Main news for 9 June 2009

In the letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul writes not so much about the discernment of spirits as about the fact that every Christian is called to live by the Holy Spirit. St. Seraphim of Sarov calls the acquisition of Him the goal of our life. And in these words of the apostle we read about simple and understandable things whose presence can serve as an indication that the direction toward this goal has been chosen rightly. Both in the context of the apostle Paul's letters and in the context of modern life, it is important that the apostle does not include in this list what in the letter to the Corinthians he calls gifts of the Holy Spirit. Here precisely he speaks about what should testify to the action of the Holy Spirit in the life of every Christian; extraordinary gifts, according to the apostle's teaching, are not universally required of all. Therefore there is no mention here of the "gift of tongues," of mystical illuminations, or of artistic inspiration. Nor is there talk of emotional experiences, which are unstable and not obligatory.

The apostle speaks, in essence, about very simple things which, when we encounter them in people, we usually attribute to pleasantness of character. In reality this is not so: only the Spirit of God can bring all this to birth in human hearts, and this is important for understanding the Lord's ways. The fruits of the Holy Spirit's action listed by Paul have certain common features. First, they are not character traits, but everything listed requires an effort of the will. Even joy, which requires the ability to give importance to what is good, needs the help of the will. All the more are efforts necessary for faith, patience, and the other things listed. Second, these are all very practical things: by this list one can examine one's heart when preparing for confession. In addition, one can consciously strive for what is listed. It is obvious that only the Lord can fulfill this striving, and we ourselves are powerless to achieve anything of what the apostle speaks about. But without our will, hardly anything can happen.

It is also very important for the apostle that acquiring these fruits of the Holy Spirit frees us from slavery to the law. Indeed, if a person labors to bring these fruits to God, he simply cannot do anything unlawful. The law is thus fulfilled by itself, while the efforts of the will are directed not toward fulfilling it, but toward God. In this, for the apostle, lies the radical difference between the New Covenant and the Old.