Gal 5:18-25 Guided By The Spirit

Wednesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
By JENNIFER BURGIN

Brothers and sisters: 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.....In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Today we celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Teresa of Avila, a Virgin and Doctor of the Church instrumental in reforming the Carmelite Order.  I love this quote from the Spanish mystic:

"May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given toyou. May you be content knowing that you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into our bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and everyone of you.”   

 Saint Teresa's beautiful words resonate as I reflect on how we are guided by the Holy Spirit.   Many times we ignore the Spirit's prodding, choosing to do morally objectionable things through our own selfish will.   We fail to recognize how "works of the flesh" harm our souls as well relationships with others.  We lose an inner peace that Our Lord desperately wants to bless us with. Stubborn sinfulness is all too pervasive throughout mankind.

We feel instant attraction to forbidden fruit.  (As the saying goes, we want what we cannot have!)  We lust after attractive men or women often to the point of treating them as objects, using them for our own gratification.  We idolize everything from movie celebrities to money and power instead of placing God #1 in our lives.  We display acts of hate, anger, and rivalry in ways that cause divisions and frictions with one another.  Furthermore, we often fall into the trap of believing in heretic teachings, "new age" thought, and quackery which distances us from the Truth of Christ.

The forbidden fruits of the flesh may taste delectable, smell fragrant and look beautiful; however, they can be caustic to our souls.   To neutralize the caustic effect, it's essential for us to dine from the fruits of the Spirit.  Most of us rather snack on a cookie than a carrot; drink soda instead of water; and eat fried food instead of baked!  Junk food tastes good, but if that's all we eat we will harm our bodily health.  The same situation goes with our spiritual health; by engaging in sinful and perverse behaviors we cause damageto our souls.

Our interior souls are beautifully molded and crafted by God.  He wants our souls to be well taken care of.  He doesn't want us to choose human pleasures that disconnect ourselves from Him.  When we love instead of hate, we see the goodness in another person.  When we strive for joyfulness instead of grouchiness, we bring smiles to others.  When we act with generosity and kindness, we bring hope to others.  When we remain patient and self-controlled, we no longer risk scandal and offense.

Most importantly of all, when we remain faithful in Jesus Christ we recognize a peace within ourselves and others.  This peace is often blinded by anxiety and worry, but through prayer and frequent reception of the sacraments we can overcome darkness and see the shining Light of Christ.

“Let nothing disturb you, 

Let nothing frighten you, 

All things are passing away:

God never changes.

Patience obtains all things.

Whoever has God lacks nothing;

God alone suffices.”

-Saint Teresa of Jesus, Pray for Us!

This meditation was written by Jennifer Burgin.  Please visit her blog:  Jennifer’s Spectrum of Spirituality