Fruits Of The Holy Ghost

From the Pastor:    Fruits Of The Holy Ghost

       Last week, in preparation for Confirmation, I wrote about the Gifts of the Holy Ghost. How many are there? What are they? Why are they given to us? How do they help us? These and similar questions were the basis for the tests given to the youth before they received the sacrament. Their relationship with each other is important to understanding why the Lord gives them to us and how we are to use them to grow in holiness. They build upon each other, strengthen each other, and enlighten each other. This week I will show you a little peek into the supernatural results of using these Gifts properly, those things commonly called the Fruits of the Holy Ghost.
       Scripture and Tradition list 12 Fruits that are produced by the 7 Gifts. Charity (Love), Joy, Peace, Patience, Benignity (Kindness), Goodness, Longanimity (Long Suffering), Mildness, Faithfulness, Modesty, Continency, and Chastity. Unlike the Gifts, the Fruits don’t necessarily build upon each other in a particular order. All can be “harvested” as needed, so when circumstances change the crop of Fruit can sometimes change as well, or at least the manifestation of the Fruits might be more or less obvious to oneself and those around you. For example, Longanimity or Long Suffering, which preserves patience over a long period of time, especially when there seems to be no natural end to the suffering, is a Fruit that some people seem not to need for at least most of their life simply because they don’t have a lot of suffering to endure or because what suffering they do have has a foreseen natural end. Suffering the pain of a broken arm, for example, doesn’t require Longanimity, for one can be assured that it will be at least mostly healed in a matter of weeks or months. One suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease, on the other hand, sees that without Divine intervention, there will only be a progressively worse effect on the body until death finally occurs. Longanimity is definitely a Fruit needed unless the one suffering wants to make themselves and everyone around them miserable until the last breath and beyond. 
       In such a situation, it is important to go back to the Gifts of the Holy Ghost and take an inventory.  One must ask, “Do I have the Fear of God?” Without it, I will perhaps “curse God and die” as Job was counseled to do. “Do I have the Gift of Piety?” If so, I will see that prayer is even more available to me as my body shuts down, for my mind is still sharp. I can call upon and unite myself to God and His Saints more often—even continuously—for I can no longer fill my day with physical activities. This can proceed all the way up to the Gift of Wisdom and, having now focused not on the things of this world that are out of reach, I can long for union with God both on Earth and in Heaven and strive to love Him above all things. With this Gift, I can see how blessed I am for being able to still use all of my mental faculties so that I may join my will to God’s and offer up my suffering along with the suffering of Christ on the Cross. Too many people today see this disease as the worst of all diseases for that very reason. They would prefer to lose their minds than lose their bodies. They see no value in keeping a sharp brain confined in a wasting body, for they see no value in prayer itself, or perhaps have never thought it through. Remember that to the extent that you have lost your ability to think properly, you have also lost the chance to merit further grace, to repent of and confess sins, and even to love with real love (for real love is an intelligent act of the will, not an emotion). But by examining each Gift and asking for both the desire and ability to use them properly, even one with ALS can see the Fruits in all their splendor and strive to manifest such Fruit in their lives, especially that of Longanimity.
       Naturally, or, rather, supernaturally, other Fruits will more or less manifest themselves in such a scenario. Charity, or love of God, will control each action (remember, prayer and purposeful mental activity are all actions!). The person will find Joy, Peace, and Patience and radiate them to family, friends, and caregivers. Not only will the Joyful sick person exhibit Kindness and Goodness to others at this stage, but he will also most likely receive such Fruits in return. His Mildness will be well-noted when he does not harbor or express any ill will to God for his condition or to others for their reaction (good, bad, or indifferent) to his constant need for care. Faithfulness, Modesty, Continency, and Chastity will all be assumed long after those Fruits can be shown if Longanimity has been the constant way of life in the midst of such trials and tribulations. Ultimately, this all leads to a happy death, for sanctifying grace has been multiplied many times over during this ordeal. Plus, it does untold good to all who witness such an acceptance of suffering. Many souls could easily be won for the Lord or be given an increase in graces all by this one Fruit being seen in abundance.
       That is just one example of how the Gifts bear Fruits and the Fruits bear witness to faith in Jesus Christ. If you have been missing any of the Fruits of the Holy Ghost and you have read this far, perhaps God is leading you to a more “Fruitful” way of life today! If you have been confirmed you can produce an abundant harvest no matter what situation you find yourself in.

With prayers for your holiness,
Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka

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