2nd Fruit: Joy

We continue 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.

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

JOY is the feeling that your heart is dancing. It’s the sense of great happiness we experience when something is very satisfying. A birth. A grown child. A victory. A miracle. Forgiveness.

Christians know that true JOY doesn’t come from an accummulation of worldly things like money and possessions, but from satisfying relationships with God and others. JOY gives us strength to endure the times of pain, loss, mourning, and adversity that is part of our earthly life. The Holy Spirit plants the seed of JOY in our soul that we might rejoice along the way in the truth of Jesus: His birth. His resurrection. His Ascension. His Word. His love for each of us.

JOY isn’t just a reaction, though. It’s action, too. It’s being so happy in all that Jesus gives us that we willingly share what we have with others. Sharing, of course, is what God desires and it builds a closer relationship between Him and you, and between you and others. Right relationships is what Christianity is all about. Beng close to Jesus is the point Saint Paul makes in his letter to the Philippians:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice… Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.    Phil. 4:4, 6

In other words, when things go wrong, don’t give up on Jesus. Just ask Him for the sugar to turn the lemons into lemonade.

Read it a second time and notice what word, phrase, image, or emotion stuck 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.