The Fruits: Patience

 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

Patience! So many opportunities to practice it! Modern life is hurried and frenzied, and we are surrounded with the opposite.

The kind of patience that its the fruit of the Spirit, however, wells up at key times. The fruit of patience pays huge dividends in relationships too. Small children with learn slowly. Husbands who can't seem to handle emotions clearly. Co-workers who ignore our requests. Family members who just don't see things my way. Patience buys me room for healing, bonding, communicating—whatever it takes to love them as we are commanded. Easy? No. Source of grace? You bet. Do I do it well? Ah....

There are other impacts of spiritual patience. Waiting in traffic or in line become opportunities for prayer and praise.

A deeper more profound aspect of patience deals with the advent that is our life in this world. We are always, always waiting for the coming of Jesus. He comes to us in prayer. He comes to us in the Eucharist. He'll come for us at the end of our lives. He'll come at the end of time. Sometimes I want to stomp my foot and say "COME lord Jesus." He smiles and the Spirit says, "Patience."

The Fruits: Peace

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

Today  is Ascension Thursday.  The first, original, most meaningful novena of them all commences. It seems expedient for me to complete this series over the next nine days. 

As I write about peace my city had more shootings overnight. They come daily now. Jerusalem is burning, Gaza is being flattened, and civil war has erupted in some Israeli towns. Afghanistan has erupted as troops withdraw, the latest atrocity, the bombing of a girls' school with many deaths, hints at what may come. Cyber attacks on various power grids feel like the opening shots in a new form of warfare. Political polarization, anger, and yes, hatred continues to seethe. Attacks on Asian Americans are climbing, anti-semitism rises, and bigotry, the legacy of slavery, continues to manifest itself in violence and echoing hatred. Where is this peace?

My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. (John 14:27)

Jesus gives us His peace! If you search the gospels you'll find Him wishing/offering peace over and over. You'll find Him urging his followers to be peacemakers, to offer peace, to bring peace. He does not promise that the world, ever the opposite of God, will have peace. In fact, he goes on to say:

In this world you will have trouble. (John 16:33)

Period. Full stop. You will. He continues:

But take heart! I have overcome the world. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

(John 16:33)

So what is this peace that his followers ought to manifest, that will blossom from the seeds the Holy Spirit sows in our souls? Is it merely  a calm, untroubled manner in the face of all this violence and hatred, or is it something more? I won't pretend I can even do that. When faced with violence and anger I cringe.

Here's what I do know: forgiveness, acceptance and patience with the people in our lives feel good and they are good. Anger, resentment, and vengence do not and are not. In the face of injustice we ought to speak up, but we can still forgive and offer the world His love. To forgive, accept and offer everyone we encounter love we have to dig deep because conflict abounds. Our Lord wants us to be overflowing with peace in this troubled world and he sends the Holy Spirit to help us do it. Once again He demands we do the good that He presents in front of us, the peace that we and only we can make. Imbedded in the life of the Holy Spirit, we can bear the fruit that is peace in our own sphere of life.