Bearing the Fruit of Union
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Galatians 5:16-26
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. Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Grace Prayed For
This passage prompts me to pray for the grace of docility to the Holy Spirit. I pray for the grace to surrender my own will and the desires of the flesh, and to be ever more attentive and responsive to the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit living within me, so that His fruit, not my own works, may define my life.
Reflection
Paul presents us with a reality we all know intimately: the struggle within our own hearts. He names it the battle between “the flesh” and “the Spirit.” It can be discouraging to read the long list of the “works of the flesh” and recognize our own brokenness and tendencies within it—the rivalry, the jealousy, the selfishness. This is the landscape of a heart living for itself, a heart that has not yet fully accepted the gift. This is the heart trying to earn love, to seize control, to find fulfillment on its own terms. It leads not to union, but to isolation, chaos, and exhaustion.
But here, in the midst of this struggle, is where your theme shines with radical brilliance: “God gives himself to me.” God does not stand aloof, waiting for us to win the battle on our own. In His immense love, the Father and the Son pour the Holy Spirit into our hearts. The Spirit is not just a helper or a guide; the Spirit is God Himself, the very life and love of the Trinity, given to dwell within us. This is the gift that changes everything.
Paul doesn’t say, “Try harder to be loving, joyful, and peaceful.” He says the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. This fruit is not the product of my strained and clumsy efforts. It is the natural, organic result of God’s own life growing within me. When I receive the gift of God Himself, His own qualities begin to manifest in my life. The love I show is His love. The joy that bubbles up, even in trial, is His joy. The peace that guards my heart is His peace. My union with God is not just a future hope; it becomes a present reality, bearing tangible fruit in my soul.
To “live by the Spirit,” then, is to consent to this gift, moment by moment. It is to surrender my own frantic efforts and to trust in the divine life I have received. It is to turn my attention away from the clamor of the flesh and listen for the quiet voice of the Indwelling God. Our mission in the world flows directly from this intimacy. We are not called to bring a program or a moral code, but to bring a Presence. When we walk into a room, we carry Christ within us. When we encounter another person, we have the opportunity to let the fruit of His Spirit—His patience, His kindness, His gentleness—be the medium of our encounter. We announce the Good News not just with our words, but by being living vessels of the God who has given Himself completely to us, and who longs to give Himself to everyone we meet.
Announcing Jesus in Our Lives
In Conversation: When someone asks how I’m doing, I can answer with authentic joy. “I’m so grateful for…” or “God has been so good to me in this small way…” This isn’t about preaching, but about letting the fruit of joy be seen. It’s a quiet witness that the source of my joy isn’t just my circumstances, but the impact of Jesus’s constant, loving presence in my life.
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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