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Illustration: Stained glass window at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin,
depicting the Fruit of the Holy Spirit (by Hardman & Co.in the 1870s).
Pope Francis’ Cycle of Catechesis. The Spirit and the Bride 15
The Holy Spirit guides the people of God towards Jesus our hope 15. The fruits of the Holy Spirit. Joy
Saint Peter’s Square Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Having spoken of sanctifying grace and then of charisms, today I would like to take a look at a third reality.
The first, sanctifying grace; second, charisms; and what is the third?
The Fruits of the Spirit
A reality linked to the action of the Holy Spirit: the “fruits of the Spirit”. Something strange.
What are the fruit of the Spirit?
St. Paul offers a list of them in the Letter to the Galatians.
He writes this, listen carefully: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22).
Nine: these are the “fruits of the Spirit”.
But what is this “fruit of the Spirit”?
Unlike the charisms, which the Spirit gives to whom He wants and when He wills for the good of the Church, the fruits of the Spirit, I repeat – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – are the result of cooperation between grace and our freedom.
These fruits always express the creativity of the person, in whom “faith works through love” (Gal 5:6 – in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love.), sometimes in surprising and joyful ways.
Not everyone in the Church can be an apostle, not everyone can be a prophet, not everyone can be an evangelist, not everyone; but all of us, without distinction, can and must be charitable, patient, humble workers for peace, and so on.
But all of us, yes, must be charitable, must be patient, must be humble, workers for peace and not for war.
Among the fruits of the Spirit listed by the Apostle, I would like to highlight one of them, recalling the initial words of the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium:
“The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Jesus joy is constantly born anew” (no. 1).
There will be sad moments at times, but there is always peace. With Jesus there is joy and peace.
Joy, the fruit of the Spirit, has in common with every other human joy a certain sense of fullness and fulfilment, that makes one wish it would last forever.
But we know from experience, however, that this is not the case, because everything here passes quickly. Everything passes quickly.
Let us think together: youth, youthfulness – it passes quickly; health, strength, well-being, friendships, loves… They last a hundred years, but then… no more. They soon pass.
Besides, even if these things do not pass quickly, after a while they are no longer enough, or even become boring, because, as St. Augustine said to God: “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You”.
There is the restlessness of the heart to seek beauty, peace, love, joy.
The joy of the Gospel, the evangelical joy, unlike any other joy, can be renewed every day and become contagious.
“It is only thanks to this encounter – or renewed encounter – with God’s love, which blossoms into an enriching friendship, that we are freed from our narrowness and self-absorption. … … Here we find the source and inspiration of all our evangelizing efforts. For if we have received the love that gives meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with others (Evangelii Gaudium, 8).
This the double characteristic of joy as fruit of the Spirit: not only is it not subject to the inevitable wear and tear of time, but it multiplies when it is shared with others!
A true joy is shared with others; it even spreads.
Five centuries ago, St. Philip Neri lived in Rome. He has gone down in history as the saint of joy.
Listen carefully: the saint of joy.
He used to say to the poor and abandoned children of his Oratory: “My children, be joyful; I do not want you to be worried or melancholy; it is enough for me that you do not sin”. And again: “Be good, if you can!”.
Less well known is the source of his joy.
St. Philip Neri had such a love for God that at times his heart seemed to burst in his chest.
His joy was, in the fullest sense, a fruit of the Spirit.
The Saint participated in the Jubilee of 1575, which he enriched with the practice of visiting the Seven Churches, which he continued. In his time, he was a true evangelizer through joy.
And he had this, like Jesus, who always forgave, who forgave everything.
Maybe some of us think: “But I have committed this sin and it will not be forgiven…”.
Listen carefully. God forgives all, God always forgives. And that is the joy: to be forgiven by God.
And I always tell priests and confessors: “Forgive everything, do not ask too many questions, but forgive everything, everything and always”
The word “Gospel” means glad news It cannot, therefore, be proclaimed with a long face and a gloomy countenance, but with the joy of those who have found the hidden treasure and the precious pearl. Remember St Paul’s exhortation to the believers of the Church of Philippi, which he now addresses to us all, and which we heard at the beginning: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near” (Phil 4:4-5).
Dear brothers and sisters, let us rejoice with the joy of Jesus in our heart. Thank you.
Summary of the Holy Father’s words:
Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our continuing catechesis on the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church, we are now considering what are traditionally called “the fruits of the Holy Spirit”, namely, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
These fruits are the result of our free cooperation with the grace of the Spirit at work in our lives.
Today let us reflect on one of these fruits, that is particularly dear to me: the gift of spiritual joy.
Unlike the fleeting joys of the world, the Spirit gives us a deep and abiding joy, born of his presence in our hearts.
The joy of God’s love not only fills our own lives but also inspires us to share that joy with others.
St. Paul encourages us to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4).
May our witness to “the joy of the Gospel” help those around us to find peace for their restless hearts and, new meaning for their lives in Christ.
