“I Look Forward to the Resurrection…” – Living the Creed: Recap and Commissioning Write a personal mission statement (300–400 words) summarizing what you have learned from this course and how it could
Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit in the present Christian life
Jennifer Bacuylima
St. Thomas University
Catholicism REL-2560-OL1
Professor Luis Gonzalez
October 5, 2025
Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit in the present Christian life
Introduction
Christians live under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, which empowers the believers by divine gifts and bears fruits, which manifest the existence of God in their daily lives. The gifts provide wisdom and judgment, and fruits provide the results of walking in the Spirit. The present paper discusses the gift of understanding and the fruit of peace and demonstrates their importance in the life of Christians in the modern world.
The Gift of Understanding
Knowledge will enable the believers to see the real meaning behind what God is saying and put his word into real life. Jesus promises his disciples that the Spirit of truth will be in a position to guide them and open their hearts and minds (John 14:26, NABRE). This is a gift that allows Christians to view the problematic issues of life in terms of faith and not cultural misunderstanding. To illustrate, an inspired parent can assist the children in handling moral dilemmas like technology use with wisdom based on scripture. The Spirit changes the perspective of the believer and results in a new way of life (transformed by the Holy Spirit), which is stressed by the Real + True resource. By doing so, it is through the knowledge that faith becomes real and relatable to contemporary life.
The Fruit of Peace
The fruit of peace shows the inner faith in the presence of God even during the trials. Paul enumerates peace as a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23, NABRE), whereas Acts tells how the Spirit brought different peoples together at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4, NABRE). The world today requires peace, as it is a divided, anxious, and conflicted place. Christians exercise this fruit when they pursue reconciliation within families, foster unity within society, and resist fear. Peace is a gift bestowed and a witness to other people because Jesus assures Him, stating, "My peace I give you" (John 14:27, NABRE).
Conclusion
Understanding and peace as gifts of the Spirit show that the Spirit still works in the lives of Christians. The knowledge brings clarity in the faithful decision-making, and peace changes the relationship and the societies. They collectively support the timeless nature of the Holy Spirit in the development of true discipleship nowadays.
Bibliography
Keebler, Daniel W. "Galatians 5—A Biblical Perspective of Unity and Diversity in Organizational Leadership." Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership 11, no. 1 (2021): 48-58.
Kurz, William S. Acts of the Apostles (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture). Baker Academic, 2014.
