HOMILY OF WEDNESDAY 12TH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B
HOMILY OF WEDNESDAY 12TH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: BY THEIR FRUITS WE SHALL KNOW THEM
BY: Fr. Isaac Awe
2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3; Psalm 118(119):33-37, 40; Matt 7:15-20
For whatever a man will have sown, that also shall he reap. For whoever sows in his flesh, from the flesh he shall also reap corruption. But whoever sows in the Spirit, from the Spirit he shall reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:8)
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Of all created beings, humans alone can choose (by their freewill) to bear good or evil fruit, to be a channel of God’s life or a channel of death or decay. The ultimate choice is a personal one, but God the father son wants us to be branches of the vine, that he sent by his only begotten son to redeem us. Jesus is now seated at the right hand on the throne of God, interceding for us. Hence, a true conversion to Jesus Christ presupposes a changed life, changed habit patterns, new sentiments, fruit borne because the believer is now grafted into Christ.
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: 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 we seek to cultivate good fruit in our lives and reject whatever produces bad fruit?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, may we bear good fruit for your sake and reject whatever will produce evil fruit. Help us to grow in faith, hope, love, sound judgment, justice, courage, and self control. Amen
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