[God's] steadfast love...never ceases...
Lamentations 3:22
The ninth Fruit of the Spirit is Self-control. Self-control as a fruit of the Spirit is not the domination of our will over our emotions. It is rather our awareness of God's abiding presence and is the result of the infusion of God's steadfast love. hence our former compulsive reaching out for security, affection, and esteem, power and status symbols ceases. in particular, there is no energy for sexual activity apart from commitment and genuine love. When Moses asked God who he was, the answer came: "I AM THAT I AM." This text is still under scholarly investigation, but one likely meaning is "I am for you." The inward assurance of God's unwavering love enhances our freedom of choice and action. Out of that interior liberty, self-control arises spontaneously. We know in spite of our weakness that God will give us the strength to get through every trial and temptation.
Lamentations 3:22
the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end...
Showing posts with label Fruits of the Spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fruits of the Spirit. Show all posts
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Eighth Fruit of the Spirit: Patience
Ask and it will be given to you...
Matthew 7:7
The eighth Fruit of the Spirit is Long-suffering (patience). Long-suffering is certitude in God's unwavering fidelity to his promises. Our security is no longer based on anything we might possess or accomplish, but rather on our conviction of God's unfailing protection and readiness to forgive. Hence we are not easily disturbed by the ebb and flow of human events and our emotional reactions to them. Feelings continue to be felt, at times more strongly than ever, but they not longer dominate our awareness or our activity. We are content to wait with confidence for God's deliverance in every situation, especially during prolonged periods of dryness and the dark nights. We have interiorized the words of the Gospel: "Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened to you"
Matthew 7:7
Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened to you
Matthew 7:7
The eighth Fruit of the Spirit is Long-suffering (patience). Long-suffering is certitude in God's unwavering fidelity to his promises. Our security is no longer based on anything we might possess or accomplish, but rather on our conviction of God's unfailing protection and readiness to forgive. Hence we are not easily disturbed by the ebb and flow of human events and our emotional reactions to them. Feelings continue to be felt, at times more strongly than ever, but they not longer dominate our awareness or our activity. We are content to wait with confidence for God's deliverance in every situation, especially during prolonged periods of dryness and the dark nights. We have interiorized the words of the Gospel: "Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened to you"
Matthew 7:7
Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened to you
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Seventh Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness
Everything God...created is good...
1 Timothy 4:4
The seventh Fruit of the Spirit is Goodness. Goodness is the affirmation of creation as good, together with a sense of oneness with the universe and with everything created. It is the disposition that perceives events, even the tragic things of life, as manifestations of God's love.
It recognizes the beauty of all creation in spite of the damage that human selfishness has imposed upon it. As a result, gratitude to God abounds in our hears and a positive attitude characterizes our relationship with others and with the wear and tear of daily life.
Psalm 27:13
I am confident that I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living
1 Timothy 4:4
The seventh Fruit of the Spirit is Goodness. Goodness is the affirmation of creation as good, together with a sense of oneness with the universe and with everything created. It is the disposition that perceives events, even the tragic things of life, as manifestations of God's love.
It recognizes the beauty of all creation in spite of the damage that human selfishness has imposed upon it. As a result, gratitude to God abounds in our hears and a positive attitude characterizes our relationship with others and with the wear and tear of daily life.
Psalm 27:13
I am confident that I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Sixth Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness
Help me to learn God's gentle way.
Our anxious efforts to serve God and our anguished search of God cease. Like God we labor and are at rest at the same time. We work hard but we know by experience, even by bitter experience, that our efforts are not going to go anywhere except insofar as God makes them fruitful. Hence vanity, jealousy, and contention--which often accompany even our spiritual endeavors--are gradually evacuated, leaving immense freedom just to be who we are and to serve the special needs of those around us.
Matthew 11:29 Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart...
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Fifth Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness
All for thee, sweet Jesus - Prayer from childhood
The fifth Fruit of the Spirit is Faithfulness (fidelity). Faithfulness is the dynamic expression of meekness. It is the daily oblation of ourselves and all our actions to God out of compassion for others, especially in service to their concrete needs. It serves God without dwelling on what God or others will do for us, and perseveres in giving without thinking of any return. Our normal need for affirmation is coming from a new place: the growing conviction of being loved by God that greatly reduces the desire for human approval.
1 Corinthians 16:14
Let everything you do be done in love.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Fourth Fruit of the Spirit: Meekness
Make me Resemble you, Jesus! - St. Therese of Lisieux
The fourth Fruit of the Spirit is Meekness (kindness). Meekness is freedom from the energy of hostility, hatred, or outbursts of anger. Anger is necessary for human health and growth. but it needs to be transmuted into a growing capacity to persevere in the pursuit of the difficult good, especially the immense goods of the spiritual journey and of the imitation of Christ. the growth of meekness opens us to the continual awareness of God's presence and the acceptance of everyone with their limitations. One does not approve of the harmful things that others may do, but one accepts them as they are and is ready to help whenever possible-- but without trying to change them. One is even content with one's inability to change oneself as one would like while continuing to do what one can to improve, relying more and more upon God and less and less on one's own efforts.
Matthew 5:1-2
His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:...Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
The fourth Fruit of the Spirit is Meekness (kindness). Meekness is freedom from the energy of hostility, hatred, or outbursts of anger. Anger is necessary for human health and growth. but it needs to be transmuted into a growing capacity to persevere in the pursuit of the difficult good, especially the immense goods of the spiritual journey and of the imitation of Christ. the growth of meekness opens us to the continual awareness of God's presence and the acceptance of everyone with their limitations. One does not approve of the harmful things that others may do, but one accepts them as they are and is ready to help whenever possible-- but without trying to change them. One is even content with one's inability to change oneself as one would like while continuing to do what one can to improve, relying more and more upon God and less and less on one's own efforts.
Matthew 5:1-2
His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:...Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Third Fruit of the Spirit: Peace
My peace I give you. John 14:27
The third Fruit of the Spirit is Peace. Peace is the pervasive sense of contentment that comes from being rooted in God while being fully aware of one's own nothingness. It is a state that endures beyond the ups and downs of life, beyond the emotions of joy and sorrow. At the deepest level one knows that all is well, that everything is just right despite all appearances to the contrary. At all times one can pray wit Jesus, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46)
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The third Fruit of the Spirit is Peace. Peace is the pervasive sense of contentment that comes from being rooted in God while being fully aware of one's own nothingness. It is a state that endures beyond the ups and downs of life, beyond the emotions of joy and sorrow. At the deepest level one knows that all is well, that everything is just right despite all appearances to the contrary. At all times one can pray wit Jesus, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46)
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Second Fruit of the Spirit: Joy
The joy of the Lord is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10
The second Fruit of the Spirit is Joy. Joy is an abiding sense of well-being based on the experience of a conscious relationship with God. It is the sign of liberation from the false self and the growing awareness of the true self. Flowing from joy comes the freedom to accept the present moment and its content without trying to change it. Bliss might be described as the fullness of joy. It is the abiding sense of being loved by God and of being permanently established in his presence. it is the experience of the living water that flows from the divine Source in our inmost being, which Jesus spoke about in John's Gospel.
John 7:37-39
Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.
Nehemiah 8:10
The second Fruit of the Spirit is Joy. Joy is an abiding sense of well-being based on the experience of a conscious relationship with God. It is the sign of liberation from the false self and the growing awareness of the true self. Flowing from joy comes the freedom to accept the present moment and its content without trying to change it. Bliss might be described as the fullness of joy. It is the abiding sense of being loved by God and of being permanently established in his presence. it is the experience of the living water that flows from the divine Source in our inmost being, which Jesus spoke about in John's Gospel.
John 7:37-39
Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
First Fruit of the Spirit: Charity
He will be silent in His love...
Zephaniah 3:17
The first Fruit of the Spirit is is Charity or, in the Greek, Agape, which means self-giving love as opposed to self-seeking love. Most of us know love as desiring something or someone. This is the kind of love the Greeks called Eros, a powerful and necessary kind of love but one that is meant to grow into the self-giving love that the Gospel calls charity. Charity is not alms giving. It is rather a participation in God's unconditional love...The growth of charity leads to self-surrender to God and to the compassionate love of others. The quality of Christ's love is the source of its vitality; the continual tender and loving awareness of the presence of God is its reward...Where does this charity come from? It is being infused into us in the silent seedbed of contemplative prayer.
Romans 5:5
God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Zephaniah 3:17
The first Fruit of the Spirit is is Charity or, in the Greek, Agape, which means self-giving love as opposed to self-seeking love. Most of us know love as desiring something or someone. This is the kind of love the Greeks called Eros, a powerful and necessary kind of love but one that is meant to grow into the self-giving love that the Gospel calls charity. Charity is not alms giving. It is rather a participation in God's unconditional love...The growth of charity leads to self-surrender to God and to the compassionate love of others. The quality of Christ's love is the source of its vitality; the continual tender and loving awareness of the presence of God is its reward...Where does this charity come from? It is being infused into us in the silent seedbed of contemplative prayer.
Romans 5:5
God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
