Salesian Literature

Chapter 19  :  Charity includes the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit as well as the eight beatitudes of the gospel

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The illustrious St. Paul puts it this way: The Spirit yields a harvest of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, forbearance, gentleness, faith, courtesy, temperateness, purity (Gal. 5:22-23).

 

Notice, however, Theotimus, that the great apostle, enumerating these twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit, sets them down as a single fruit.  He does not say, “The Spirit yields harvest of love, joy …; but rather, a harvest of love, joy, etc.  the clue to his way of putting it lies in this: that the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom we have received (Rom. 5:5).

 

The one and only fruit of the Holy Spirit is charity; that is certain.  Since this fruit possesses any number of superlative characteristic qualities, however – some examples of which the apostle intends to mention – he refers to it as it were both in the plural and in the singular.  He is describing a many-sided unity, a unified variety.

 

All the apostle means, then, is that charity gives us an inner joy and contentment as well as greater peace of soul, which patience preserves for us in trying times, and which generosity turns to good account by prompting us to kindness and courtesy when our neighbour is in need.  No passing generosity, but one that is steadfast, persevering, so that it gives us a forbearance which is genuinely long-suffering.  In this way we acquire gentleness, courtesy, become gracious to all, putting up with their moods and failings, ever keeping perfect faith with them.  We evince a simplicity attended by trust both in words and deeds; we live modestly, humbly, suppressing any excess, any luxury in food, drink, clothes, sleep, games, hobbies and similar sense-gratification, by a holy temperateness; but, above all, we curb our rebellious carnal instincts by a watchful purity.  Thus the whole man is taken up with loving God – in his heart by joy, peace, patience, forbearance, generosity, faith, and in his actions by kindness, gentleness, courtesy, temperateness, purity.

 

Now charity is called a fruit, because it gladness the heart, because we find it deliciously sweet, as it were a genuine fruit from paradise, plucked from the tree that gives life, bearing its fruit twelvefold (Rev. 22:2).  That tree is the Holy Spirit, grafted on to our human souls, dwelling in them through his infinite mercy.

 

If, in addition to finding pleasure in charity, in addition to enjoying its delightful charms, we see it as the source of all our glory, a possession that crowns us with honour (cf. Ps. 8:6), then it is not merely a fruit sweet to the taste (Cant. 2:3), but also a beatitude, a bliss to be longed for.  Not only does it guarantee our happiness in the next life, however, but it also affords in this one a contentment that is beyond price.

 

So charity, after all, is a virtue, a gift, a fruit and a beatitude.  As a virtue, it makes us obedient to the inspirations which come to us from outside, which God affords us through his commandments, his counsels; in keeping them we practise all the virtues – this renders charity queen of virtues.  As a gift, charity makes us docile, responsive to inspirations from within, to God’s secret commands and counsels; in keeping them we use the gifts of the Holy Spirit – this makes charity queen of gifts.  As a fruit, charity gives us a liking for, and enjoyment in practising devotion; we experience this through the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit – therefore charity is queen of fruits.  As a beatitude, charity causes us to count the insults, misrepresentations, abuse and discredit of this world as supreme favours, signal honours; it inspires us to refrain from making a display of anything but the cross of Christ (cf. Gal. 6:14) – this leads us to make our display by self-abasement, self-renouncement, self-obliteration.

 

No badge of royalty we seek but the thorns which crowned the crucified, the reed that was his sceptre, the cloak of mockery in which he was arrayed, and the cross that was his throne.  Never did Solomon, on his throne of ivory, knew such satisfaction, joy, glory, and bliss as God’s lovers on the throne of Calvary.

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