“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). We cannot see someone’s faith, but we can see its signs in their lives. Being a believer means that one lives a certain way — walking with the Lord, doing justice, loving-kindness, and living peaceably among all people. Christian discipleship means practicing what Jesus preached. Discipleship is found in a relationship with Christ and a commitment to his mission of "bringing good news to the poor, liberty to captives, new sight to the blind, and setting the downtrodden free" (Luke 4:18). 

The Bible speaks of visible "fruits of the spirit" that are characteristics of a Christian – evidence of faith. St. Paul made a list of these fruits in his letter to the Galatians:  Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control (Gal 5: 22-23). These are the attitudes, behaviors, and traits that someone who believes in Jesus Christ should show. Every Christian is continually maturing toward Christ-likeness and the Word of God helps us to understand how the Holy Spirit guides us!

• Uncovering the Evidence: Make a chart on the marker board, a poster, or on a handout with the Fruits of the Spirit at the top of each column. Brainstorm with students some actions they would expect to see in a person who is a faithful disciple of Jesus. For example, under Patience (also Kindness and Self-Control): My friend waited for me to finish my project so that we could walk together. Under Love (also Joy and Faithfulness): Grandma sent me a note to encourage me before the tournament.
• Identifying the Witnesses: Ask students to name people they know – or have learned about in their classes – that exemplify each of the fruits. Let the students discuss and decide how to list the “evidence” on the Fruit of the Spirit chart. Since all good actions are fruits of the same Spirit, you can expect that an action or a person could be evidence of multiple “fruits.” Consider the Saints of the Week from your current lessons. You will also find stories of dozens of holy witnesses in the Saints Resource. Example: Saint Elizabeth of Hungary gave her wealth to feed the poor – list under Generosity, Love, Gentleness. Saint Peter Claver ministered to enslaved people, protected them, and taught them about Christ – listed under Faithfulness, Peace, and Joy.
• Interdisciplinary Project: Invite students to make connections to other subjects in the curriculum. Ask: “What events and people have you learned about in Social Studies, Health, or Reading classes that could be added to the chart?”
• Showing the Fruit: As an art project, invite students to choose one Fruit of the Spirit to illustrate. They could draw a picture or a comic strip of someone demonstrating their faith this way.

About the Author
Dr. Lauri Przybysz specializes in equipping families to live their vocation to be domestic churches and signs of God’s love. Lauri received the Doctor of Ministry from the Catholic University of America, and she has been both a Catholic middle school religion teacher and a faith formation coordinator at the archdiocesan and parish levels. She is the mother of six children and grandmother of 21.