Sister Barbara Jean Mihalchick posts videos of her reflections each week at the Facebook of the Sisters of St. Basil the Great.
View them at : https://www.facebook.com/sistersofstbasil.uniontown/. This is a transcript of her July 26, 2019 reflection and is Part 5 of her “Fruits of the Holy Spirit” series. Glory to Jesus Christ! This time I want to focus on goodness. It seems like such a general reality but, in fact, it is a particular Fruit of the Holy Spirit working in us as God’s gift.
Being created by God, we share in this goodness. It can take many names. Grace, for instance. The characteristics of goodness are that we seek “the better.” We are strengthened to avoid evil, to avoid trouble and to seek what is good for us and for those around us.
We all know, I hope, that it feels better to be living in a peaceful, happier environment. We like those moments better than the moments when we are in trouble, when we’ve caused ourselves some complication or grief or problem. Or someone has caused them for us.
By contrast, living in goodness is the ability to give and share that which God has blessed us with other people. So this “goodness” is not meant only to make me peaceful and happy. But we do have that source within us —
God’s grace, God’s blessing.
It’s also meant to be shared in the environment where we live. Often times we do encounter negativity, we do encounter confusion, we do encounter disturbances or problems or challenges.
I fully suggest if we take a moment to be grateful for our good God, to be grateful for all the moments and times of goodness in our lives, for all our joys; out of that gratitude for goodness, goodness will flow to other people.
When we experience these things, how about if we take a moment to be grateful and to find some way to share that
goodness in the scene where we are living. This is the work of the Holy Spirit and we are so graced to have this blessing.
God bless you.
