When St. Paul lists what he calls the “works of the flesh” he includes immorality, impurity, drinking bouts, orgies “and the like.” Those are the kinds of things you expect on such a list. But Paul places smack in the middle of that list some things we might not consider as works of the flesh: hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy. We recognize these vices (and are certainly guilty of them if you just look around) but we tend to think of them as somehow lesser than “immorality.” People go to confession for “immorality and impurity” much more readily than “dissensions and factions.” Paul sees these as works of the flesh as much as sexual transgressions. He looks on them as directly harmful to the life of the community and hence the life we share as the people of God. Only by eliminating those actions which harm our life together will we live the life of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
