Tag: God

Read: Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So, by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:17-20

Reflect: To be a good tree, we need to live a life of virtue. Virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good. The human virtues are stable dispositions of the intellect and the will that govern our acts, order our passions, and guide our conduct in accordance with reason and faith. They can be grouped around the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. The moral virtues grow through education, deliberate acts, and perseverance in struggle. Divine grace purifies and elevates them. Theological virtues dispose of our relationship to the Holy Trinity. They have God for their origin, their motive, and their object – God known by faith, God hoped in and loved for his own sake. It is easy to live in our fallen sinful nature. Sin is death. Sin keeps us from living in the Spirit, accepting our gifts, and bearing good fruit. God hates death. He is a God of life and of resurrection.

God saw all that He made, and it was very good.

Genesis 1:31

Respond: Today, I will contemplate the virtues of faith, hope, and love and practice random acts of virtue whenever I have the chance.

Read: Resisting immorality, jealousy, envy, and anger. Galatians 5:19-21

Reflect: Chastity is a gift of the Holy Spirit when we live in integrity, overcoming sin that divides our Spirit and conscience. What exactly is chastity? While most people think of chastity as simply not having sex, as a hindrance to freedom, or simply old-fashioned and out-of-date with modern culture, chastity is the submission of physical desire to right reason, subjugating it to one’s spiritual nature. People might say, “it’s my body so let me do what I want with it.” However, we are called to be morally pure or unstained. As Christians, every baptized person is called to chastity according to their state in life. This means indulging our physical desires only within the appropriate contexts—for instance, engaging in sexual activity only within marriage.

Desire is a good thing if it is ordered correctly. And all of us are wired to desire the beautiful and there is no greater beauty on earth than human beings who are created in the very image and likeness of God.

Genesis 1:26

Respond: Lord, bless me with a clean heart living with right ordered desires so I can see the light of your face.

Read: Doing God’s will and not your own. Titus 2:11-12

Reflect: Self-Control is a gift of the Holy Spirit when we exercise moderation in everything we do. What exactly is self-control? Self-control is self-mastery regardless of the circumstances, to be in control of oneself rather than to be controlled by temptations, events, or other people, especially when under pressure or in times of crisis. It is to remain calm, cool, and collected, reasonable, and even-tempered; to be alert and conscious, to proceed with caution and prudence, and to avoid an impulse or knee jerk response; to be a moderating influence; and to have the strength and courage to reject evil and choose good.

Make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control, and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance, godliness, and to godliness, mutual affection, and to mutual affection, love.

2 Peter 1: 5-7

Respond Today, I will connect with God when I feel stressed inviting divine power into my human situations. I will remember that prayer reduces stress and tension. Inviting the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts, actions and words increases my self-control.

Read: Glorifying God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Reflect: Modesty is a gift of the Holy Spirit when we are humble and believe our successes, blessings, and talents are gifts from God. What exactly is modesty? Being modest means being humble. It is believing that any of our successes, blessings, and talents are gifts from God. It also means being content with what we have and not harboring any selfish ambitions. In addition to being a gift of the Holy Spirit, modesty is a moral virtue. It is one that affects all of the relationships around us, including the relationship with ourselves. Excess (too much) or defect (too little) is what matters in all areas of our lives when it comes to modesty.

But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

Respond: Today, I will remember that I am the temple of God and live in the spirit of modesty.

Read: Loyal, dependable, and trusting. Matthew 25:21

Reflect:  Faithfulness is a gift of the Holy Spirit when we trust and believe that God is the master of our life. What exactly is faithfulness? Faithfulness is a foundational Christian character trait that is necessary for a godly life. As Christians we know and see how faithful God is to us, His word stands true, and His promises don’t fail. There may be many times when we may not feel God’s faithfulness to us, but we must choose to trust and believe that God is truly faithful. The bible is filled with these promises and examples of His faithfulness in our lives. Because God is faithful to us, we should continue to learn to be faithful to Him. It requires trust and loyalty. Our faithfulness allows us to trust in His promises to us and believe that God is loyal, dependable, and trusting.

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.

St. Augustine

Respond: Today, I will take a leap of faith, look for God’s goodness in my life, and make a list of how God is faithful to me.

Read: Humble and calm, with an ear toward wisdom. 1 Peter 3:4

Reflect: Gentleness is a gift of the Holy Spirit when we have a heart of forgiveness and grace. What exactly is gentleness? Gentleness is sensitivity for another person. It is concerned with another’s welfare, safety, and security. It is grounded in humility. The approach is careful, tender, considerate, affectionate, and mild-mannered, free of all pushiness, roughness, or abrasiveness. This fruit of the spirit is also known as mildness. To be mild in behavior means having a heart of forgiveness and grace. It means not being easily provoked and choosing a response of meekness and peace rather than one that leads to revenge. Gentleness is the fruit of the Spirit that demands the most from us. It means adopting a position where we effectively place ourselves third on the list – putting God and other people before ourselves. This is a hard position to sustain in our humanness. It requires humility and sacrifice, patience, and compassion – qualities that we might feel that we lack, even on our best days. But the good news is that God shows us the way.

He who can preserve gentleness amid pains, and peace amid worry multitude of affairs, is almost perfect.

St. Francis de Sales

Respond: Lord, give me a gentle spirit of fortitude, a mild, loving patient heart. Kind looks, pleasant speech and manners in my daily life so I offend no one but live in your love.

Read: God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Reflect:  Generosity is a gift of the Holy Spirit when we give to others more than is required, not counting the cost. What exactly is generosity? Generosity is bigheartedness grounded in an abundance mentality. It is unselfish and expresses itself in sharing. It is extended to family and friends, strangers, and particularly those in need, and is offered not only as money, food, and clothing, but also as time shared and assistance provided. We believe that if we have been blessed with talents, wealth, knowledge, time, and the like, we benefit others by sharing those blessings. It is a way of being. Generosity includes how we view and treat others. It includes mercy, justice, humility, and meekness as well.

Teach me to serve as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to labor and not to seek to rest, to give of myself and not ask for a reward, except the reward of knowing that I am doing your will. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Respond:  Today, Lord, sow the seed of radical generosity within my heart so that I may bear that fruit in my life.