YEAR B: HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (1)

YEAR B: HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

HOMILY THEME: BEWARE OF WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

BY: Fr. Benny Tuazon

HOMILY:

In today’s Gospel Jesus warns His disciples against false prophets.

They are those who speak the word of God but have evil intentions. The best way to know them, according to Jesus, is through their fruits. Just like good fruits like grapes cannot be found among thorn bushes, good things cannot come from false prophets.

This was a very important warning from Jesus because of the existence of those who can and want to take advantage and make easy prey on some believers. Indeed, the word of God can be twisted for some vested purposes. I have known stories of preachers who were able to get the land titles and huge amounts of money from their members. They used Scripture passages like, “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Or, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Taken literally, one may be convinced to decide to entrust his riches to the pastor of the sect. Then, the deception is complete.

But the more evil deceptions are; teaching people that there is no God, do not believe even if God exists, that God is merciful and we can commit all the sins we can, that if we just have faith we can just sit down and everything will be given, that we do not need religion, etc. These maybe explained logically and even scripturally but they are misleading. Understanding Scripture passages out of context and apart from the Traditions of the Church are very dangerous. tradition here does not mean the common way of life and beliefs in a culture but the very milieu the Scriptures were told and written. Scriptures and Tradition have a relationship similar to the fish and water. Both are necessary for the right interpretation of each other.

Jesus’ life was a testimony to His words. He walked His talk. Present preachers should not be believed merely by the words they spoke. Even their actions should be subject to a deep and close scrutiny. Listeners must discern well the words and actions of a preacher or the present prophet. Are they really leading their members to salvation? Or are they only interested in their adulation, riches, and praises? Be not deceived.