5th & 6th Fruits: Kindness and Goodness

INTRODUCTION (you can skip this if you are already following the Fruits of the Holy Spirit series.) 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.

KINDNESS is a friendly attitude towards others. Like the many grapes that make up a bunch, there are many ways to show KINDNESS. It’s being nice, generous and helpful. It’s doing more for others than is needed or expected; doing more for others than they do for you.

Some bibles translate KINDNESS as “gentleness”. Gentlemen and gentlewomen are those who act with kindness, meaning they use good moral behavior and don’t judge others as lesser than themselves, Even the secular world wants gentlemen and gentlewomen; it’s just that their motivation is selfish: “be kind in case that person ends up being your boss.” Christian KINDNESS comes from our belief that everyone is a child of God and worthy of respect; leave harshness and severity to God. Saint Paul compares gentleness to a mother feeding her baby. (I Thessalonians 2:7).

When we were safely ashore, we learned that the island was called Malta. The natives there were very friendly to us. It had started to rain and was cold, so they built a fire and made us all welcome.   (Acts 28: 1-2)

GOODNESS is rejecting evil and striving to do God’s will. GOODNESS is often defined as showing kindness, and like kindness, is seen in actions. It’s being morally upright inside, but also acting in “good”, moral, ways on the outside. It’s being a “good doer”.  

God is the ultimate example of GOODNESS because He loved those and reached out to those–even died for those–who hated Him. The Fruit of GOODNESS motivates us to be good as God is good, so it motivates us to repent and be live in the light. Without GOODNESS, we are lousy witnesses for Christ.

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you …Do for others just what you want them to do for you. (Luke 6:27-28, 31)

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.

Please feel welcome to leave comments. You never know when someone will benefit greatly from what you say and your particular way of saying it. I’m praying for you.