20160622 YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TELL THEM BY THEIR FRUITS
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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2 Kings
22:8-13,23:1-3 ©
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The high priest
Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the
Temple of the Lord.’’’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.
Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him as follows, ‘Your
servants’ he said ‘have melted down the silver which was in the Temple and have
handed it over to the masters of works attached to the Temple of the Lord.’
Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me
a book’; and Shaphan read it aloud in the king’s presence.
On
hearing the contents of the Book of the Law, the king tore his garments, and
gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor
son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s minister: ‘Go and
consult the Lord, on behalf of me and the people, about the contents of this
book that has been found. Great indeed must be the anger of the Lord blazing
out against us because our ancestors did not obey what this book says by
practising everything written in it.’
The king
then had all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem summoned to him, and the king
went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the men of Judah and all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, priests, prophets and all the people, of high or low
degree. In their hearing he read out everything that was said in the book of
the covenant found in the Temple of the Lord. The king stood beside the pillar,
and in the presence of the Lord he made a covenant to follow the Lord and keep
his commandments and decrees and laws with all his heart and soul, in order to
enforce the terms of the covenant as written in that book. All the people gave
their allegiance to the covenant.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
118:33-37,40 ©
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Lord, teach me
your statutes.
Teach me the demands
of your statutes
and I
will keep them to the end.
Train me to observe
your law,
to keep
it with my heart.
Lord, teach me
your statutes.
Guide me in the path
of your commands;
for there
is my delight.
Bend my heart to your
will
and not
to love of gain.
Lord, teach me
your statutes.
Keep my eyes from
what is false;
by your
word, give me life.
See, I long for your
precepts;
then in
your justice, give me life.
Lord, teach me
your statutes.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps118:18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord,
that I may consider
the wonders of your
law.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Jn15:4,5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Make your home in me,
as I make mine in you,
says the Lord;
whoever remains in me
bears fruit in plenty.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 7:15-20 ©
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Jesus said to his
disciples, ‘Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but
underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their fruits.
Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, a
sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit. A sound tree cannot
bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. Any tree that does not
produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be
able to tell them by their fruits.’
YOU
WILL BE ABLE TO TELL THEM BY THEIR FRUITS
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ 2 KG 22:8-13,
23:1-3; MT 7:15-20 ]
When
Jesus warned the disciples about false prophets who come “disguised as sheep
but underneath are ravenous wolves”, He was thinking of the false prophets of
the Old Testament. There were many of them who prophesied for their
self-interests and misled the king and the leaders of their days. He was
also thinking of the shepherds in those days who wore the skin of the sheep
when looking after the sheep. Therein lies the danger that some of these
shepherds might not be truly protecting the sheep but are in fact thieves and
brigands.
Indeed, the crux of today’s
scripture readings is about how we discern whether a leader is a true and good
leader or a bad leader. The truth is that many are hoodwinked by whoever
comes to present themselves as leaders but have ulterior motives and selfish
interests. They are eloquent preachers, glib talkers, dramatic and
popular and often use the name of God or claim to do whatever they do for the
good of the people. Many are easily tempted by such leaders as they make
many empty promises and give false hopes to the people. Yet, often, for
the ordinary person it is difficult to differentiate a genuine from a fake
leader. That is what Jesus meant when He remarked, “Can people pick
grapes from thorns or figs from thistles?” The point that Jesus was
hinting at is that there are some plants that are difficult to distinguish, or
look similar that we can mistake one for the other. In fact there is a
certain buckthorn tree that bears fruits that look like grapes and there is a
certain thistle that bears flowers that look like a fig from afar.
The guideline from Jesus is
clear. He said, “You will be able to tell them by their fruits.”
Indeed, “a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit. A sound
tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. Any tree that
does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire.” In
other words, we only have to look for the fruits of the preacher or the
prophet. We must examine his thoughts, words and actions. What he
says is less important than how he lives. A true leader must produce the
fruits of the Spirit, which are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Gal 5:22f
)
)
A false teacher, leader or
prophet is one who promotes himself. When he draws people to himself instead of
drawing people to God or to do the right thing, he is not a true leader.
The task of leading is to help others to become more independent and
freer. He is here to do his job, perform his role and then move
on. He does not build a kingdom for himself. We must be
careful of leaders who make themselves the center of everything.
Everything that is done is about himself, his prestige and popularity.
Such leaders are more concerned about what people think of him and how popular
he is, than whether he is doing the right things for his people and for their
interests.
A false teacher is always
thinking about money and pursuing wealth and pleasure. We must be very
weary of those teachers that come to ask for money for themselves or use the
gospel to increase their wealth. Those who use the gospel in such a
manner will lead to their own destruction. St Paul wrote, “For people will be
lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient
to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers,
profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless,
swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to
the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them!” (2 Tim 3:2-5
) Such leaders who ask for money and benefits are not men
of God because they are worshipping false gods. The only exception is
when he asks money for the poor and for the spread of the gospel.
) Such leaders who ask for money and benefits are not men
of God because they are worshipping false gods. The only exception is
when he asks money for the poor and for the spread of the gospel.
A true
teacher who has the truth will know that such worldly things cannot give real
happiness. It is the joy of forming people, changing wrong attitudes,
setting them free and empowering them to live a richer life that is full of
meaning that gives the preacher joy. Indeed, Jesus Himself was rich
and became poor so that He could enrich us. The great joy of a leader is
that he could be of service to others, especially the weak, the ignorant and the
poor. When we lead them out of their poverty and misery, this is a joy
that no amount of money can buy.
Again, we can distinguish a
true leader from a false leader in what they preach. If the content of
their teaching comes from the world and their own ideology, we must shun them
as well. Some leaders are promoting their own philosophy of life.
Often they themselves are blind and ignorant. They do not even know
the truth themselves and are selling their ideas to others. Others,
especially the rich and powerful, seek to impose their ideology on poor
countries and peoples by using money and economic power. A true
teacher only teaches the truth that comes from God. There is only one
teacher, that is, the Christ! (Mt 23:10
) Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. (Jn 14:6
) So if anyone were to teach then he must teach only what
the Lord instructs him. He teaches not his own philosophy but the wisdom
of God. (1 Cor 2:4
) So preachers and teachers must be cautious that they are
not transmitting their own shallow and misguided understanding of the truth but
whatever they say must be grounded in the Word of God.
) Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. (Jn 14:6) So if anyone were to teach then he must teach only what
the Lord instructs him. He teaches not his own philosophy but the wisdom
of God. (1 Cor 2:4) So preachers and teachers must be cautious that they are
not transmitting their own shallow and misguided understanding of the truth but
whatever they say must be grounded in the Word of God.
In the final analysis, the
true leader is one who liberates and gives life to others. This is the
whole mission of Jesus. He said, “I come to give life, life
abundantly.” (Jn 10:10
) Just as Jesus sacrificed His life for His people, a true
leader has no other motive, no expectation of reward and gain, other than to
offer His life in selfless and humble service for others. He chooses to
live a life of simplicity, using only what he needs, and the abundance, he
gives to others, especially those who are in need. A leader does his work
and when the day comes for another leader to emerge, he steps down graciously
and departs with joy into oblivion, knowing that he has played his part in the
building of the community. A true leader is contented that he has
done his work and happy to leave when it is done.
) Just as Jesus sacrificed His life for His people, a true
leader has no other motive, no expectation of reward and gain, other than to
offer His life in selfless and humble service for others. He chooses to
live a life of simplicity, using only what he needs, and the abundance, he
gives to others, especially those who are in need. A leader does his work
and when the day comes for another leader to emerge, he steps down graciously
and departs with joy into oblivion, knowing that he has played his part in the
building of the community. A true leader is contented that he has
done his work and happy to leave when it is done.
In the first reading, we
have the exemplary leadership of King Josiah. When the high priest found the
Book of the Law in the Temple of the Lord, he reported to the King’s
secretary. And when the king heard of the contents of the Book of the
Law, we are told that he was filled with remorse at the ingratitude and
shameful practices of the nation and its leaders. He said, “Great indeed
must be the anger of the Lord blazing out against us because our ancestors did
not obey what this book says by practising everything written in it.” He
“tore his garments” as a sign of repentance and determination to change the
course of the culture of the nation. As a follow up, he called everyone
to the Temple of the Lord to hear the Book of the Law and then “in the presence
of the Lord he made a covenant to follow the Lord and keep his commandments and
decrees and laws with all his heart and soul, in order to enforce the terms of
the covenant as written in that book. All the people gave their allegiance to
the covenant.” Such was the exemplary leadership of King Josiah.
When he discovered the truth revealed in the Book of the Law, he acted
immediately and did not wait any longer. As a true leader, he
called the rest to follow his good example.
What about us and our
leaders? Do we listen to the Word of God daily and pray to the Lord so
that we can know what He wants for His people? If we ourselves have not
heard from the Lord, how can we teach our people, our children and those under
our charge? Like the psalmist, we must pray every day in this
manner. “Teach me the demands of your statutes and I will keep them to
the end. Train me to observe your law, to keep it with my heart. Guide me in
the path of your commands; for there is my delight. Bend my heart to your
will and not to love of gain. Keep my eyes from what is false; by your word,
give me life. See, I long for your precepts; then in your justice, give
me life.” Indeed, leaders must walk in the truth before seeking to
lead others; if not both will fall into the ditch. (Mt 15:14
)
)
Finally, if we ourselves
have not first brought to consciousness our own sins and inadequacies, we will
be too blind to lead others to do what is right. We need leaders today
who are humble and conscious of their own limitations and sinfulness so that
they will rely not on their own strength but on God alone. We need
leaders who will produce the fruits of love, unity and compassion so that all
will be united in mutual love, service and fraternal correction. In
truth, we know who the true leaders are. They work for the good of
others. They remain humble and unassuming. All they have are always
for the service of the common good. They are compassionate and
forgiving. They are life-givers and always empowering.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
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