Guided by the Spirit

Homily for Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

In today's first reading, Saint Paul paints two very different portraits of the human person. One life is governed by selfish desires; the other is guided by the Spirit of God. Paul is is describing two fundamentally different ways of living, two different sources from which a life can draw its nourishment.

The psalm helps us understand this distinction. The one who delights in the law of the Lord is "like a tree planted near running water." The image is gentle and steady. Such trees bear fruit because the roots are in the right place. The source of its life is trustworthy.

That image of rootedness can illuminate the Gospel as well. Jesus confronts some religious leaders who are meticulous about certain observances and yet neglect "judgment and the love of God." Their attention is fixed on visible practices, while the deeper source of spiritual life receives less care.

The challenge is familiar in every generation. We can be attentive to responsibilities, routines, ministries, and even prayer practices, yet gradually lose touch with the living relationship with God from which all these things draw their purpose. The Lord continually invites us beneath the surface, back to the source.

Perhaps that is why Paul speaks of the "fruit" of the Spirit rather than the "achievements" of the Spirit. Fruit grows slowly and develops through seasons. Often we notice it more readily in one another than in ourselves. A kind word spoken habitually, a patient response in moments of difficulty, a peaceful acceptance of the limitations of age, an enduring trust in God through uncertainty: these are signs that the Spirit has been at work for a long time.

Jesus invites us today to cherish that interior work. The deeper life of discipleship is not first about appearances. It is about allowing God's Spirit to take root ever more deeply within us. Then our actions, our prayers, our relationships, and our ministry become the natural expression of a heart formed by grace.

Like the tree planted near running water, may we remain close to the source of life. And as the years pass, may the fruits of the Spirit continue to appear among us, offering quiet testimony that Christ is living and acting in those who belong to him.