Fuits

The fruit of quietness is prayer;
The fruit of prayer is faith;
The fruit of faith is Love;
The fruit of of Love is service;
The fruit of service is peace.
                       - Mother Theresa

Eternal Spirit, in whom we live, move and exist;

Here and now, everything around us inspires quietness, peace, and harmony, inviting us to prayer. This means nothing other than a conversation with You, a meeting with You, and sanctification in You, our God. So,

The fruit of quietness is prayer. And there is a great need for prayer in this world full of discord, where our deeds and feelings are aggressive. The noise of big towns hinders all of those who keep looking for You. Violence, anger, nervousness seem to rule the world! But when we pray our prayer always gives birth to its fruit, that is, nothing other than faith. That is why we can utter with Mother Theresa...

The fruit of prayer is faith. And when we have faith, we are not uncertain anymore, we do not feel ourselves at everybody's mercy, because we know that You exist and we exist, and we do not feel lonely in this fearfully vast universe. Faith in its turn gives birth to its own fruit, and Mother Theresa says...

The fruit of faith is love. Not only do we know that, "God is love, and they who abide in love abide in God and God in them", but we also feel the miraculous power of love. And since, according to the teachings of Jesus, "You will be recognized when you love one another" - we know we are nothing without love. When we bear in our hearts active and forgiving love, everything around us seems to change at once. The lives of those who believe in Love, and accept its rules receive a new meaning and aim and mission. Thus...

The fruit of Love is service. Those who are able to understand this sequence of ideas, those who have tasted these fruits, are also able to serve. They are able to serve in the ways the apostle taught, in good and bad times alike. There is always enough to do, there is always much to harvest. But the harvesters, the labourers, the service bearers are few. That is why there is always a need for those who want than are able to carry on in service, even if it brings sacrifice and exhaustion. In this way, service gives birth to its fruit and...

The fruit of service is peace. And it is in peace that everything unfolds, achieves its purpose. It is only in peace that we can move from one step to another, from the small to the great, from the physical to the spiritual. That is why, in the sequence of prayer, faith, love and service, we pray for peace in our souls.

Amen.