Living Fruitfully: Self-Control

Learning From the Saints

“It is God’s intention that you and I may act upon what the Spirit seeks to give us so we may be sustained and transformed; strong and holy; fit for mission and for the kingdom of heaven.” As a fruit of the Holy Spirit, self-control reveals the presence of the Spirit at work within the soul, conferring strength and wisdom and helping us to endure, with fidelity, those temptations that may cause us to lose our spiritual, moral and rational balance. This title examines the fruit of self-control in detail, illustrates how the saints were a model for this attribute, and gives some examples of how self-control might be demonstrated in daily life today. It concludes with a series of questions to help us to examine the presence of the fruit of self-control in our own lives, moving us beyond reflection and discussion to application.