Hi,
Our Church sent us the reading for Monday's Passion week service. It was on the Fig Tree that Our Lord cursed because it did not bear fruit. The homily on the reading, was saying that Christ was cursing hypocrisy (that the tree showed from the outside that it was bearing fruit, but when He came to eat from it, it had no fruits).
The homily goes on to mention that the fruits we should have are those of the Holy Spirit (that which are stated in the New Testament: Self Control, Joy, Patience etc).
My questions are as follows:
a) How exactly can we have the fruits of the Holy Spirit. You see, we are all baptised, but is that enough? Does being baptised give me these fruits??
b) Its clear that we are only the vessels of the Holy Spirit. That we bear fruits (or we should bear fruits) of the Holy Spirit that abides in us. So, when we falter, when we sin, when we get angry and have no patience, when we swear, or when we lie, how can we say that the these are the fruits of the Holy Spirit?
How can we distinguish between what are the fruits of the Holy Spirits, and what are the fruits of someone's upbringing: Their manners, their kindness, their tolerance... these are also fruits of people's personality. What then distinguishes fruits coming from the Holy Spirit and those arising from someone's own personality?
c) Christ, in this passage, is attacking hypocrisy (according to the homily): that something is shown to be good on the outside, yet in the inside is empty. But even if I do good works, and i BEAR the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and let's say, one day i swear and get angry at someone, is this hypocrisy? Am i hypocrite??
For me a hypocrite is someone that preaches good, yet does the exact opposite: That demands mercy, yet is merciless. That commands respect, yet is disrespecful.
But having fruits of the Holy Spirit is a grace. I think its something that we are priviledged to bear, so those that do not have such fruits, how can they be considered hypocrites?
Thanks,
Comments
You set us a good set of important questions. I would second what you have said elsewhere here, that it would be good if one of our priests tackled these mysteries for us; but whilst we await enlightenment from that best of sources, I wonder if a few reflections might be in order?
Being baptised gives us access to the fruits of the Holy Spirit; but does not automatically confer them upon us without further action on our part. Just as God loves all of us, but we can only receive salvation through His truth, spiritual action on our part is needful. As I understand it, one of the differences between Orthodoxy and Protestantism is that the latter tends, generally, towards the view that salvation is a once and for all act; of course, it is more complex than that, but I suspect that is where the notion that baptism alone gives us access to the fruits of the Holy Spirit comes from.
If we accept this, then the answers to your other questions become clearer. Although made in God's image, our fallen state mars that image, and so we go astray; we miss the targets He sets ('sin' literally means to miss the target). The fruits of the Holy Spirit are those you describe: self-control, joy, patience and love; where we manifest these, we show whose disciples we are; where we do not, we show why we need Him, His Grace and the Holy Mother Church to guide us aright.
Theosis, divinization, is a process that goes on throughout our Christian life. There will always be times when we veer back to our old ways, like a dog to its vomit; we are not yet one with Him who made us. We are only hypocritical if we seek to justify our bad behaviour and refuse to confess and repent; the hypocrite is he who says 'I do not sin'. There is only one who has been without sin, and that is Our Blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The most Holy Theotokos was not, according to Orthodox teaching, born without sin; but she it is who sets the example to us all - for though like unto us in all things, including sin, she did not sin; she made herself perfectly obedient unto the Lord God. Even as she watched her only son crucified on that first Good Friday, she said no word against God; she accepted His will, even unto the Cross. She calls us to the same state - and one reason we pray for her most blessed intercession is that she is the crown of humankind.
To use a secular analogy. Those of us fortunate enough to be able-bodied have the potential to run a marathon; but if we try without any training, we fail after a few miles. Only through training to we realise that potential; and even then, we may fell over and stumble. So too in our spiritual life. Through baptism and chrismation we receive the Grace freely given to us, but works are also needful, as we are told in St. James 2:24: So, we need faith, but also works. The more we believe and do His works, the more we are justified. As we are told in James 2:22: That is our calling, this Holy Saturday and every day.
May the peace of the Lord be always with you, and all our brethren here.
In Christ,
John
Thanks for your response. My concern was:
Although we can spend our life doing good deeds, if ONE fault we commit during our life, then what can be said of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in us?
Let me give an example:
A Christian is Born, baptised, practicing (- repentence - confession - sacrement = some fruits of the Holy Spirit occur in his/her life).
Then as that person grows, let's say they commit a sin (willingly / unwillingly). Now, what can be said of this person and his/her fruits of the Holy Spirit?
If we follow Christ, we walk in the light. Light and darkness cannot co-exist.
Now, as Im walking in the light, i do a sin that im struggling with. At that moment, am i in the dark or in the light?
((( Do u see my point then)))
I do indeed; and an excellent point it is.
My answer would be that the phenomenon you describe is exactly what one would expect given our fallen state. There are those Christians who would see salvation as a once-for-all event; in which case, of course, the hypothesis you mention does indeed cause the sort of problem you imply; Orthodoxy sees it a little differently, as I have been taught it.
If we try to live as He will have us live, because of our fallen human nature, we are still liable to sin; so when we do so, no one should draw any conclusion other than that we have returned, as the dog, to our vomit. That is why we will have, again, to repent and to ask for His forgiveness - and try to do better.
In this world, light and darkness do coexist, and we know that inside of each of us there is light and there is dark; we endeavour, through the Church to turn to the light. In the end we have His assurance that we shall dwell in the uncreated light; but in this world we cannot expect that.
Does that seem to meet the excellent point you make?
In Christ,
John