Posted on 10/24/2020 6:31:12 AM PDT by MurphsLaw
SATURDAY OF THE TWENTY-NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
LUKE 13:1-9
Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree that the owner cursed because it bore no fruit. On a deeper level we may understand it to mean that the Lord expects us to bear spiritual fruit.
The fruit of the Spirit is the universal, all-embracing consequence of the Spirit’s presence in us. All people who live in the Spirit should manifest these qualities. The word “fruit” is especially good in this context. In Psalm 1 we find this comparison: “He is like a tree / planted near streams of water, / that yields its fruit in season; / Its leaves never wither.” The Spirit is this stream; when we are planted near it, we blossom.
Well, what are these fruits of the Holy Spirit? In the fifth chapter of Galatians, Paul enumerates them: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” When discerning whether the Spirit is living in you, in determining whether you are walking the right path, these are wonderful criteria.
“By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God's goodness, to his justice — for the Lord is faithful to his promises — and to his mercy.” (CCC 2091)
Do Not Despair. Seek the good fruits.
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