Homily | October 14, 2026 | From Rules To Love Guided By The Spirit (Episode 307)

Yesterday, St.

Paul reminded us that Christ has set us free.

But today he takes the teaching one step further.

Because there's an important question we need to ask.

If Christ has set us free, what are we supposed to do with that freedom?

Does freedom mean that I can live however I please, that I can follow whatever desires I happen to have?

That because I believe in Jesus my choices no longer matter?

Well, absolutely not.

And that is precisely what Paul wants us to understand.

He begins today's reading with these words.

If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Now, Paul is not telling us that God's commandments no longer matter.

He's teaching us that Christianity is meant to be something far deeper than simply obeying a set of rules.

Think about the difference between a child who behaves because he's afraid of being punished and a child who behaves because he genuinely loves his parents.

Both may do the right thing, but something very different is happening in their hearts.

The first is being restrained by fear, the second is being guided by love.

And that's the transformation Paul is describing.

The Holy Spirit does not simply teach us what is right.

He begins to change our hearts so that we actually desire what is good.

But then Paul introduces an important distinction.

He speaks about the works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit.

And to understand this passage, we need to understand what Paul means by the word flesh.

He's not simply talking about our physical bodies.

Our bodies are good.

God created them.

Jesus himself took on human flesh.

When Paul speaks about the flesh here, he's referring to our fallen human nature when it is governed by desires, the desires that resist God.

And look at the list he gives us immorality, impurity, jealousy, hatred, rivalry, anger, selfishness, division, envy.

Notice how many of these sins destroy relationships.

We might expect Paul to mention sexual sins or drunkenness, but he also speaks about jealousy, resentment, selfishness, and division.

Why?

Well, because these sins can poison families, friendships, workplaces, and even our parish communities.

And here's something worth considering.

A person can attend Mass every Sunday, even go to Mass daily, pray the rosary, know the teachings of the church, and still allow anger, jealousy, and bitterness to govern their lives.

And Paul's telling us that something is terribly wrong when that happens.

Because Christianity is not simply about performing religious activities, it's about allowing Christ to transform the human heart.

But then Paul makes a change in his language.

He moves from works of the flesh to the fruit of the spirit.

Notice a difference.

Works are things we do, fruit is something that grows.

Think about an apple tree.

You cannot command it to produce apples overnight.

The tree needs healthy roots, water, sunlight, and time.

And when the tree is healthy, fruit begins to appear.

Something similar happens in our spiritual life.

When we remain united to Christ through prayer, the sacraments, the daily cooperation with God's grace, the Holy Spirit begins to produce something beautiful within us.

And Paul tells us what that fruit looks like: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Now notice something extraordinary.

Paul does not say that the fruit of the Spirit is having visions, performing miracles, or experiencing extraordinary religious emotions.

He speaks about the way we actually live, our day-to-day.

Are we becoming more patient?

Are we learning to control our anger?

Are we becoming kinder towards people who are difficult to love?

Are we more generous, more faithful, more willing to forgive?

These are some of the most important questions we can ask about our daily lives.

Because the evidence of Christian maturity is not simply how much religious knowledge we possess.

It is whether that knowledge, strengthened by grace, is actually changing the way that we behave.

And we must remember something important.

Paul calls these qualities the fruit of the Spirit.

Because holiness is not something we accomplish through willpower alone.

Yes, we must make an effort, be intentional, we must practice virtue and cooperate with grace.

But it is the Holy Spirit who makes our transformation possible.

Then Paul tells us that those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

That sounds severe.

But he's not telling us to hate our bodies or despise every human desire.

No.

He's telling us that following Christ requires us to put death wherever within us resists God's love.

Sometimes that means refusing to indulge in our anger.

Sometimes it means letting go of resentment we have carried for years.

Sometimes it means saying no to a temptation that has become habitual.

And sometimes it means recognizing that the greatest obstacle to holiness is not the world around us, but something within my own self.

Paul is giving us a beautiful way to examine our spiritual lives, not simply by asking, Am I following the rules?

But by asking, what kind of person am I becoming?

Because the Holy Spirit wants to make us more like Jesus Christ.

And the transformation should become visible, especially to the people who know us best.

Our families, our friends, the people that we work with, the people who encounter us when we're tired, frustrated, or disappointed.

So today I want to leave you with a simple spiritual exercise.

Go back and read Paul's list of fruits of the Spirit, and then ask yourself, which of these fruits is missing in my life?

Is it patience, kindness, self-control?

Is it peace?

And then go to the Holy Spirit to help you grow in that virtue.

Because Paul ends today's reading with these words If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.

And perhaps that's the most important lesson for today's reading.

The question is not simply whether we believe in Jesus Christ, the question is whether people can begin to see Jesus Christ in us.

Amen.