When I was listening at mass this morning to Paul’s message
to the Galatians he is disquieting and yet comforting at the same time. He lists the works of the flesh-- “immorality,
impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissentions, factions, occasions of
envy, drinking bouts, orgies”. I thought
to myself “That pretty much covers the roots of most of the problems in all of
our human interrelations – then and now.”
If you don’t believe me just pick up a newspaper or magazine,
watch any ‘reality’ TV show, or simply surf the ‘net. Need more proof? Read the comment sections of even the most (supposedly)
‘feel-good’ articles. You’ll find
comments that are written with the sole intent of perpetuating the negative
traits of our society as listed by Paul especially racism, misogyny, hatred and
violence. The modern-day Galatians responsible
for these comments only get away with it because they feel emboldened by the
anonymity of the media.
The comments sometimes upset me so much that I have been
advised by several friends and family members to simply ignore them. Is that really a solution to the problem,
though? Ignorance is not bliss. Just
because I don’t read them doesn’t make the hate and division disappear.
So where is the comfort? Just reflect on the words that are
the fruit of the Spirit that he names: "Patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." What happens when we ponder these
fruits? Doesn’t our heart rate slow down, our mind and body become more
relaxed? Don’t we feel quietly happy? The first list is hard and tense and
divisive, whereas these words are like balm. What would happen to our minds,
our bodies and our daily routines if we began each day, or reflected during the
day, on patience, kindness, gentleness, etc.?
And even more good news in this message from Paul is that
these fruits are not automatic, but they are possible. So, if we try to do the
things our faith calls us to do, but we fall short, we don’t give up. We simply
need to be reminded, just as the Galatians did. We can remind ourselves, remind
others, start fresh. Just like Paul told the early Christians, we must take
steps in our lives to follow the Spirit and to truly live in the Spirit. If we
do that, the fruit of the Spirit will grow in us more and more.
Although I all too often fall short of what is expected of
me as a disciple of Jesus Christ, I seriously want to help everyone see the
light and love of Jesus and the promise of salvation. I guess I’ll have to just pick my battles and
do my best to convince those that are seriously seeking a better world that
we’ve already been given the formula by God Himself through Scripture and Tradition,
not to mention the Good News proclaimed by Christ Himself and fulfilled in His
Resurrection.
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