October 24
Daily Gleanings of the Saintly LifeFourteenth Thursday after Trinity
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Galatians 5:22, 23.
S. PAUL calls them "fruit," not works, as produced by the labour of man and the dews of heaven. This description of Christian graces contains all the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount; its duties and its blessings shed abroad in the soul; and corresponds with the account which he gives of all those heavenly dispositions which are found in "charity, which never faileth." Through love we have grace to keep His commandments; and through keeping His commandments He giveth increase of grace and love. "'He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them,' hath," saith a father, "in memory, and keepeth in life; hath in words, and keepeth in works; hath by hearing, and keepeth by doing; hath by doing, and keepeth by persevering. 'He it is who loveth Me, and he who loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.' He Who giveth us the love to obey Him, doth on our free obedience give us yet more love. He loveth us, so as to give us greater gifts of grace and that greater gift of love; in love He will discover Himself more and more to the soul in a way which words cannot utter, but which the soul tastes, and which gives it a knowledge of Himself which passeth knowledge, and lights up the soul with an unearthly brightness; and it knows that it loves, and loving, knows that it is beloved; and grows in care and zeal and watchful diligence to please God Who loves it."
How little have I known Thee, Still less have served and loved!
Teach me true service here, The service of true love and fear.