GUIDED BY THE SPIRIT

Luke 9:51-62

Today we read or heard two powerful passages that might help us navigate these complicated times we are living in. The reading from Galatians starts by saying, “For freedom Christ has set us free.”  Paul then makes it clear that this freedom is not about self-indulgence or the freedom to do as we please, but rather the freedom that Christ offers is the freedom to live righteously, by the Spirit which manifests in our lives through love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We know these as the fruits of a life guided by the Holy Spirit.  

This teaching from Galatians 5 has always struck me as a core teaching which measures whether my life is on track. It seems that a life that reflects these attributes is one that is truly inspired by living united to the Spirit.

This passage has always been important to me and to my ministry with the incarcerated. When I was leading church services every week in the women’s jail in Los Angeles County I would often ask the women according to Jesus what is the greatest commandment. After this I would ask them what the fruits of the Spirit are. I figured that if I could impart these two core teachings into the hearts and minds of the women, they could find their way to the lives they longed for free of crime and addiction.

It was always easy for the women to respond to the first part of the question – what the greatest commandment is. They would shout out in unison, “Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself.”  This is of course the absolute essential teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it is not easy to follow. Unfortunately, our country, which is predominately Christian, does not reflect this commandment either. There is a powerful sense of loving God, but not loving neighbor. 

Then I ask the women what will your life look like if you follow this commandment? What are the fruits of the Spirit? Now there would be a cacophony of words yelled out. No one, including myself, was able to get all 9 of them. So, what did I do? I got a tattoo on my arm of these attributes so I would have a cheat sheet in prison. Yes – right here on my arm are the list of fruits that Paul tells us our lives will manifest if we are living in the freedom of Christ and led by the Spirit.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Some of these are easier than others based on our individual makeup. The hardest one for me to live is patience. I continue working on this every day. It is my growth edge. What about you? Which one is hardest for you? Generosity? Joy? Faithfulness? Self-control?

But maybe the hardest thing to do for us is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. How do we even approach this? Jesus tells the new followers in today’s gospel that they must put God before everything else, even taking leave of their family. How can this be? How is this a compassionate or loving act? Jesus then uses the metaphor of the hand to the plow. “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

I did this. I fell in love with Christ, and I gave my life to him. I sold my belongings and created a life of prayer and service. I co-created a religious community called Community of Divine Love. I live under life vows of celibacy and voluntary poverty. There is a very definite structure to a monastic life and yet surprisingly it is the freest I have ever felt. By putting God first in all things, I find the greatest joy and purpose. It is a bit of a paradox that this life of limitations is also the life most liberating.

I imagine that you get it. Putting God first or in the driver’s seat makes things simpler in many ways. Choices are made that serve God and not just our fleeting desires. But I sometimes wonder how we might love God more. What might it look like in an ordinary sort of way to love God with all we are and all we have? How might we put our hand on that plow and not look back?

I know for me it must involve silent prayer, that is, time in silence just resting in the love of God. I need to saturate myself in God’s love to build my resilience to the difficult news of the day. I need to serve God and my neighbor to give my life substance and purpose. The more I have my eyes focused on God the more my life reflects the fruits of the Spirit.

I know that there are countless ways to join Jesus in plowing the fields. Our hands are collectively on the plow. We might remember that this is the path to the kingdom of God. Our focus on the things of God is how we contribute to kingdom building. We all have a role to play, and we probably could all do a bit better job staying focused on God during such a time as these.

Remember it was on the road to his end that Jesus said these things. Our strength and resilience are grounded in our lives of faith and living in communion with the Holy Spirit. When our lives manifest the fruits of the spirit we are contributing to kingdom of God. Stay steady friends in your connection to God it is what our faith offers a nervous world.

Sister Greta