GLORIOUS SILENCE - FRUITS & GIFTS

It has been a great blessing for me to know in the person of HG Gee Varghese Mar Ivanios of blessed memory.  During his life time, a collection of Thirumeni's  homilies were shared in the form of a short book by  Mar Baselios Dayara (Monastery) in Malayalam  'Maunathinte Lavaniyam' -' Glorious Silence'. 

Fr. George Thankachan of  U.K was kind enough to translate this chapter. May Thirumeni’s prayers continue to guide us  to knowing the will of the Lord in our lives 

FRUITS AND GIFTS

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

This verse speaks of the connection between love and obedience. Obedience is a vital factor both in Love of the Divine & Human. It is in keeping God's statutes we are sustained in the Love of God.

Love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. But it is not a gift which is different. Gift of wisdom, gift of knowledge, faith, healing, wonder-works, prophecy, discerning of the spirits, gift of tongues, and its interpretation, thus goes the list of gifts. (1 Cor 12: 7-10) Gift is not given to everyone alike. But, the Spirit of God is gifted to every single person. Yet, forgetting this are our actions! Today everybody longs for gifts. No one wish to have the gift of the Spirit.  If we want to bear fruit of Spirit, we must oblige to God’s commands. We need to set aside our self-interests to comply. It requires patience.  Obedience is the result of Love.

As St Paul, the apostle says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24). He further goes on saying “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2-3). He describes the greatness of love by saying that “I will show you a still more excellent way than the gifts”.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is Love. If someone wants to abide in love, they must abide by the commandment. See what Jesus our Lord says “As my Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love, if you keep my commandments, and I will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (John 15:9-10)

Let us see what kind of love is spoken “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).  Self- giving love. Love is the forsaking of one’s own likes and interests for the sake of obeying Christ.   It is the one who loses one’s own life who will gain it.  It is the one who denies one’s self that is able to follow Jesus. All our deeds now are self-centred and in self-love. Christ is our companion. The holy verses go thus: “Hitherto I will call you comrades”. Christ’s love is that which loves the enemies too.

It should not be the self-intellect that guides us, instead, it must be the Holy Spirit. Both head and heart must be yielded to Him.   Treat everyone as God’s creation irrespective of caste, colour and creed.  Then only we will be able to love unconditionally and be of help. “The kingdom of heaven is not a matter of eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace and justice and joy in the Holy Spirit; because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval”. (Romans14:17-18) One must be pleasing to God and be of benefits to human. We like to please human.  Be of help to others is what is pleasing to God.

The proverbs advise us of it: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones”. (3:5-8).

Live in complete trust in God without leaning on one’s own prudence. Obeying the Spirit of God and that is the nature of love. Love never ceases to obey God. There will not be any fruit without keeping God’s statutes.  The wonder-works without the fruit of the Spirit are not right.  “It is not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord’ who enters the Kingdom of heaven but the one who does the will of God.” On that day many will say to me ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and did many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness”. (Mathew 7:21-23)

A tree is known by its fruit. We yield fruit when we obey the Spirit of God. The sign of love is obedience. We must strive to grow in virtue by obeying the Holy Spirit. It knows no bounds growing in the holiness for God is without beginning or end. Obey Him by offering the life and that is what love is in short. “So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love”. (1 Corinthians 13: 13)