruit of the Holy Spirit; one blessing with many results. Think o f the fruit of the Spirit as an oil painting with many different colors. If one color was missing, the painting would look much different. Another image is that of a garden made up of many different flowers. All of the flowers make up the one garden. Another way to envision the multifaceted fruit of the Spirit is to think of a delicious apple. It has skin, pulp, juice, flavor, and scent. All those things go into making up the one delicious apple. All aspects of the fruit of the Spirit are present in us just as there are many characteristics of one painting, flower garden, or apple.

The following are short reflections on each characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit. Read through each slowly and reflect on how you can facilitate the growth of each aspect of the fruit. All characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit are present in us by virtue of our acceptance of Jesus Christ. We just need to allow the Master painter and the Master gardener to help us grow in the Spirit so that all aspects of the fruit of the Spirit will shine in us.

Love:: Love gives us the desire to know God and others fully and to be utterly one with God and others. It gives us the desire for intimate relationships with God and everyone of good will. Love drives us to want to share ourselves with God and others while holding as precious that which others share with us. THose who truly love understand the occasional need for "tough love" to spark greater love and growth and reconciliation. Christ-like love sees all human life as sacred because love recognizes that God, who is life and love, is present in everyone who exists from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. Christian lovers know that through love we come face to face with God, with one another, and with our true self. Through love we become the best that we can be.
Joy:: Joy is the aspect of the fruit of the Spirit which moves us to live life enthusiastically! This doesn't mean that we're always bubbly and extroverted. It means that wherever we're at, whatever we're doing, we enhance life and love. Joy means others feel Christ's loving presence no matter what they're going through. This joy is not a fleeting moment, rather it is an enduring state of being based on the confident hope that we will be with God in paradise forever! For that faith knowledge we rejoice in the Lord always, again we say, Rejoice!
Peace:: We may think that we enjoy the Spirit's peace only when we feel peaceful. Yet, we realize that divine peace is more than a feeling. True peace affects our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual being. It flows from the reality of God's constant love for us. Peace pierces our entire being and manifests itself in the way we do things, in our outlook on life, and how we relate to others. Those at peace are confident that they are walking with Christ along the straight and narrow path of salvation. Peace remains with us always, even during sin and suffering, thus helping us through difficult times. Like the other aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, our experience of peace motivates us to urge others to follow Jesus Christ so that they too will experience lasting peace of heart and mind.
Patience:: Patience helps us wait calmly when the Spirit so directs and it helps us work diligently when God so directs. With patience we become like a pencil in the hand of God, ready and willing to respond when and how the Lord desires. The fruit of peace helps us remember that our present struggles on God's behalf will bear fruit in God's good time. Patience also helps us in discerning that which is truly best for ourselves and others. Sometimes it is only after a lengthy period of patient prayer and reflection that we come to know the true desires of self and others. Patience encourages us to place the legitimate, important wants and needs of others above our own when we can do so without injury to ourself.
Kindness:: Kindness is manifest in becoming involved in helping to meet another's true needs and healthy desires. It is not evident if the assistance is given begrudgingly, if the recipient is belittled, or if the giver demands appreciation or repayment. Kindness entails freely and willingly helping those who truly need a helping hand. We must be careful to avoid burn-out and to avoid creating unnecessary dependency. For our own good, and the good of the care receiver, we will at times need to be firm, and kind, in declining to provide help. At times we might need to say: "I think it would be best to do that yourself;" or "I don't have the time, energy, or ability to help with that;" or "It seems that doesn't need to be done at this time." Kindness goes hand-in-hand with prudent generosity.
Goodness:: The Spirit imparts goodness to each person at the moment of conception. Goodness is the desire to do what is right and just for ourselves and others. It strengthens us against temptation. Goodness also helps curb the natural desire to hurt those who hurt us by giving us the supernatural desire to forgive and fight evil with the only truly effective weapon; love. The Spirit's goodness helps us love even our enemies. Goodness is also evident in those who live according to the truth of the Gospel, regardless of the necessary sacrifice and suffering.
Faithfulness:: Faithfulness inspires us to trust in God even if we feel that God has abandoned us. It also inspires us to place our trust in trustworthy persons and to continue to trust in their faithfulness, even though they occasionally fail. The fruit of faithfulness also enable us to believe in our own goodness, even when we sin. Relationships grow and blossom in an atmosphere of trust. Faithfulness say to God and others: "I care for you now, I will care for you tomorrow, and I will care for you forever." Just as our trustworthiness provides security and stability to friends and loved ones, so God's faithfulness provides security and stability to us. Our ongoing fidelity to God and others draws us into ever deeper union with God and one another. Furthermore, God entrust the faithful with greater responsibilities and a greater outpouring of divine love.
Gentleness:: An image which comes to mind when describing gentleness is that of a parent loving a newborn baby. See how the parent tenderly holds the baby. Look at the love radiating from the parent's smiles, kisses, and caresses. See how the infant responds to that gentleness with pure delight. This is like the gentleness that the Spirit enables us to show towards all. Gentleness gifts others with respect that is free from patronizing and idolizing. Gentleness respects the differences of opinions and beliefs so as to promote dialogue, understanding, and consensus. Gentle men, women, and children offer their opinions without nagging or pressuring. They remember that the gentle gifts of persistent prayer and ready forgiveness are among the greatest gifts that can be given.
Self-Control:: Self-control does not suppress natural instincts and desires, but it does direct their fulfillment to appropriate times, places, and person(s). Self-control helps set personal boundaries that protect self and others from the detrimental effects of immoral activity. Those who exercise the fruit of self-control enjoy intense pleasure and happiness, because they satisfy their desires in accordance with the will of God in accordance with what is truly good for their self and others. Self-control provides the framework within which Christian love thrives. The Spirit gives each human being the ability to control their passions and thus protect self and others from hurt and anger.

Reflections on the Fruit of the Spirit

July 1995