Wednesday, June 22, 2022

A Fact of Life

It's a fact of life:  good trees bear good fruit and rotten trees bear bad fruit.  If you want to know if a tree is good or bad, just look at its fruit.

In the language of scripture, Jesus was warning his disciples, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15-20)

Good things would not come from false prophets.  False prophets could deceive people.  They could dress up bad things and fool people into thinking they are good.  This happens all the time today.  It certainly isn't limited to the time of Christ. (Don't even get me started on the pro-abortion arguments which fool some people and are extremely deceptive and dangerous.)

Can you name three things you thought were good but turned out to be deceptive?  I'll bet most of us can.  In fact, sometimes we can talk ourselves into thinking something is good as rationale for our behavior.  It can be a horrifying self-discovery.

In situations where I justify my actions by my intentions, rather than the reality of the action, I can discover a genuine appreciation for God.  I can discover that even in my worst moments, God protects me and forgives me when I confess to him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Talk about life-giving!  Thank you God for saving me!

Without examining myself and coming to terms with who I am, how could I ever know the mercy of God?  Everyone talks about the person who is mean, or the work gossip.  But what if after an honest self-examination I discover I am that person?  What if I am the wolf? How alarming would that be? 

If I think I am "all that and a box of chocolates," I will not recognize my need for a savior. 

Makes sense, doesn't it?

Most of us manage to justify what we do, even though our rationale might be skewed. That is exactly what Jesus was warning us about.  How often do you pretend something is okay when you know deep down it is not?  (Think - pre-marital sex, immodest dress, skipping Mass, holding a grudge, "borrowing" time or things from work, etc., etc.)

The truth is, with the help of God (which we all need), we can, and should, strive for change.  We can do better.  We want to be a genuine sheep.

When Jesus speaks of fruit, he is talking about what comes out of us, what is produced by us. What are we putting into the world, what are we saying to others, when we are promiscuous, or ill-tempered, or unfaithful to God or others?  What does our behavior produce through these things?  Is your tree producing good fruits?

While we must be careful not to deceive ourselves, we must also be careful not to deceive others.  And furthermore, we must be careful not to let others deceive us.  We have been warned. Watch out for those wolves in sheep's clothing, and cling to the Holy Spirit for guidance.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com


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