We all know that the Lord our God is always watching us even though we might often think to ourselves ‘out of sight, out of mind’. But He alone is not the one watching, whether we are at home, work, school or even Church someone is always watching. How we speak, how we act and how we behave. Will they witness duplicity in our lives? Crudeness and vulgarity? Are we always critical of others? Judging and complaining? Or will they see in us disciples of the Lord faithful and obedient unto Him? Will they see Christ Jesus our Lord in us?
What are the fruits that we bear for Him? How many are happy to see and speak to us? How many are filled joy and His peace because we bring Him with us into their presence? In other words how many have encountered Jesus through us being instruments of His grace? How many lives have been touched by Jesus through our hands, feet, mouths in loving servitude? Of the poor, the old, the sick and the downtrodden and all in need.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed You that You should go and bear fruit” ( John 15:16) Yes Lord I hear and heed Your call, be with me in my every endeavour to glorify and bear fruit for Your glory. 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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