Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Saint Hedwig &
St Margaret Mary Alacoque

Lectionary: 469

In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.

For our instruction and reassurance, Saint Paul described a sharp, obvious difference between the works of the spirit and the works of the flesh. The latter are civilized, edifying, gratifying, and pleasant; the former are insufferable. He might have enjoyed, but would not have agreed with, "...heaven for the climate, hell for the company." Hellacious company is disagreeable by any standard. 

His heavenly standard can be used at the end of the day as we check in with the Lord. We use it to gauge our behavior and the presence we offered to others. Altogether these values are good, which has a satisfying texture of godly rightness. Even when a conversation or chore was difficult or disappointing, the effort may be assessed as good and laid to rest. "I did the best I could within the limits of my strength and experience; I'll let the Lord be its judge, and let the results fall where they will." 

A civilized society must also agree with, "Against such there is no law." The Lord's disciples bring this standard with us as we enter the conversations of politics, business, and commerce. Because not everyone believes as we do, nor has a similar experience of life's fundamental goodness -- an experience gained by living upon the rock of faith and in the company of saints -- we need not be surprised by fear and greed, the controlling impulses of a rapacious society. Nor do we operate that way. We seek the common good and believe it's a standard everyone can agree to. There is surely no law against the common good!

As Saint Paul peered more deeply into freedom's ideal law, he founds its origin in the cross,

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh

with its passions and desires. 

When Puritans, in their pursuit of ridding England of every semblance of Catholicism, proposed that the nation's churches should be stripped of the crosses on their altars, walls, and windows, John Donne replied,

Since Christ embrac’d the Crosse it selfe, dare I

His image, the’image of his Crosse deny?

Would I have profit by the sacrifice,

And dare the chosen Altar to despise?

It bore all other sinnes, but is it fit

That it should beare the sinne of scorning it? (from The Crosse)

If our standard for public behavior and conversation is Saint Paul's list from Galatians, we never forget that we stand under the shadow of the cross and are humbled by its demands and by its beauty. No one can suppose they meet that standard, but we are not hesitate to gaze upon it and be judged by its mercy.