The fruits of Holy Spirit
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”. Galatians 5 : 22. In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul presents this list of spiritual qualities which, for him, are signs of a life inhabited and led by the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis suggests that we take up this list again to reread our spiritual journey.
“It can be a good spiritual exercise, for example, to read Saint Paul’s list and take a look at our own behaviour to see if it corresponds, if our life is truly in accordance with the Holy Spirit, if it bears these fruits. Does my life bear these fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control? For example, the first three that are listed are love, peace and joy, a person in whom the Holy Spirit dwells can be recognized by these traits. A person who is at peace, who is joyful and who loves, with these three traits, the action of the Spirit can be seen. The Apostle’s teaching poses quite a challenge for our communities too. Sometimes, those who approach the Church get the impression that they are dealing with a dense mass of rules and regulations. But no, this is not the Church! The beauty of faith in Jesus Christ cannot be grasped on the basis of so many commandments or of a moral vision. The life of the Spirit, expressed in the Sacraments, cannot be suffocated by a bureaucracy that prevents access to the grace of the Spirit. We therefore have the great responsibility of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen, enlivened by the breath of the Spirit of love. For it is this Love alone that possesses the power to attract and change the human heart».
With Sister Eugénie, lets us ask the Lord for the grace to be filled with his Holy Spirit so that our life may be fruitful, bearer of meaning and hope.
“Holy Spirit, fill us with your spirit of love, charity, humility, abandonment and patience. Give us the strength, light, wisdom and fear of God. In you, Holy Spirit I put all my trust”. According to the prayers of Sister Eugénie Caps.