By: Bernadette Parrott
Welcome to our Faith Renewal Series that is exploring The ABCs of Being Catholic. We are invited on a journey through the alphabet to explore Catholic terms, beliefs, and traditions. In this post we focus on the letter “F”. Every few days we will add another term beginning with “F” to this post.
If you missed our Introduction to this series <click here>. To go back to the letter “E” <click here>. To go to the letter “G” <click here>.
Fruits of the Holy Spirit
January 21, 2021
The Holy Spirit has infused us with the capacity for love.
We find the Fruits of the Holy Spirit introduced to us in Galations 5: 22-26.
Do you ever feel as though God is reaching out from you? That you are being called to witness in the world and it feels so easy to do it? It is because the Spirit is alive in you! You have opened the gifts of the Holy Spirit and now those gifts are being manifested by the power of the Holy Spirit. That manifestation is the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
It is in those moments that we recognize God’s presence. We are happy when we witness and strive to continue that mission daily.
There are twelve definable Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Let’s take a look at them and see if we can recognize ourselves in them. Perhaps some are strong, perhaps some require us to be stronger. But all of them are present within us. Each one of us is a gift from God. Each one of us has something to offer to our brothers and sisters in faith. What is your calling?
Charity (or Love) – The Holy Spirit has infused us with the capacity for love – for God and for our neighbour. We Love without the need for any reward. Your prayers, words and actions define God within you. It is selfless.
Joy – Do you always have a smile on your face? With joy, we experience a deep, true happiness and constant gladness. Even outside circumstances cannot destroy the joy. It is through this fruit that we come to know and follow Jesus in genuine love until we return to our home in Heaven.
Peace – Jesus said “My peace I give to you.” This fruit comes to our soul because we rely on God in all things. I have a stain glass cross in my home that reads “In God, all things are possible”. When we focus on that, through prayer, scripture and worship, this inner peace shines.
Patience – “Love is patient”. Are you thoughtful, tolerant, merciful and forgiving? The Fruits allows us to accept the everyday routine and difficult situations knowing that God is with us. We simply rest in the Lord in all that we do and encounter.
Benignity (or Kindness) – Are you always looking to do more for others without any return? This Fruit is a deep kindness, one that manifests itself in the everyday things of the world. These generous acts of service are a reflection of the love Jesus has called us to.
Goodness – The Fruit of the Holy Spirit flows from God’s great love for us. It is a reminder that we are called to goodness towards all people, without exception. How do we get there? We embrace all that is good, we repent our sins and we continually strive to do God’s will.
Longanimity – There is so much suffering in the world, and sometimes, it affects us personally. This Fruit of the Holy Spirit helps us to endure pain over a long period of time and gives us the strength to be by the side of someone we love offering them comfort and the love of God that is within us.
Mildness (or Gentleness) – The Holy Spirit has given to us the strength to be gentle, mild, show forgiveness and to be gracious to others even when we encounter those who are angry and vengeful towards us.
Faith – It is through Divine Grace we are able to be faithful disciples of Jesus. When we commit to the teachings of Jesus, Scripture, and the Holy Church our faithfulness is strengthened, and our commitment calls to others to join us. We trust in our God. In our very being we know that “all things are possible in God”.
Modesty – This Fruit of the Holy Spirit allows us to give glory to God for all the gifts and talents He has given us. We are called to humility and called to rid ourselves of seeking things of the world that are not a gift from God. It also calls us to modesty and humility in the way we dress, speak and act. It calls us to remember that we are followers of Jesus and to act as he has asked.
Continence (or Self-Control) – We are called to exercise self-control and moderation in all things. When we turn to the Holy Spirit, we are given the strength to resist inappropriate temptations of a sexual nature and pleasures of the world.
Chastity – Is a deep respect for our sexual nature. It moderates the desire for sexual pleasure and calls us to look to the Church’s teaching on marriage: to abstain from sexual activity prior to marriage, to remain faithful to your spouse and to not take part in sexual activities with another partner. It calls to a Priest or religious lay person to give themselves fully to God.
These Fruits of the Holy Spirit can only manifest themselves if we become willing vessels. Did you find your strength in any of these Fruits? How will you use them to be a witness of Jesus?
Fall of Adam and Eve
January 18, 2021
Imagine yourself in complete and total union with God, every aspect of your life, your very being centered on the perfect relationship with Him. Every thought, every spoken word, every action, everything you see around you, every relationship you have is one with the Father. You walk with Him, you talk with Him, you are in union with Him.
Now imagine losing all that in a moment of decision.
Our first parents, Adam and Eve, lost the divine relationship and sanctifying grace by making a choice. In their freedom, they chose sin, lies and deception. That choice wounded their relationship with God and weakened their ability to know truth in its fullness. As children of Adam and Eve, we too have lost this divine relationship.
Much discussion surrounds what the first sin of humanity was. It is accepted that it was pride. Because of this pride, they chose to listen to the devil and his empty promise that they would become like God. It is this disobedience to God’s will that leads to the Fall of Adam and Eve.
We find the story of the Fall in Genesis 3, and most of us are familiar with it. While much of the Book of Genesis is rich in imagery, the telling of the Fall of Adam of Eve is direct and easy to visualize even though it uses figurative language. Are you able to recognize the story through its images? The image of husband and wife. The image of a beautiful garden. The image of a serpent. The image of easy conversation not only with God, but with the serpent. The image of deceit and lies. The image of betrayal and loss of trust. The image of separation from the intimate relationship they once had with God as the leave the Garden of Paradise. The image of the consequences of sin.
As always, let’s put ourselves into the story. Adam and Eve fell into sin when they fell into danger by admiring what was forbidden, instead of avoiding it. They did not flee from temptation but were seduced by it. How do I recognize what is forbidden? How do I have the strength to flee from temptation? Through my personal relationship with God, my acceptance of the teachings of His Holy Church, my active participation in the Sacrifice of the Mass and my participation in the Sacraments of the Church. I am also called to continued enlightenment of the teaching of the Holy Church.
Yes, each of us has inherited the mark of Original Sin. We share in their sin of disobedience and pride and so we also share in their punishment. We are deprived of the Grace of God. Our understanding of the will of God is darkened. Our will to not be seduced by the evil one is weakened, and we are left with a strong inclination to evil.
We are inheritors of the outcome of this reality. We too, experience the separation that sin and the evil one cause. I think what’s important here to hold on to is even though the separation exists, God has not abandoned us.
We are gifted by the graces of our Baptism, by the graces of Reconciliation through the Sacrament of Penance, the graces of Holy Eucharist, when Christ Himself is present within us, the graces of the union through the Sacrament of Marriage, the graces bestowed through the Sacrament of Healing of the Sick and the graces afforded to those through Holy Orders. The Word of God speaks to us and guides us in Holy Scripture.
We are not abandoned. Christ has defeated the evil one and His Spirit stands with us as we travel through our journey home.
Five Wounds of Christ
January 14, 2021
Matthew 27 gives us a brief look at the crucifixion of Jesus. The act and actions of crucifixion are historically well documented. Again, we need to put ourselves into the story. We need to be active participants in it. We are invited not to look at this crucifixion as history, but as salvation.
There is a beautiful prayer of the Church that unite us to those wounds: The Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O Good Jesus, hear me. Within your wounds conceal me. Do not permit me to be parted from you. From the evil foe protect me. At the hour of my death call me. And bid me come to you, to praise you with all your saints for ever and ever. Amen.
“Within your wounds conceal me”. Why would I hide in the wounds of Christ? With these wounds Jesus experienced hatred, anger, sorrow, abandonment, cruelty, pain, mockery and so much more. But he also encountered faith – the faith of the good thief on the cross, the faith of his Mother, the faith of Mary Magdalene, the faith of John, the Beloved Apostle. He encountered the compassion of Joseph of Arimathea. He brought forgiveness to the good thief and those who crucified Him.
Why would I hide in the wounds of Christ? Because there I find my God who loves me with boundless love, who has experienced for me all that I could experience in my earthly journey. Jesus is my strength. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the One who defeated the evil one. He is the One who embraces me, holds me tenderly and walks with me every day.
Please permit me to share with you a beautiful reflective prayer on the Five Wounds of Christ by Saint Clare of Assisi.
- In Honour of the Wound in the Right Hand of Our Divine Savior
Praise and honor be given You, Lord Jesus Christ, by reason of the of Sacred Wound in your Right Hand. By this holy and adorable wound, I beseech you to pardon all of the sins that I have committed by thought, word, and deed; by neglecting my service to you, and by self-indulgence, both while awake and asleep. Grant me the grace, that by devout and frequent remembrance of your Holy Passion, I may honor your sacred wounds and the death which you endured for my sake; and that by chastising my body, I may testify my gratitude for your sufferings and your death. Our Father. Hail Mary. Amen. - In Honour of the Wound in the Left Hand of Our Divine Savior
Praise and honor be given You, Lord Jesus Christ, by reason of the Sacred Wound in your Left Hand. By this holy and adorable wound, I beseech you to have pity on me and to change within me whatever is displeasing to you. Grant me victory over your enemies, so that by the power of your grace, I may overcome them. And by your holy death, deliver me from all dangers, present and future, and make me worthy to share in the glory of your blessed kingdom. Our Father. Hail Mary. Amen. - In Honour of the Wound in the Right Foot of Our Divine Savior
Praise and honor be given You, Lord Jesus Christ, by reason of the Sacred Wound in your Right Foot. By this holy and adorable wound, I beseech you to enable me to bring forth worthy fruits of penance for my sins. I humbly entreat you, for the sake of your holy death, to keep me safe, day and night, according to your holy will and to preserve me from all adversity, in body and soul, so that on the judgment day, I may obtain eternal joy. Our Father. Hail Mary. Amen. - In Honour of the Wound in the Left Foot of Our Divine Savior
Praise and honor be given You, Lord Jesus Christ, by reason of the Sacred Wound in your Left Foot. By this holy and adorable wound, I beseech you to forgive my sins and to grant full remission for my sins, so that with your help, I may escape the rigors of your justice. I entreat you, Lord Jesus Christ, for the sake of your holy death, to grant that at the hour of my death, I may have the grace to confess my sins with perfect contrition; to receive the Blessed Sacrament of Your Body and Blood; and to receive the Sacrament of Holy Anointing for the sake of my eternal salvation. Our Father. Hail Mary. Amen. - In Honour the Wound in the Side of Our Divine Savior
Praise and honor be given You, Lord Jesus Christ, by reason of the Sacred Wound in your Side. By this holy and adorable wound and by the Baptism with which you purified me from original sin, I beseech you to deliver me from all evils — past, present, and future. I entreat you, by your bitter death, to give me a lively faith, a firm hope, and perfect charity, so that I may love you with my whole heart, with my whole soul, and with all my strength. Uphold me by your grace through the practice of good works, so that I may serve you always in this life and praise you forever in heaven. Our Father. Hail Mary. Amen.
Feast Days
January 12, 2021
We have Solemnities, Feast Days, Memorials and Holy Days. Solemnities are the celebrations of greatest importance and typically include all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. Their focus is on commemorating an event in the life of Jesus or Mary. Feasts are of second importance and are celebrated on a particular day, however they are not necessarily days of obligation. Memorials typically commemorate a saint.
How do we focus our lives on God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and on Mary and the Saints? The Holy Church offers us the opportunity to do just that through worship and prayer. All we have to do is seek, knock and accept the invitation to enter into a relationship.
Scattered throughout the whole of the Liturgical Calendar we find these opportunities with Solemnities, Feasts and other Holy Days.
How many of these set dates are you familiar with?
- January 1
- January 6
- March 25
- June 24
- June 29
- August 15
- November 1
- December 8
- December 25
Solemnities and Feasts that change throughout the calendar year include:
- Easter Sunday
- Divine Mercy Sunday (2nd Sunday of Easter)
- Ascension of our Lord
- Pentecost
- Trinity Sunday
- Corpus Christi
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Christ the King
- Baptism of our Lord
- Saint’s Feasts
I invite everyone to seek out these celebrations and allow them to enter into your heart: to be more than just a date on the calendar.
For me, what’s important to recognize that I am more than a “Sunday” Catholic. That every day the Holy Church calls me to relationship with my God. I am given example by those who walked before me on how to live as a “good Catholic” and those special days of the Liturgical Calendar are my strength. Even Sundays. They are not ordinary. Jesus is calling to me. Mary is calling to me. The saints are calling to me. All I have to do is open the door on their special day and walk towards them. I will be blessed and graced and loved with no limitations.
I honestly couldn’t tell you which of the Feast Days I find most compelling. Each has its own draw. Each has its own gift. I can tell you that when these Holy Days appear on my calendar, they are calling to me, each of them with an invitation to help me deepen my faith life. Sometimes I feel like ignoring that call, kind of like I’m screening calls like I do on my phone. However, when I “screen out” God, I am denying myself all the gifts that He just wants to bestow on me. He’s only asking for one day, one hour. Not that much.
At our Confirmation, we were likely given a Saint’s name. Do you remember yours? Or perhaps your parents named you after a particular saint. I invite everyone to find out what their Saints Feast is. Me? Saint Bernadette – April 16.
Let’s not close the door on God. Let’s instead, when we hear him knocking, open the door and let Him enter. We will find Him present to us on those special Feast Days, Solemnities, and Holy Days.
Paul McCartney even offered us the invitation through his song, “Let ‘Em in”
Someone’s knocking at the door Somebody’s ringing the bell Someone’s knocking at the door Somebody’s ringing the bell Do me a favour Open the door And let ‘em in
Well, what do you think? Will you accept the challenge to really celebrate the Church’s Solemnities, Feasts and Holy Days?
When He comes knocking, are you going to open the door?
If you missed our Introduction to this series <click here>. To go back to the letter “E” <click here>. To go to the letter “G” <click here>.