20260912 BEARING FRUIT IN CHRISTIAN LIFE
12 September 2026, Saturday, 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Corinthians 10:14-22 |
We are a single body because we all share the one bread
My dear brothers, you must keep clear of idolatry. I say to you as sensible people: judge for yourselves what I am saying. The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ, and the bread that we break is a communion with the body of Christ. The fact that there is only one loaf means that, though there are many of us, we form a single body because we all have a share in this one loaf. Look at the other Israel, the race, where those who eat the sacrifices are in communion with the altar.
Does this mean that the food sacrificed to idols has a real value, or that the idol itself is real? Not at all. It simply means that the sacrifices that they offer they sacrifice to demons who are not God. I have no desire to see you in communion with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot take your share at the table of the Lord and at the table of demons. Do we want to make the Lord angry; are we stronger than he is?
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 115(116):12-13,17-18 |
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
How can I repay the Lord
for his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise;
I will call on the Lord’s name.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;
I will call on the Lord’s name.
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
before all his people.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn14:6 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 6:43-49 |
Whoever hears me builds his house on a rock
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit. For every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles. A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.
‘Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord” and not do what I say?
‘Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts on them – I will show you what he is like. He is like the man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!’
BEARING FRUIT IN CHRISTIAN LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 CORINTHIANS 10:14-22; LUKE 6:43-49]
Today, the Lord invites us to examine the depth of our Christian life. He says: “There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit. For every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles.”
What kind of Catholic are you? Are you a nominal Catholic–one in name only who rarely goes to church, reads the Bible, or prays? Many are lukewarm Catholics, attending church services only when they feel like it or when trouble strikes, leaving faith at the bottom of their priorities. Others are maintenance Catholics who attend services regularly and support parish activities, but lack a living, personal relationship with Christ. Then there are the supposedly active Catholics who throw themselves into countless parish duties, yet have little time to nourish their own spiritual lives because they are too busy serving.
Who, then, is an authentic Catholic? We need not look far, but rather at how we live our lives–especially in our relationship with Christ and with our brothers and sisters. If we are living an authentic life of Christian discipleship, we will bear fruit. In today’s corporate world, success is measured by key performance indicators (KPIs). Similarly, it is not enough to say we are growing in faith unless that growth is measurable.
If we are living an authentic Christian life, it must be seen in the depth of our relationship with Christ–specifically, in whether He is truly at the centre of all we say and do. Unless He is our priority and the foundation of our decisions, we cannot claim to be His disciples. True disciples arrange their schedules, needs, values, and lives around Christ, who is the standard for everything we do. Is Jesus the rock on which we build our lives, raise our children, uphold our workplace values, and navigate our relationships with others?
An authentic Christian life is also manifested in a life of virtue. “A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.” We know that we are growing in faith when we grow in compassion and forgiveness. “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I say?” Unless we live out the Gospel, being baptised in Christ alone will not secure our salvation in this life or the next. At the end of the day, we must judge our Christian life not by what we say, but by how we live. Unless the fruit of the Spirit is manifested in how we conduct ourselves with others, we cannot claim to be growing spiritually in the Lord (cf. Gal 5:22).
An authentic Catholic is always missionary-minded, desiring to spread the message of Christ to all who do not yet know Him. If Christ means so much to us and makes a true difference in our lives, we will surely want everyone to know and love Him. It is hard to imagine that someone so in love with Jesus–and so grateful for the meaning, purpose, and fullness of life He provides–would not want to share Him as a gift with others, so that they too might experience real joy and peace. This mirrors the heart of the psalmist: “How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the Lord’s name. A thanksgiving sacrifice I make; I will call on the Lord’s name. My vows to the Lord I will fulfil before all his people.” (cf. Ps 116:12-14). If we truly want to respond to the Lord’s love for us and His sacrifice on the cross, our entire life must become an offering of thanksgiving as we fulfil the promises made at our baptism.
How, then, can we be Catholics who bear fruit for Christ? First, the Gospel tells us that we must be rooted in the Word of God. “Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts on them – I will show you what he is like. He is like the man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!” (cf. Lk 6:47-49).
Without a deep love for the Word of God, we cannot make progress in our spiritual life. Many of us may attend daily Mass and yet make no progress spiritually because we do not spend time in personal reflection and meditation on the Scriptures. As a result, we remain blind to our sins and imperfections, lacking the humility needed to grow in grace.
Second, St. Paul reminds us of the need to be rooted in the Eucharist, which is the summit of our faith and our source of spiritual sustenance. “The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ, and the bread that we break is a communion with the body of Christ.” (cf. 1 Cor 10:16). In the Eucharist, we remain united with the Lord so that we can live out His passion, death, and resurrection in our own daily lives. Without drawing strength from Christ and being inspired by His Eucharistic love, we cannot sustain the desire to love others continuously–especially those who are difficult to love. Only Christ’s love gives us the grace to forgive repeatedly, even when those closest to us take advantage of us, lie to us, or falsely accuse us.
Offering thanks to God for His love keeps our hearts grateful and generous toward others. The psalmist says, “How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the Lord’s name. A thanksgiving sacrifice I make; I will call on the Lord’s name. My vows to the Lord I will fulfil before all his people.” (cf. Ps 116:12-13, 17).
Receiving the Lord in the Eucharist helps us remain in full communion with Him and resist the influence of the Evil One. Making Christ the centre of our lives means refusing to give evil a foothold in our hearts. As St. Paul says, “I have no desire to see you in communion with demons. You cannot take your share at the table of the Lord and at the table of demons. Do we want to make the Lord angry; are we stronger than he is?” (cf. 1 Cor 10:20-22).
Third, we must remain in fellowship with the Body of Christ. Many Catholics attempt to live their faith in isolation, but we cannot grow spiritually alone. We need the support of one another on this journey. Celebrating the Eucharist together unites us not only with Christ, but with each other: “The fact that there is only one loaf means that, though there are many of us, we form a single body because we all share in this one loaf.” (cf. 1 Cor 10:17).
If we truly want to mature in our faith, joining or forming faith-sharing groups is essential. God’s love is never abstract; He comes to help us and show us Hs love through our brothers and sisters in Christ. Catholics who do not share their faith with each other can never grow in faith. Faith is never a private affair–it is a shared experience of God. Finding a trusted cell group where we can regularly share our lives and prayers is key to remaining united with Christ and His body.
If we observe these guidelines, our faith will truly be built on rock. We can be confident that when trials come our way, we will stand firm, unshaken. As St. Paul remarks: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (cf. Rom 8:37-39).
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
