St. Paul tells us (Galatians 5:16-25) that if we are guided by the Spirit there will be no danger of yielding to self-indulgence. He lists some of the results – fruits- in our lives of self-indulgence. They are bitter fruits. He also lists the fruits of the Spirit. ‘What the Spirit brings is very different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control’. Fr. Sylvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. writes that the nine fruits may be seen as three qualities of a healthy relationship with God, three about our relationship with other people, and finally, three virtues supporting inner personal strength.

The three fruits of a relationship with God are love, joy and peace, so someone furthering that relationship will experience those gifts.

Patience, kindness and goodness are indications of a healthy relationship with other people.

Inner personal strength is evident when people experience trustfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Look around you and when in people you notice those traits, take it that they are people who are seeking to be empowered in their lives by the Holy Spirit. That may be a conscious desire of those good people, or maybe because the Spirit is often the unknown member of the Trinity, they are responsive to the Spirit without naming it at all. What traits/fruits of the Spirit do you experience in your own life? Thank God for them and tend them!