Do not be disheartened that you have sinned against the Lord our God. It is in our active search for Him that we find Him and through His goodness we become aware of our sins against Him and our brethren. He is ready to forgive and embrace us when we turn back to Him.
There are many still living very shallow lives. They want others to think they are holy and living honest lives. Yet there is no peace within them or their families. Others choose parts of their faith they hold to be true and reject the others either on their own or by the influence of others. Then there are those in authority, by their hurtful words and actions drive others away perhaps unaware. What is to be said about those who spread propaganda or fake news about faith. Simply where are the fruits of all these people? Are they leading anyone closer to our Lord Jesus Christ? Are they loving and merciful? Do they bring joy and hope?
Lord Jesus let me always follow Your way and Your truth. For You are the life I seek. Amen
First reading
2 Kings 22:8-13,23:1-3
The Book of the Law is found in the Temple of the Lord
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.
Gospel
Matthew 7:15-20
You will be able to tell them by their fruits
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.’
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