Some stories are so inspiring, there’s only one reasonable explanation: the Holy Spirit. 

The life of Andrew Dũng-Lac is such a story. Andrew, born Dũng An-Tran, lived in northern Vietnam. As a boy, he met a Christian who taught him about Jesus and helped him get baptized. Eventually Andrew became a priest, but it wasn’t an easy time to be a Christian in Vietnam. The Emperor Minh-Mang commanded Vietnamese Christians to trample on crucifixes and renounce Jesus. After many years of spreading the faith, Andrew, along with thousands of other Vietnamese faithful, refused to deny their faith. They were killed in a brutal martyrdom.  

How did Andrew and his companions persevere in such difficult circumstances? How did they hold on to their faith in the face of death? The Holy Spirit. 

How do we know if we are filled with the Holy Spirit? Jesus advises us that we can judge a tree by its fruits. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Matthew 7:18) What fruit is your life bearing today? What fruit do you want your life to bear in the future?

If we are really allowing the Holy Spirit to flourish within us, the fruits should be bubbling forth in our lives. Those fruits are:

Love: To love God above all things and to love others as God calls us to.

Joy: A state of happiness that is independent of circumstances. 

Peace: The serenity and tranquility that flows from order.

Patience: Enables us to endure inconvenience, difficulties, and hardship without complaint.

Kindness: Concern for others who are in trouble or in need.

Goodness: Doing what is good and right in every circumstance.

Generosity: To give freely of our time, talent, and treasure beyond what justice requires.

Gentleness: To be submissive to God and considerate of others.

Faithfulness: To be reliable and trustworthy.

Modesty: The moderation of our speech, dress, and behavior.

Self-control: The control of our desires so that we can focus them on what is good and right.

Chastity: The moderation of desire for sexual pleasure according to right reason, faith, and state in life.

If you really take the time to consider what you want from life, you will discover that a life filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit is what you are yearning for. If you consider the opposite of each of the fruits, you will discover that they lead to a life of slavery and misery. The way of God is one of peace and order. The way of sin is one of chaos and anxiousness. Which will you choose?



Feast Day: November 24 

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Chrysogonus

Patron Saint of: Vietnam

Symbols: Martyr Palm

Canonized: June 19, 1988

Canonized By: Pope John Paul II