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Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Galatians 5:18–25
In the Bible, there are two ways.
The way of life.
And the way of death.
In the Book of Deuteronomy, the Lord says:
I set before you life and death,
blessing and curse.
Choose life.
Jesus says something similar.
The way that leads to life is narrow.
The way that leads to death is wide and easy.
Many take the wide road.
Few choose the narrow one.
Today Saint Paul speaks about these two ways in another language.
Life according to the flesh.
And life according to the Holy Spirit.
Life according to the flesh does not mean that the body is evil.
It means a life ruled by sin,
by selfish desire,
by disorder,
by pride,
by anger,
by division.
Paul gives examples:
immorality,
idolatry,
hatred,
jealousy,
anger,
rivalry,
division,
envy,
drunkenness,
and lack of self-control.
This is not only a list of ancient sins.
It is a mirror.
We can see our own world there.
We can also see our own hearts.
Whenever love is lost,
whenever anger rules,
whenever division grows,
whenever desire becomes master,
we are walking according to the flesh.
Paul is very clear:
this way does not lead to the Kingdom of God.
But there is another way.
The way of the Spirit.
Saint Paul calls it the fruit of the Spirit.
Not fruits, as if they were separate things,
but one fruit with many tastes.
Love.
Joy.
Peace.
Patience.
Kindness.
Generosity.
Faithfulness.
Gentleness.
Self-control.
This is what the Holy Spirit brings to life in us.
Love comes first.
Because without love, nothing is Christian.
Joy follows.
Not cheap happiness,
but the joy that comes from belonging to Christ.
Then peace,
the gift of the risen Lord.
After that come the fruits that shape our relationships:
patience,
kindness,
generosity.
And finally, the fruits that reveal a mature Christian heart:
faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control.
This is not something we produce by force.
Fruit grows when the tree is alive.
The fruit of the Spirit grows when we remain in Christ
and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us.
So today we can ask:
What is growing in me?
Anger or peace?
Jealousy or generosity?
Division or love?
Self-indulgence or self-control?
Saint Paul tells us:
If we live by the Spirit,
let us also walk by the Spirit.
The way is narrow.
But it leads to life.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Content License
© 2025 Krakus.
Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
(Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial).