Jesus was never one to mince words. We see this again today in the Gospel reading from Luke 11, where He is pronouncing woes on the Pharisees. When a scholar of the law hears this, he tells Jesus that they (the scholars of the law) feel insulted, too. So, just to even things up, Jesus pronounces an extra woe just for them! (I guess He didn’t want them to feel left out.)
In the first reading from Galatians, St. Paul talks about the the flesh and the Spirit. He lists the "works of the flesh" which include things like impurity, rivalry, idolatry, acts of selfishness, occasions of envy and many more. He also lists the fruit of the Spirit for us: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
So here's the bad news/good news. The bad news is we've probably engaged in most or all of the "works of the flesh" in our lives. The good news is we also engage in the fruit of the Spirit. As we open ourselves more to the Holy Spirit, the "works of the flesh" will diminish, and the fruit of the Spirit will increase.
Father, we're sorry for when the "works of the flesh" dominate our lives. Fill us with your Spirit, that we may enjoy more and more the fruit of the Spirit. Amen.
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