They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Fruit

June 27, 2018

Today’s gospel calls to mind that great and catchy anthem from the 70’s They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love. Jesus School continues and today we learn about false prophets, good fruit, and rotten fruit. Historically, a prophet is someone that God speaks with to communicate with His people, and on the flip side, a priest is someone that people speak with to communicate with God.  False prophets are all around us, unfortunately, and they surface most especially when things like politics and controversial issues infect our environments. Lines get drawn in the sand and sides must be chosen and each side claims to speak on behalf of something greater. The name of God is often used in vain in these types of “wars” and passions run deep and very hot. Let’s get one thing clear: true prophets speak only LOVE, and false prophets speak everything but LOVE. Sheep’s clothing can look like someone who claims to be pro-life, but supports rejecting refugees, or the death penalty, or avoids eye-contact with the homeless on the streets, or do does not take care of their elderly parents, or is not a good steward of the environment. I know this might be harsh, but we have to come face to face with Jesus and ask Him if He would to any of the above. If we think otherwise, we really need to go back and read the past several days of His gospel. “Beware of false prophets.” 

Jesus gives us a very basic way to identify false prophets, or those not acting in line with the Holy Spirit, and that is by their fruits. Let’s review what the fruits of the Holy Spirit are found in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the good fruits Jesus is talking about in today’s gospel, and the opposite of these are the rotten fruits. I invite each one of us to spend some time reflecting on these good fruits and if they are manifested in our lives. If our best friends were interviewed and asked to describe us using only five words, would any of these fruits be used? Or, if any of our co-workers, family members, and even our foes, were interviewed…would any of these fruits be used to describe us? Do the people we associate with, listen to, and support politically have these same fruits lived out in their actions and words? They’ll know we are Christians by our love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

I’m going to really pray with these fruits today and if I am in need of pruning any rotten fruit from my life, I am going to commit to cutting it out. I only want to be described by these good fruits in all circumstances, environments, and interactions. I don’t want to be a sheep in wolves clothing. I don’t want to be cut down and thrown into the fire. I want to be known by my love. Have a good fruits kind of day and it is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 2 KGS 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 PS 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 JN 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 MT 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."