The Fruit of Intimacy: Living by the Spirit
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Galatians 5:16-25
I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ [Jesus] have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.
Grace Prayed For
Based on this passage, we are prompted to pray for the grace of spiritual discernment and docility—the grace to clearly recognize the impulses of the “flesh” versus the promptings of the “Spirit,” and the courageous obedience to “crucify” the one and “follow” the other, trusting that He will produce the fruit for our mission.
Reflection
Paul presents us with two ways to live: by the “flesh” or by the “Spirit.” It’s tempting to read this as a simple list of “bad things” to avoid and “good things” to achieve. But this passage is far more profound. It’s a direct invitation into the intimacy of the Trinitarian God.
The “flesh” isn’t just about sin; it’s about self-reliance. It’s my human-only effort, my ego, my plan, my timetable. When I live by the flesh, my encounters are transactional. I am driven by my needs, my insecurities, and my desires. Look at the “works of the flesh”: rivalry, jealousy, selfishness. These are the barriers to our mission. We cannot “share and receive” when we are trapped in a cycle of self-preservation.
The call to intimacy is the invitation to “live by the Spirit.” This is a call to a relationship. It’s the conscious choice to stop walking alone and to walk in step with the Holy Spirit, the love between the Father and the Son.
The call to obedience is to “crucify the flesh.” This sounds violent, but in the light of intimacy, it is an act of trust. It is the daily, sometimes hourly, choice to say “no” to my self-reliant impulse and “yes” to the Spirit’s guidance. Obedience isn’t a rule we follow; it’s the preference we give to the voice of the One we love.
The call to mission is the “fruit of the Spirit.” This is the beautiful part. Paul doesn’t call them the “works of the Christian” or the “habits of the holy.” He calls them fruit. Fruit is not something we manufacture. It is the natural, inevitable, organic result of a branch that is intimately connected to the vine.
When we live in intimacy with the Spirit—when we are obedient to His promptings—the fruit just grows. We don’t have to strain to “be kind”; we are filled with a Spirit of kindness. We don’t have to “try to be patient”; we are rooted in patience itself.
This is how our mission is fulfilled. We don’t just share the love of God; we become a person of love. We don’t just talk about peace; we are the presence of peace in a chaotic room. In every encounter, our mission is to simply “follow the Spirit,” and in doing so, we share the fruit He has grown in us and are able to truly receive others with His gentleness and patience.
Daily Evangelization and Baptismal Mission
Fulfilling Your Mission
This passage shows that evangelization is less about what you say and more about who you are because of your intimacy with Christ.
Share Your Obedience. Be vulnerable about the choice. You can witness by saying, “My first instinct was to be jealous (the flesh), but I felt the Holy Spirit reminding me of how much I am loved. So I chose to be generous and celebrate with them instead.” This shows that “living by the Spirit” is a daily, conscious partnership with Jesus, not a perfect state of being.
Be the Fruit. The world is starving for love, joy, peace, and patience. When you respond to an angry driver with “gentleness,” or to a frustrating coworker with “patience,” or to a suffering friend with “kindness,” you are being the Gospel. This is “restoring” a small part of God’s creation by replacing its brokenness with the Spirit’s fruit.
Testify to the Source. When someone notices this fruit, be ready to give the reason for your hope. Don’t be afraid to say, “I wish I could take credit, but I’ve been so angry/anxious/impatient in my life. The peace and patience I have are truly a gift from Jesus. He has changed my heart, and He is the one who gives me the strength to love this way.”
Evangelize by “Receiving.” The “flesh” is selfish and quick to fury. The “Spirit” is gentle and patient. A powerful way to evangelize is to receive another person. Listen to them without planning your response. Hear their pain without judgment. In a world where everyone is shouting, being a person who truly listens with the patience of the Spirit is a radical act of love that proclaims the Gospel more loudly than any argument.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post