Pentecost 2010: Gifts and Fruits

Song: "The fruit of the Spirit's not a coconut, an apple, a tomato ……."

I've been reflecting on the difference between the gifts of the Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit this week.  I'll confess, I often get them confused, or use incorrect terminology to speak of them.  We speak of 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit, wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the lord.  We believe that we are sealed with these gifts of the Holy Spirit in our Confirmation.  "They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them"(CCC 1831).  Infused with the Holy Spirit's gifts, we respond to life situations as if by instinct.  We can't earn the gifts of the Spirit but rather we can only receive them as gift to help us live the way we want to live.  When we say yes to God we will bear fruit.  It just happens.  We find ourselves more patient, more generous, more……well, experiencing more of all those fruits of the Spirit, "love, joy, peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self control" (Gal. 5.22).

I have a picture of my mom that my Dad took of her on their honeymoon.  They were at Turkey Run State Park in northern Indiana.  Mom is 23 years old, dressed in a flannel shirt and slacks, and is looking dreamily, longingly at the camera, which is to say at dad.  When I first saw that picture I thought, wow, my mom was pretty.  Dad was understandably crazy about her.  I called Dad up to ask him about that picture.  I asked him how he knew that he loved her.  He said, "It flowed.  It was totally natural."  It wasn't something they had to work at.  Their love was a gift!  And their love for each other, their desire to be together bore fruit—they had me!  Simply put, there was the love of a man and woman in marriage and that love bore fruit.  My brothers and sisters and I are the fruit of their loving encounter in the sacrament of marriage. 

Pentecost celebrates the gift of our loving encounter with God who has revealed himself in the paschal mystery.  For 96 days we have commemorated Christ's self gift on the cross and the new life of resurrection that he offers to all who follow him.  On Pentecost we celebrate the call for each one of us to be fruitful in our lives.  Regardless of our marital status, married, single, divorced, widowed, consecrated, each one of us has the call give evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.  God the Father has sealed us with the gift of His Spirit, has poured out his life into our hearts through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.  The gift of the Spirit naturally bears fruit.  By the way, my Dad called back and said, "Mark, you are a perfect example of how the Spirit of God works in a person."  And I would have to agree.  Because of a loving encounter with God through the miracle of ordination, and through wonderful people such as yourselves, I have been able to experience the fruits of the Spirit.  What we make happen is our yes to God, our going with the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  God unfolds the fruits for us and we can just enjoy them and be amazed.

So, friends, seek the encounter with God, and the fruits will come.  Christ feeds us today with his living presence.  Christ nourishes us whenever we meet him in the sacraments of the church.  Celebrate them!

Let us do whatever we can to encounter Christ all 168 hours of the week.

Seek Christ in prayer when we're sleepy and when we're alert.

Encounter Christ in our spouse as we set time aside for a much needed date night.

Get away by ourselves for some time with God.

Or get together with some friends and share a God moment. 

Seek the encounter with Christ and you will find him.  Better yet, Christ will find you!  What will flow in our lives will be the fruits of the Spirit.  We'll know more love, joy, peace……