First Reading: 2 Kings 22:8-13, 23:1-3
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
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.” (Mt. 7:15-20)
By their fruits you will know them. This statement begs the question, what kind of fruits are your life producing? Today's gospel is pretty straightforward, the "good trees" bear good fruits, while the "bad trees" bear bad fruit. Reading this gospel passage should make us all look inside ourselves and at our own lives. What do our lives say about us? What kinds of fruits are being produced by how we live our life? Are we striving to follow God's will and to love Him first? Are we striving to sacrifice daily and carry our cross in this life? Are we seeking to help others before ourselves? Are we trying to produce good fruit?
Think about your life, what fruit are you producing? If you are not producing good fruit, what can you do to change that? Remember, it is never too late to turn towards God and follow Him. In the first reading today, the king realized after hearing the book of the law that he and all of Judah were not following God's way and that their lives were not producing good fruit. So they turned back to God and made a promise to Him that they were no longer going to follow their ways, but rather His. We must always remember that it is never too late to give ourselves to Christ and to let our lives begin to produce good fruit.
Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, thank you for all that you have blessed us with in this life and for all that you give. Lord, help our lives be a reflection of you, help others to see you through our works and our lives. Lord, we are here by you and for you, help us to never forget that. We pray for all those in need of conversion, and for all those who have fallen away from the Church. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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