“The tree is known by its fruit,” says our Lord in the Gospel (Mt 12:33). If our prayer is genuine, it will bear fruit: it will make us humbler, gentler, more patient, more trusting, etc. It will bring all the “fruits of the Spirit” little by little to flower in our lives. St. Paul gives a list in the letter to the Galatians: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control . . .” (Gal 5:22-23). Above all, genuine prayer will make us love God and our neighbor more. Charity is the fruit and the ultimate criterion of every prayer life. “If I have not love, I am nothing,” asserts St. Paul forcefully (1 Cor 13:1-3). ~Fr. Jacques Philippe; Thirsting for Prayer
