In Acts 2:1-4
we read, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were
all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there
came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house
where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire,
appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All
of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages,
as the Spirit gave them ability.”
This is what
happened during this time 2000 years ago on the first Pentecost, the feast
which we celebrate in our church this Sunday.
Thus, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church, just as it had descended as a dove upon Jesus at His baptism (Matthew 3:16). The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity. It is the Holy Spirit that gives life to the Church. He does this through His gifts, fruit, and charisms.
What are gifts, fruit and charisms and what is the difference.
Gifts are something
that we get willingly from someone for free, i.e. without making
any payment. It is a present and we
don't have to exert any effort to become recipients of gifts. For e.g.
supermarket
On the other hand, fruit
is the result of our conscious effort or endeavor. It requires some input from ourselves and the
outcome of the effort is the fruit. For
example a mango tree. In order to reap a
harvest of mangoes, we would have to first plant a seed in the soil, water it,
put manure and care for the plant till it grows into a tree. The mangoes that the tree will yield is the
fruit of our effort.
Charisms are also
gifts of a spiritual nature.
Gifts of the Holy
Spirit
The Catechism of the
Catholic Church (para 1831) states: The Seven Gifts of the Holy
Spirit are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and
Fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They
complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful
docile (or submissive) in readily obeying divine inspirations.
Fruit of the Holy
Spirit
The fruit of the Holy
Spirit is virtues or graces that influence the character of the Christian. In order to live the life that God wants us,
His sons and daughters, to live, He didn't leave us alone, with only our own
abilities, but rather gave us His Spirit to produce fruit in our lives.
Charism of the Holy
Spirit
According to CCC para 2003, Charism
is simply the Greek word used in the New Testament
for "favor" or "gratuitous gift." Charisms, or spiritual
gifts, are special abilities given to Christians by the Holy Spirit to enable
them to be powerful channels of God's love and redeeming presence in the world.
Whether extraordinary or ordinary, charisms are to be used in charity or service
to build up the Church.
The seven Gifts of the Holy
Spirit and Fruit of the Spirit are gifts given to us to keep. They are part of our inner
transformation as Christians and provide the inner "Christ-likeness"
necessary for the effective use of our charisms (CCC paras 1830-1832)
Charisms, on the other hand, are gifts given to us to give away, and
are one of the ways God continues to enter the world through our acceptance and
cooperation. They always benefit other
people. Charisms are always focused outward: they enable God's love and
goodness to reach our neighbor through us.
The gifts are to be used to
bear fruit. All who are confirmed are
equipped with the gifts of the Holy Spirit to live a virtuous and holy life,
and sent forth to bear much fruit, something that is possible only when one
stays firmly attached to Jesus, the vine (John 15:1-8). The graces of the Spirit strengthen confirmed
Christians to carry out their vocations for the good of others and the benefit
of the Church and the world.
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
The
fruit of the Holy Spirit is the result of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the
life of a Christian. The Bible makes it clear that everyone receives the Holy
Spirit the moment he or she believes in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13-14). One of the primary
purposes of the Holy Spirit coming into a Christian's life is to change that
life. It is the Holy Spirit's job to conform us to the image of Christ, making
us more like Him.
The
fruit of the Holy Spirit is in direct contrast with the acts of the sinful nature in Galatians 5:19-21, “The acts of the sinful
nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and
witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you,
as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of
God.” This passage describes all people, to varying degrees, when they
do not know Christ and therefore are not under the influence of the Holy
Spirit. Our sinful flesh produces certain types of fruit that reflect our
nature, and the Holy Spirit produces types of fruit that reflect His nature.
The
Christian life is a battle of the sinful flesh against the new nature given by
Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). As fallen human beings, we are
still trapped in a body that desires sinful things (Romans 7:14-25). As Christians, we
have the Holy Spirit producing His fruit in us and we have the Holy Spirit's
power available to conquer the acts of the sinful nature (2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 4:13).
But we need to activate that power. It is like being gifted with electricity and a light
bulb. But if we do not activate the
electricity by turning on the switch we will never enjoy the light of the
bulb.
The word of God tells us in Galatians
5:22-23 that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These reveal nine characteristics of
Jesus. These are not nine different
fruits, but nine aspects of the same fruit.
Just like an orange, which is one fruit but has different segments
within or a diamond with many sides, the fruit is singular but with different
aspects.
This evening I will share on
Gentleness and Self-control.
A.
GENTLENESS
Gentleness can be
translated as humility or meekness but it does not mean weakness. One who is
gentle is mild and polite, not rough or violent. It involves
humility and thankfulness toward God, and polite, restrained behavior toward
others. The opposites of gentleness are anger and a desire for revenge. Gentleness is the absence of bad temper.
It is close in meaning to kindness.
Gentleness is one of the traits that is associated with Authority. It is generally seen in our relationship with
others. A person who is gentle does not
easily become angry.
The Epistle of James says that
meekness or gentleness is generated in a person as a result of wisdom given by
the Holy Spirit. James 3:17 says “But
the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield,
full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” He who is filled with the Holy Spirit gains
strength to behave gently. (1 Peter 3:4)
A person filled with the Holy Spirit does not shout and quarrel with
others. He is compassionate and gentle towards others and speaks to people in a
Christ-like way (1 Peter 3.8).
Jesus Christ was meek and
gentle. Jesus told his disciples “Learn
from me, because I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Gentleness is a godly virtue. The person who associates with God through
the Holy Spirit gains it abundantly.
Gentleness is an important virtue
required for every disciple, i.e. me and you.
All of us who are followers of Christ should keep away from fights,
arguments and be gentle to all men (Titus 3:2). In Ephesians 4:2, St. Paul advises us
to “live with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with
one another in love”.
Every
person is powerful. We can speak words that influence others; we can act in
ways that help or hurt; and we can choose what influences will inform our words
and actions.
When we
are filled with the Spirit’s fruit of gentleness, we will correct others with
easiness instead of arguing in resentment and anger. We will forgive readily, because any offense
toward us is nothing compared to our offenses against God. Competition will disappear, as the goal
becomes less about ourselves and more about preaching the gospel
Once we really start walking in the Holy Spirit with His divine fruit
operating and flowing through us – we will really be able to feel and sense
when we should handle a certain person or a certain type of situation with more
of a touch of gentleness rather than with any kind of stern rebuke or
condemnation. There is a time for tough
love – but there are also times that just a gentle and loving touch is all that
is really needed to properly handle a certain situation. The Holy Spirit will guide us in all of this
Gentleness is one of the traits that is associated with Authority. We must show gentleness to the people whom we
are in charge of. Our children, our
subordinates, our domestic help at home.
We, who are parents, specially need this fruit operating through us, as
it is very easy to get out of balance with the way we correct our children.
Sometimes more of a tough love approach is needed, but at other times more of a
gentle approach will be better suited for the situation.
If all our children ever hear from us are stern words of scolding and
criticism, and it is never properly balanced out with words and actions of
love, kindness, and gentleness, then after a certain period of time our
children will start distancing themselves from us.
When we learn to walk in this quality of gentleness, not only will
people love us and be attracted towards us more but we will be at much more
peace with ourselves.
Jesus
gave us the perfect picture of gentleness: “See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey” (Matthew 21:5), and now He offers us His
gentleness as a gift. If we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, we will be filled
with fruit of gentleness.
Example – The gift of meekness
can be seen in St. Vincent De Paul. Once
a mother asked the saint to use his influence to secure her son a good position
in the Church. The saint knew her son
was not qualified for the position sought.
Therefore, he discouraged her. In
a fit of anger she threw a stool at him.
His forehead bled with the injury.
Inspite this the saint told her gently: “Behold, how wonderful is the
love of the mother for her son”
The Lord gives many rewards to
those who are meek and mild. He gives
them food (Psalm 22:26), Dispenses justice to them (Isaiah 11:4). The Lord protects them (Psalm 76:9)
and leads them (Psalm 25:9). The
Lord lifts them up (Psalm 147:6), makes them victorious (Psalm 149:4). Blessed are the meek (Matthew 5:5),
God gives them new joy (Isaiah 29:19).
The meek will seek God and will find them (Zephaniah 2:3).
B. SELF-CONTROL
Self-control is the personal
discipline or control in all aspects of one's life, especially with regard to
sexual passions. Self-control is
the ability to control oneself. It involves moderation, constraint, and the
ability to say a big “NO” to our improper desires and fleshly lusts.
Self-control is listed last on the list by St. Paul in Galatians 5:22-23. But this does not mean that self-control is
the least important fruit of the Spirit. It easily could have been first
because it plays an important part in making other spiritual fruit grow ripe.
Self-control is the glue that holds all the other fruit together. In fact, for some, Self-control could be on
the top of the list because with Self-control they will be able to mature in the
other fruit of the Spirit.
Like the other fruit
of the Spirit, self-control is a gift of grace.
It has been called “disciplined or trained grace”: grace because
it is free, disciplined because there is something for us to do. When we fail to control ourselves—our
feelings, our appetites, our drives—then they control us. So, we must choose self-control under the
grace and power of the Holy Spirit. Or
we must accept being controlled by someone or something else. We are the ones who decide.
In 1
John 2:15 & 16 we are warned to stay away from three lusts.
“Do
not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in
those who love the world; for all that
is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in
riches—comes not from the Father but from the world.”
There are dos and do
nots in the Christian life. There is a
continuing struggle with self, with the flesh, and with the ways of the world.
When we fail to
control our flesh, we give the devil a foothold. We allow Satan to tempt us
because of our lack of self-control. When
we live by the Spirit and put to death the things of the flesh, then we can
begin to say, as Jesus did, that the "prince of this world" (the
devil) "has no hold on me". 1 Peter 5:8-9 says. "Be
self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the
faith." Self-control is necessary if we are to succeed in
spiritual warfare.
When the flesh has
power over us, we find ourselves in the position that St. Paul described in Romans
7:14-25, "What I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I
do", "I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it
out", I am "a prisoner of the law of sin at work within
my members." What St. Paul describes is the opposite of
self-control. As we become able, by the power of the Holy Spirit in us, to live
by the Spirit and put to death the things of the flesh, we become
self-controlled.
Romans 6:13-14 illustrates true
self-control.:
"Do not offer
the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer
yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer
the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall
not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
In a sense,
self-control sums up all the other aspects of the fruit of the Spirit. To
develop the fruit of the Spirit is to allow our spirit, in which the Holy
Spirit dwells, to be in control of our soul and our body. To the extent that we
achieve this we become mature and complete, we become single-minded, we achieve
inner peace, and we become fully submitted to God.
A common
characteristic of all the acts of the sinful nature is a lack of self-control.
As we develop self-control and learn the genuine satisfaction and joy of living
a Spirit-led life, the power of these sinful impulses will decrease.
Colossians 3:1–10 gives us rules for holy living as
new persons in Christ. From these verses, we learn
several important things we must do to grow self-control in our lives.
“So if you have been raised with
Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right
hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on
earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When
Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in
glory.
Put to
death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion,
evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of
God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways
you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such
things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do
not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its
practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed
in knowledge according to the image of its creator.”
Every
skill has to be practised. Self-control does not come in a day. It comes in hits and misses, in successes and
failures, as we try to practice it day after day.
Brothers
and sisters, we should not keep putting yourself in places where our weaknesses
will be tested. These are the places
where it is difficult to control our desires under the firing line of temptation. We must avoid anything that seems to be evil.
Self-control
naturally leads to perseverance as we value the long-term good instead of the
instant gratification and momentary pleasures of the world. Self-control is a
gift that frees us. It frees us to enjoy the benefits of a healthy body. It
frees us from a guilty conscience. Self-control restricts the indulgence of our
foolish desires.
Self-control is the change in our character that comes about because of
the Holy Spirit's work in us. The
Holy Spirit helps us to be humble and obey God. We do not think of pleasing
ourselves but our one desire is to please God in all we say and do. When
temptations come we resist them and control our bodily desires and so stand
strong in our faith. We do not become a
Christian on our own, and we cannot grow on our own. Every good thing we do is
the fruit of the Spirit's work in our lives. As the Spirit gives us
self-control, we can refuse sin.
One of
the proofs of God’s working in our lives is the ability to control our own
thoughts, words, and actions.
Jesus
faced all his opponents with self control.
Jesus exercised self control before Herod and Pilate. Even when false accusations were leveled
against him, Jesus heard them with self control. He was beaten and tortured, yet he did not
open his mouth. He was silent. Isaiah
53:7 says, “Yet he opened not his mouth like a lamb that is led to
the slaughter and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb”
Examples:
Alcohol, diabetic, blood pressure, heart patient
Conclusion
God the Father calls us to be
holy as He is holy. He is the Potter, we
are the clay. It is His desire to mold
and shape us into the image and likeness of His Son Jesus. He does this through the power of the Holy
Spirit working in our lives.
Jesus tells us in John 15:4-5
“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by
itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I
am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear
much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”
Remember, fruit takes time to
develop and grow. It must be watered and
given good care. In the same way the
fruit of the Spirit develops and grows in our lives when we study the word of
God and come into a deep, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, spend
quality time in personal prayer, fasting, going to confession often.
When we give our lives to Jesus,
with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we become more like him. We
begin to follow him and to act like Him. The fruit of
the Spirit is what God desires our lives to exhibit and, with the Holy Spirit's
help, it is possible!
********
Shared by Lester D’Mello, God’s Love Community, Salmiya, Kuwait
The
content of this sharing has been resourced and collated from articles and
teachings on various internet sites. The
primary and sole purpose of this sharing is to get a better understanding of
the gifts, fruit and charisms of the Holy Spirit and to share it with others in
order that we may all grow spiritually.