A psalm of David.

 

1  The Lord is my shepherd;

there is nothing i shall lack.

 

2  He makes me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me to tranquil streams.

 

3  He restores my soul,

guiding me in paths of righteousness

so that his name may be glorified.

 

4  Even though i wander through the valley of the shadow of death,

 

i will fear no evil,

for you are at my side,

 

with your rod and your staff

that comfort me.

 

5  You spread a table for me

in the presence of my enemies.

 

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

 

6  Only goodness and kindness will follow me all the days of my life,

 

and i will dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever.

 

11 “I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd
lays down his life for the sheep.

12 The hired hand,
who is not the shepherd
nor the owner of the sheep,
sees the wolf approaching,
and he leaves the sheep and runs away,
while the wolf catches and scatters them.

13 He runs away
because he is only a hired hand
and he has no concern for the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd.
I know my own,
and my own know me,

15 just as the Father knows me
and I know the Father.
And I lay down my life for the sheep.

16 “I have other sheep too
that do not belong to this fold.
I must lead them as well,
and they will hear my voice.
Thus, there will only be one flock,
one shepherd.

17 “This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life
in order to take it up again.

18 No one takes it away from me.
I lay it down of my own free will.
And as I have the power to lay it down,
I have the power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father.”

 

John, Bible Chapter 10: Verses 22-30

Jesus said,

22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter,

 

23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon.

 

24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

 

25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me;

 

26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.

 

27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.

 

28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.

 

29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand.

 

30 The Father and I are one.”

 

The standard interpretation has been the one that Saint Thomas Aquinas worked out in the thirteenth century in his Summa Theologiae:

 

Wisdom is both the knowledge of and judgment about “divine things” and the ability to judge and direct human affairs according to divine truth (I/I.1.6; I/II.69.3; II/II.8.6; II/II.45.1–5).

 

Understanding is penetrating insight into the very heart of things, especially those higher truths that are necessary for our eternal salvation—in effect, the ability to “see” God (I/I.12.5; I/II.69.2; II/II.8.1–3).

 

Counsel allows a man to be directed by God in matters necessary for his salvation (II/II.52.1).

 

Fortitude denotes a firmness of mind in doing good and in avoiding evil, particularly when it is difficult or dangerous to do so, and the confidence to overcome all obstacles, even deadly ones, by virtue of the assurance of everlasting life (I/II.61.3; II/II.123.2; II/II.139.1).

 

Knowledge is the ability to judge correctly about matters of faith and right action, so as to never wander from the straight path of justice (II/II.9.3).

 

Piety is, principally, revering God with filial affection, paying worship and duty to God, paying due duty to all men on account of their relationship to God, and honoring the saints and not contradicting Scripture. The Latin word pietas denotes the reverence that we give to Our Father and to our country; since God is The Father of all, the worship of God is also called piety (I/II.68.4; II/II.121.1).

 

 

Fear of God is, in this context, “filial” or chaste fear whereby we revere God and avoid separating ourselves from him—as opposed to “servile” fear, whereby we fear punishment (I/II.67.4; II/II.19.9).

 

 

 

12 Fruits of The Holy Spirit

 

The following are the 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit and what they mean:

1. Charity (or Love)

Charity encompasses our love for God and of our neighbors. This kind of love is not simply a passing feeling or infatuation. It is an unconditional kind of love that expects nothing in return. It puts the needs of others before our own and it manifests in concrete actions toward God and other people.

 

2. Joy

We all want to be happy but the happiness found in earthly things is fleeting. The joy that is part of the 12 fruits is not an emotional state. Rather, it is a lasting kind of happiness that can only be realized when we put God at the center of our lives and if we believe that we will live our eternal life with Him.

 

3. Peace

Peace is tranquility that can be experienced when we put our complete trust in God. When we rely on God, we believe that he will provide for our needs and this relieves us from any anxious thoughts about the future.

 

4. Patience

Patience allows us to have compassion over people in spite of their flaws and weaknesses. This fruit comes from an understanding of our own imperfect state and how God has given us His unconditional love and mercy so we should do the same for others

 

5. Kindness

Kindness or benignity is more than being kind to others. It is having a heart that is willing to do acts of compassion and give to others above and beyond what we owe to them.

 

6. Goodness

Being good involves constant renouncing of evil in our day to day actions. When we are good, we are constantly seeking the path of righteousness and strive to do God’s will even at the expense of earthly success.

 

7. Longanimity

Longanimity is being patient even when being provoked. While patience involves tolerance, longanimity means enduring quietly and remaining steadfast in the midst of attacks of others.

The world will certainly become a much more peaceful and happier place if we all worked on becoming more Christ-like everyday.

 

8. Mildness

To be mild in behavior means having a heart of forgiveness and grace. It means not being easily provoked and choosing a response of meekness and peace rather than one that leads to revenge.

 

9. Faith

Faith is at the core of our Christianity. To have faith means living according to the will of God and believing that He is the master of our life.

 

10. Modesty

Being modest means being humble. It is believing that any of our successes, blessings and talents are gifts from God. It also means being content with what we have and not harbor any selfish ambitions.

 

11. Continence

Continence means having temperance and self-control. It does not mean denying ourselves from what we need or want, it is the ability to exercise moderation in everything we do.

 

12. Chastity

Chastity means giving ourselves to Christ completely whether as a priest, religious or layman. All vocations are called to have chaste in their way of living. Chastity also means indulging our physical desires within the right context such as being sexually pure before marriage and by remaining faithful to one’s spouse.

 

As a Christian in our faith we are expected to manifest these twelve fruits in our day to day actions. It can be a struggle to remain steadfast and live a Christian way of life especially with all the mixed messages and negative influences that we receive from our culture. However this should only challenge us even more to cultivate our character.

 

 

we will go into further indepth detail to be updated