FIRST READING
2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3
The high priest Hilkiah informed the scribe Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law in the temple of the LORD.” Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it. Then the scribe Shaphan went to the king and reported, “Your servants have smelted down the metals available in the temple and have consigned them to the master workmen in the temple of the LORD.” The scribe Shaphan also informed the king that the priest Hilkiah had given him a book, and then read it aloud to the king. When the king heard the contents of the book of the law, he tore his garments and issued this command to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, son of Shaphan, Achbor, son of Micaiah, the scribe Shaphan, and the king’s servant Asaiah: “Go, consult the LORD for me, for the people, for all Judah, about the stipulations of this book that has been found, for the anger of the LORD has been set furiously ablaze against us, because our fathers did not obey the stipulations of this book, nor fulfill our written obligations.”
The king then had all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem summoned together before him. The king went up to the temple of the LORD with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: priests, prophets, and all the people, small and great. He had the entire contents of the book of the covenant that had been found in the temple of the LORD, read out to them. Standing by the column, the king made a covenant before the LORD that they would follow him and observe his ordinances, statutes and decrees with their whole hearts and souls, thus reviving the terms of the covenant which were written in this book. And all the people stood as participants in the covenant.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40
R. (33a) Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes, that I may exactly observe them.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Lead me in the path of your commands, for in it I delight.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Incline my heart to your decrees and not to gain.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Turn away my eyes from seeing what is vain: by your way give me life.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Behold, I long for your precepts; in your justice give me life.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
ALLELUIA
John 15:4a, 5b
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord; whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Matthew 7:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.”
REFLECTIONS:
What do grapes, thorns, figs, and thistles have to
teach us about the kingdom of God? The imagery used by Jesus would have
been very familiar to his audience. A certain thornbush had berries which
resembled grapes. And a certain thistle had a flower, which at least from
a distance, resembled the fig. Isn't it the same today? What we "hear"
might have a resemblance of the truth, but, in fact, when you inspect it
closely, it's actually false. False prophets or teachers abound today as
much as they did in biblical times.
What's the test of a true or false teacher? Jesus connects soundness
with good fruit. Something is sound when it is free from defect, decay,
or disease and is healthy. Good fruit is the result of sound living living
according to moral truth and upright character. The prophet Isaiah warned
against the dangers of falsehood: style="font-style: italic;">Woe
to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and
light for darkness (Isaiah 5:20). The fruits of falsehood produce
an easy religion which takes the iron out of religion, the cross out of
Christianity, and any teaching which eliminates the hard sayings of Jesus,
and which push the judgments of God into the background and makes us think
lightly of sin.
How do we avoid falsehood in our personal lives? By being true true
to God, his word, and his grace. And that takes character! Those who are
true to God know that their strength lies not in themselves but in God
who supplies what we need. The fruit of a disciple is marked by faith,
hope and love, justice, prudence, fortitude and temperance. Do you seek
to cultivate good fruit in your life and reject whatever produces bad fruit?
"Lord Jesus, may I bear good fruit for your sake and reject whatever
will produce evil fruit. Help me grow in faith, hope, love, sound judgment,
justice, courage, and self control."
No comments:
Post a Comment