Self-Control is Surrender

As a Fruit of the Holy Spirit, Self-Control must be divine; not just the natural domination of our “lower passions” by intellect and will. And if the “self” being controlled is our whole self, it must be controlled by someone other than ourselves. That someone is God. True Self-Control is Surrender—to Jesus, as his body; to the Father “in Christ,” in the “unity of the Holy Spirit.”

The peak of Christian life is surrender. If we are totally surrendered, the Father can provide what is truly best for us. Jesus can do with us, in us, and through us anything he desires. And the Spirit can guide us unerringly. Nothing will hold us back from that “life to the full” Jesus came to give (John 10:10).

Self-Control through Surrender is the Fruit of the Spirit that most explicitly reveals our acceptance of the Incarnation, the mystery of God “emptying himself, taking the form of a slave” (Philippians 2:5). Those who understand the Incarnation give up all control of themselves, other people, or events that is the fruit of wealth, prestige, and power.

This is Christ’s triumph. There is nothing that is more in contradiction to the thinking of this world. When the visible absence of wealth, prestige and power in the Church shows we believe all true control is Surrender, then the “aroma” of the incarnate Christ, the “fragrance that comes from knowing him” (2Corinthians 2:14) will enable us to proclaim with credibility the Good News.

For true Self-Control, surrender.

— Fr. David M. Knight

View today’s Mass readings on the USCCB website here

Easter season is the time to focus on the Holy Spirit. Starting on Easter Sunday, we will look carefully at how the Spirit is proclaimed, invoked, and presented to us in the Mass. Lex orandi, lex credendi: “As the Church prays, so she believes.”

After that, we will reflect on the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Galatians 5:22), and at how the Spirit enters the life of those who believe.

As you read these reflections, ask for the gift of Understanding. Ask to really understand what you believe, what you see and hear at Mass. Go deeper into understanding the Mass than you ever have before. We experience the Faith when we become aware of its mystery. We hope you reflect deeply on the Mass and Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and find yourself more and more drawn into the mysteries of our Lord in the Mass and in His Gifts.