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This week we look at three more fruits of the Holy Spirit: kindness, goodness and faithfulness. To read the Lent Madness biographies of the saints just click on the link following their synopses. Next week we will conclude this series with an overview of the final two fruits: gentleness and self-control.
Kindness—This one is very straightforward. We are talking about compassion, generosity, and overall kindness toward others. A person who is caring, tenderhearted and compassionate is one who demonstrates kindness. It is a willingness to go out of my way for others and even be inconvenienced. Kindness is shown in both words and actions.
Hermione—One of the daughters of Philip, the deacon, Hermione and her sister had the gift of prophecy and were Christians from an early age. She set up hospices in Ephesus--half hospital, half hotel, where people could receive both spiritual and physical nourishment.
https://www.lentmadness.org/2021/02/hermione-vs-melangell
Absalom Jones—Absalom was a freed slave. He was the first African American priest in the Episcopal Church and established the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia. He founded the Free African Society to provide the African American community's social, economic, educational, and spiritual needs in Philadelphia.
https://www.lentmadness.org/2021/03/henriette-delille-vs-absalom-jones/
Goodness—One who has the courage to do the right thing even though it is the hard thing demonstrates the fruit of goodness. This is a person with integrity and who renounces evil in their daily actions. They work to understand and do God’s will.
Miguel Pro—Miguel Pro was an ordained Mexican priest who was assassinated for his role in the Cristero rebellion. He engaged in overt and covert resistance against violent and repressive anti-Catholic efforts and was a champion of agrarian reforms.
https://www.lentmadness.org/2021/02/miguel-pro-vs-constantine/
Bartolome de las Cassas—A Spanish priest serving on the island that is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic, after his religious conversion Bartolome advocated for the rights of Indigenous peoples on the island.
https://www.lentmadness.org/2021/03/bartolome-de-las-casas-vs-marianne-cope/
Faithfulness—A person who is dependable in their relationship with God and others is said to have faithfulness. In their mind, God is always faithful to us, so we should work to be faithful to God.
Joan of Arc—A young teenage girl in France during the 15th century, Joan received multiple visions of saints and convinced King Charles that France should fight on the side of God during the 100 years war. She successfully led the French army in several battles but was captured and burned at the stake by the English. Joan was a person of deep faith and known as a good Christian with virtues of humility, honesty, and simplicity.
https://www.lentmadness.org/2021/02/joan-of-arc-vs-catherine-booth/
Nino of Georgia—Nino was the daughter of a well-established and influential Cappadocian Christian family in the early 4th century. She was captured while traveling to preach the gospel in Caucasian Georgia and enslaved in the king's household. Despite her captivity, she subsequently converted the entire household to Christianity.
https://www.lentmadness.org/2021/03/nino-of-georgia-vs-benedict-the-moor/
