Loading...Today we begin exploring how the fruit of the Holy Spirit is apparent in the lives of the 32 saints selected for this year’s Lent Madness competition. Each week from now until Holy Week we will focus on 2 or 3 of the fruits of the Spirit.
I will give a description followed by a very brief synopsis of Lent Madness saints whose lives demonstrated that fruit. As a Lenten practice, consider reflecting on each week’s fruits and asking yourself how they may be demonstrated in your life.
LOVE –The word "Love" is used casually and in every imaginable context in today’s society. We are speaking about an active love for God and fellow humankind, putting the needs of others before one’s own needs. A person who demonstrates this fruit of the Spirit finds ways to love people through acts of service. You could argue that all the saints demonstrate ‘love’ and you would not be wrong. However, the lives of three saints stand out for me.
Catherine Booth—A pioneer and trailblazer for the teaching and preaching ministry of women. She is considered to be the mother of the Salvation Army. She and her husband started The Christian Mission. Along with preaching and fund raising, she organized the Mission’s Food for the Million’s shops where the poor could buy inexpensive meals.
Benedict the Moor—His parents were slaves, but he was granted his freedom at birth. Later he became a hermit and was known as a healer with the ability to read minds. So many people came for healing that he got into trouble with his monastery. He continued his ministry while hiding in the bushes and healing visitors before they went to the monastery.
Henriette Delille—She was the Creole daughter of a freed woman and a European father in New Orleans. She started the Sisters of the Holy Family to provide nursing care for the elderly and a home for orphans
JOY – Chances are that when you hear the word ‘joy’ you equate it with happiness. However, there is an important difference. Happiness is an emotion that comes and goes. However, Joy as a fruit of the Spirit is a condition of the heart. It is more serene and stable than worldly joy or happiness. A joyful person can find joy in the midst of the storms of life through their faith in God.
Isidora the Simple—She was a nun in the 4th century in Egypt. In the convent she sought the most strenuous and dirtiest of physical labor. Throughout her life she practiced humility and the rejection of worldly rewards. When recognized as a devout spiritual leader, she fled into the desert to live as an anchoress.
Catherine of Genoa—Wanted to join a convent but instead entered a marriage of political convenience. Her marriage is described as a train wreck and she had to endure her husband’s financial irresponsibility and infidelity. Eventually he reformed and together they began working with the poor and sick in Genoa. Catherine’s joy was rooted in her mystical vision of and ongoing inner relationship with God.
