True and False Prophets

June 23, 2021, Wednesday
Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 373

Reading I
Gn 15:1-12, 17-18

The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
    “Fear not, Abram!
        I am your shield;
        I will make your reward very great.”
But Abram said,
“O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be,
if I keep on being childless
and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?”
Abram continued,
“See, you have given me no offspring,
and so one of my servants will be my heir.”
Then the word of the LORD came to him:
“No, that one shall not be your heir;
your own issue shall be your heir.”
He took him outside and said:
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
He then said to him,
“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.
When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River the Euphrates.”

Responsorial Psalm
105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9

R.    (8a)  The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
    make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
    proclaim all his wondrous deeds.

R.    The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Glory in his holy name;
    rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
    seek to serve him constantly.

R.    The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
    sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
    throughout the earth his judgments prevail. 

R.    The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

He remembers forever his covenant
    which he made binding for a thousand generations—
Which he entered into with Abraham
    and by his oath to Isaac.

R.    The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia
Jn 15:4a, 5b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord;
whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Mt 7:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples: 

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,

but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.”

REFLECTION:

Jesus warns us to beware of false prophets and gives us a very concrete and practical guideline for our discernment: Knowing them by their fruits. Our world sometimes can be so confusing, making so many promises of happiness and well-being, yet so full of suffering and loneliness. We need to discern, to realize there are not only false prophets, who bear fruit that is not good, but also good prophets whose message is true because it produces good fruit. I pray for the grace of insight and wisdom.

A good tree is well minded. It needs the right soil given at the right time, planted in the place for the weather it needs. It needs to be planted neither too near the other trees nor too far away. We grow if we are well-tended - in education, in family, in love. We grow when we mind and nourish ourselves with food and drink that do not ruin the body. Then the fruit is seen and others can enjoy and benefit from our lives. How we mind others in turn has its effect for many years.

PRAYER:

Jesus promised me the Holy Spirit who enriches my life and is evident in my attitudes, words, and actions. As I turn away from false prophets and seek the guidance from those who may truly help me, I ask the Spirit for guidance.