The Fruits of the Spirit are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control

My Dear Friends,
During this period of Pentecost, I would like to spend some time unpacking the Fruits of the Spirit.
These are the consequence of allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us rather than goals that we try and attain all on our own. So, it is not about striving, but rather receiving, and allowing these beautiful experiences to be the very heart of our lives.
We begin with the wonderful concept of Love. It is the New Commandment that Jesus gives to his disciples, ‘That you love one another, and it is also the closest we have pf a definition of the Divine when we read in John’s Gospel the ‘God is Love’
But it is also a fruit of the Spirit, and it comes to us through the grace of God, and is our to dwell in and enjoy.
Sometimes the concept of ‘Love’ is over used, and it becomes too familiar. Sometimes we say we love something, or someone with out even thinking about it. Sometimes we feel we can’t love just because we don’t like, and that is a shame.
So, let’s just reflect for a moment what Christian love is.
When we allow the Holy Spirit into our lives, we are letting the presence and power of God to influence our every thought and feeling. When we shed our Ego, and accept the Grace of God, we will experience love in ways which are beyond our imagining, because we will be in tune with what we believe is the will of God.
There are three characteristics of this sort of love, and remember they come to us rather than we struggling to put them in to practice.
The fruit of the Spirit which is love has a sacrificial quality. The world view of ‘Love’ is based around what we can get from it. We base our love for someone or something on how they can benefit us emotionally, intellectually, or physically. In other words, “we” are at the centre of our love for another party. Christian love stands against this because of its sacrificial nature.
Instead of taking from another, Christian love constantly assumes the posture of giving. Of serving. You and I know that we are most truly happy when we are offering our love to others.

The second characteristic is that it is demonstrated rather than just talked about. We cannot say that we love our neighbour, but then watch them be beaten or mistreated. We cannot ‘Out of love pray for the lonely’ but not offer to visit them.
The Holy Spirit prompts us, and gives us the courage and the grace to stand up against injustice, and if we allow the Spirit in, we will find ourselves sharing our love with all God’s Children.
This takes us neatly to the third characteristic which is about initiative.
Throughout our scriptures Jesus takes the initiative, and in so doing engages with folk when they need him.
The world would hang on to it’s love until the other person is deemed ready to warrant it. But the fruit of the Spirit allows us to love even those who are unlovable, and to seek out all who are made in the image of God, and to offer them the greatest gift of all.
For me, the Fruits of the Spirit are incredible. I mean, who would not want Love, Joy and Peace in their lives. And how great that they flow through us when we let God’s Spirit in.
Your homework is to accept the fact that you are loved more than you could ever imagine, and so am I, and so is the person you don’t like very much!
Bless you, Bless you, Bless you, and I look forward to spreading some Joy next time.
Fr Marcus