The Fruits of Our Faith

In the midst of farmers-market season, Janelle Peregoy finds inspiration for the spiritual life.

For the Love of a Farmers’ Market 

There is an unbridled joy in seeing my sons’ faces sticky with peach juice. I realize that may put me in the minority here. 

For as long as I can remember, my happy place was a farmers’ market. I like the sound of a cascade of almonds pinging a metal scale. I like burying my face in a bouquet of freesias and having their sweet scent tickle my nose a beat longer than expected. I like running my hand over a smooth watermelon. 

As amazing as the sights, sounds and smells are, my favorite part of a farmers’ market is the community that develops. Regulars and the farmers, growers and makers at a market get to know each other over time. People start sharing why they are buying certain ingredients.  

“I am making my daughter’s favorite since she just came home from college.” 

There is something simple and profound about connecting with those who grow our food. I also recognize the vast inequities that families face when they seek fresh food, since more than 17 million Americans live in known food deserts. 

Fruits of our Faith 

A recent homily by a visiting priest offered a new insight into the fruits of our faith:  

“Does someone know that you are a Catholic Christian by how your life is lived? Can someone else see and sense the fruits of your spiritual labor?” 

I have been sitting with those questions for the last few days. 

The answers can be interpreted in a myriad of ways and may be deeply personal. I cannot speak for how anyone else may perceive spiritual conviction. That being said, I think that the faithful tend to recognize others who exude the love of Christ. 

When we look inward, we need to remain vigilant in cultivating our own virtues. This process resembles selecting fruit from the farmers’ market because it requires prayerful discernment.  

Selecting the Fruit 

One of my sons will brandish a seemingly perfect avocado. Inevitably, I will have to show him that the feel is wrong. It is too hard, too unripe. Have you spiritually matured? Or, are there aspects of your faith life so tied to the past that they no longer serve your future growth? 

A knowledgeable grower once explained to me choose the sweetest watermelon. Look for the “field spot” or the yellowish section where the melon sat on the ground. If the spot is more golden, it has been ripening longer and is more laden with juice. Have you been thoughtful or are you too quick to trust unreliable sources of information? Have you taken your questions and concerns to prayer?  

What about the nectarine with the slight blemish? Pope Francis was a frequent critic of the throwaway culture that was quick to discard that fruit. That blemish, that lived experience, has no real bearing on the quality of the nectarine. Do you ever make the mistake of easily discarding someone or something before truly understanding its dignity and worth?  

As the summer months yield a harvest of berries and stone fruit, ask Jesus to gently reveal the fruits of our faith, in your lives and lives of other surrounding you. 

Enjoy the abundance. 

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Copyright 2025 Janelle Peregoy
Images: Canva