Galatians 5: 18-25
Brothers and sisters:
If you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
The Fruit of the Spirit
Paul’s list of the fruits of the Spirit can sound beautiful until we ask where that fruit is visible in our ordinary lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are not abstract virtues. They become concrete in how we speak to a colleague, accompany someone who is afraid, respond to frustration, or use our influence.
In my own Jesuit life, I am often tempted to measure a day by what I completed. Ignatian spirituality asks a different question: Where was God at work in me, and what fruit did my choices produce? A successful day can still leave others diminished; a difficult day can become holy when we remain patient, attentive, and generous.
The Spirit is not known only by what we say about God, but by what grows through us. What fruit of the Spirit is God inviting you to cultivate today?
—Fr. Robenson Siquitte, SJ, is a member of the Jesuits of the Canada and Haiti Province and currently serves as Development Officer with American Jesuits International (AJI) in Washington, D.C.
Prayer
Lord, give me the grace to recognize your Spirit at work within me.
May my words bring peace, my decisions reflect generosity,
and my presence help others experience dignity and hope.
Teach me to measure my day not only by what I accomplish,
but by the love that grows through me.
Amen.
—Fr. Robenson Siquitte, SJ