1st Fruit: Love

Today we begin our mini-meditations on the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Saint Paul’s letter to the Galatians lists nine of them: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, drawing on other biblical teachings, include four additional fruits: generosity, gentleness, modesty and chastity. (CCC #1832) The added four emphasize aspects of the original nine; generosity, for example, would likely be included in teachings on love, gentleness with kindness, and chastity and modesty with self-control.

An easy way to understand the fruits of the Spirit are to think of them as seeds of habits that we will need to live in heaven. The Holy Spirit plants them inside us, and if we tend to them like we would any plant or tree, they will grow and produce fruit, the spiritual kind.

We will follow the traditional lectio divina prayer form: reading, meditation, talk (pray), and contemplation. Scripture is the part that is reread during the meditation.

Read the commentary and passage. Read it a second time and note what word, phrase, image, or emotion stands out to you.

LOVE is key to all virtues. Jesus said the two greatest commandements are to love God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself. LOVE is sometimes called CHARITY, but charity is but one aspect of the many forms of love in which we give to God, and each other, without expecting something in return. LOVE is wanting the best for the other person. Yet LOVE expresses itself differently depending upon the type of LOVE relationship. The LOVE of lovers; of parents for their children; of siblings; of extended family; of friends; of humankind; of creation. Many of the facets of LOVE were mentioned by Saint Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, advice that is frequently read during wedding ceremonies:

I may have the faith to move mountains, but if I have not love, I am nothing… Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. Love is eternal.

1 Cor. 13: 2, 4-7

LOVE comes so freely, so gloriously with people we like. But sometimes LOVE is quite a challenge–quite a challenge. That’s when LOVE is most like a seed that must be nourished. That’s when we must pray for the capacity to love.

Read it a second time and note what word, phrase, image, or emotion stands out to you.

Meditate: Read the passage a third time. Then pause and ponder. What message does God seem to be sending you? Is He addressing your relationship with Him or with others? Is He advising you, or challenging you, or comforting you?

Pray: Read the passage again. What is your response to God? What do you want to tell Him? How you feel? That you are sorry? Grateful? Worried? Thankful? Take the time to say all you have to say. Make it an honest prayer.

Contemplate: Read the passage one more time. Then sit quietly in God’s presence.

Thank you for taking the time to grow in your relationship with God. Your efforts help the whole world in ways we can’t explain or understand. I’m praying for you.