The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to examine our covenant of faith with God and the fruit in our lives of that relationship.
Fruit of Relationship
The reading from the Book of Genesis describes God’s Covenant with Abram.
* [15:6] Abraham’s act of faith in God’s promises was regarded as an act of righteousness, i.e., as fully expressive of his relationship with God. St. Paul (Rom 4:1–25; Gal 3:6–9) makes Abraham’s faith a model for Christians.1
Psalm 105 praises God’s Faithfulness to Israel.
* [Psalm 105] A hymn to God who promised the land of Canaan to the holy people, cf. Ps 78; 106; 136. Israel is invited to praise and seek the presence of God (Ps 105:1–6), who is faithful to the promise of land to the ancestors (Ps 105:7–11).2
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches the parable of A Tree and Its Fruit.
* [7:15–20] Christian disciples who claimed to speak in the name of God are called prophets (Mt 7:15) in Mt 10:41; Mt 23:34. They were presumably an important group within the church of Matthew. As in the case of the Old Testament prophets, there were both true and false ones, and for Matthew the difference could be recognized by the quality of their deeds, the fruits (Mt 7:16). The mention of fruits leads to the comparison with trees, some producing good fruit, others bad.3
Tom Purcell asks when we see examples of loving lives well-lived, and knowing that God’s love is so deep, how can we consciously bear bad fruit?
How can we harm others, or be selfish, or blindly squander our beautiful world, or fail to consider what evils our actions can cause? If we are aware, won’t our bad fruits be lessened in number and impacts? Won’t we say thank you to our Lord for the gift of life itself by avoiding bad fruits as we live out our one precious gift? And so, my prayer today is for the grace to be mindful that my actions are my fruits, and can be good or not, and that being aware of my love for my Nurturer will help me bear good fruit.4
Don Schwager quotes “Beware of false prophets,” by John Chrysostom, 547-407 A.D.
"Jesus reminded them of what happened to their ancestors who were attracted to false prophets. The same dangers are now faced as those that occurred in earlier days. He reminded them of the experience of their ancestors so that they would not despair at the multitude of troubles that would mount up on this way that is narrow and constricted. He reminded them that it is necessary to walk in a way that goes contrary to the common opinion. One must guard oneself not only against pigs and dogs but those other, more elusive creatures: the wolves. They were going to face inward anxieties as well as outward difficulties, but they are not to despair. 'Therefore do not be thrown into confusion,' Jesus says in effect, 'for nothing will happen that is new or strange. Remember that the ancient adversary is forever introducing deception as if true.'" (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 23.6)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 comments that when Abram put his faith in the Lord, God “credited it to him as an act of righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). He had to grapple with his faith. He had to gaze into the noontime sky with eyes of faith and believe that the stars were still there.
Today, your circumstances might overpower you like broad daylight hiding the stars. What are those truths that you need to remember, those “stars” you need to believe are still there? Let Abram be your example, and start counting. “Lord, help me to believe even when I struggle to see.”6
Friar Jude Winkler compares the Covenant to a treaty with blessings and curses between friends. The Elouist author of Genesis (850 BCE) is less amphomorphic in the description of God than the Yahwist author. Friar Jude reminds us of false prophets with tremendous gifts who preach for their own aggrandizement.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that we all have a yearning to be known by each other and by God. Professor and spiritual director Ruth Takiko West uses Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” as a model for our deepest spiritual questioning.
As we look in the mirror and at each other and Creation, once more we ask ourselves, “Who do you say that I am?” How might we represent the Holy in the world? How do we interact with each other and Creation? . . . We must be mindful to revere the Holy in our neighbors—to share our stories about God’s goodness and grace, companionship and love in the hopes of becoming the community that God has intended.7
Our faith is reflected in the action we take to produce the good fruit of fullness of life for the benefit of those we encounter on our journey.
References
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