Fruit of the Spirit: Pauline Mysticism for the Church Today

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."--Galatians 5:22-23.


When Saint Paul writes about the "Fruit of the Spirit" in his Letter to the Galatians, what does he really mean? What are we to make of the list Paul provides (and that others have elaborated on over the centuries)? Spiritual writer Michael H. Crosby argues that by exploring Paul's understanding of the Spirit's fruit, we can envision a "mystical theology" that would transcend the divide between "episcopal nomists" who think the church can simply be equated with the bishops, and the many disaffected Catholics of the past 30 years who found little in institutional Catholicism that gave them joy or hope. Using insights from biology, neuroscience, scripture, spirituality, and literature, Crosby also includes suggestions for spiritual practices to help the reader achieve the graces of the Fruit of the Spirit.