Gospel: Luke 6:43-49
No healthy tree bears bad fruit, no poor tree bears good fruit. And each tree is known by the fruit it bears: you don’t gather figs from thorns, or grapes from brambles. Similarly, the good person draws good things from the good stored in his heart, and an evil person draws evil things from the evil stored in his heart. For the mouth speaks from the fullness of the heart. Why do you call me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what the one is like, who comes to me, and listens to my words, and acts accordingly. Thatperson is like the builder who dug deep, and laid the foundations of his house on rock. The river over flowed, and the stream dashed against the house, but could not carry it off because the house had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act, is like a man who built his house on the ground without a foundation. The flood burst against it, and the house fell at once: and what a terrible disaster that was!”
Reflection:
"Pious words are not enough."
The Gospel reminds us that our words need to be backed up by our deeds. Saint John earned the epithet Chrysostom (“golden-mouthed”) for his eloquent preaching. But this was not simply fine words. His teaching and preaching urged his listeners to act in accordance with Christ’s will. Pious words are not enough. Thus, Jesus says, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ and do not do what I say?” In his commentaries, Saint John Chrysostom points out that primary cause of the collapse of the building in the storm is not the flood but the builder’s folly in not building the house properly. Thus, in life’s trials we are to look at the state of our lives to see if they are fit to withstand them. Saint John says that if our lives are built upon the rock that is Christ we won’t be undone by the storms of life. A life built on Christ will focus on the right priorities, too. And so, Saint John challenged the misuse of wealth and property, highlighting that if we want to honour the Body of Christ, we should honor the poor first before adorning the church.
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