Bearing the Good Fruit of Virtue

September 16th Readings Reflection: Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

Today’s Gospel begins with the well-known verse, “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit.” Many of Jesus’ followers were poor farmers, so they immediately understood the literal meaning of His words. However, there is a deeper, spiritual meaning to Christ’s words that we can understand through faith.

The 9th century Greek missionary St. Cyril wrote, “[Like the fruit in Jesus’ parable,] [e]ach man’s life also will be a criterion of his character. For not by extrinsic ornaments and pretended humility is the beauty of true happiness discovered, but by those things which a man does.” In other words, the fruit that we bear in our lives must spring from genuine virtues that have become habits. If we try to appear virtuous without having the proper disposition of heart, we become like the scribes and Pharisees whom Our Lord so often condemned.

Virtue that is not firmly established as part of our character is like the house built without a foundation that Jesus mentioned at the end of the Gospel passage today: “When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.” Only virtue that has become for us a habit or second nature can withstand the storms of life.

To cultivate true and lasting virtue, St. Francis de Sales instructed that we should discern which is our most prevalent vice and seek to practice the virtue that is contrary to this vice. Using the seven capital sins, we can see that humility is the virtue contrary to pride, patience is contrary to wrath, chastity is contrary to lust, temperance is contrary to gluttony, charity is contrary to greed, diligence is contrary to sloth, and kindness is contrary to envy. Whenever we feel tempted to commit a sin, we should pause and ask ourselves what virtue is directly opposed to this sin. We should then try to practice the virtue instead of committing the sin. It takes constant practice, and we will continually fail in our endeavors; however, as the virtue of patience reminds us, we must not allow our failings to discourage us and should instead find inspiration in Jesus’ falls along the path to Calvary.

The good tree is able to bear good fruit by the grace of God, without which it would not even exist. Likewise, we are able to cultivate and practice true virtue by God’s grace. May He give us the patience and determination to always persevere in the practice of virtue so that we may merit a crown of glory in the life to come.

Fig tree, from Wikimedia Commons