The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine the principles of our life that are reflected in the actions that are the fruit of our beliefs. 

Fruit of our Faith

The reading from the Second Book of Kings describes Josiah’s Reformation.

* [22:3] Shaphan: head of a prominent family in the reign of Josiah, secretary to the king, bearer and reader of the newly found book of the law (vv. 3–13; 25:22). He and his sons favored the reform of King Josiah and supported the prophet Jeremiah; cf. Jer 26:24; 29:1–3; 36:10–12; 39:14. * [22:8] Book of the law: probably an early edition of material now found in the Book of Deuteronomy. (2 Kings, CHAPTER 22, n.d.)

Psalm 119 praises the Glories of God’s Law.

* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. (Psalms, PSALM 119, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus explores 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. (Matthew, n.d.)

David Crawford comments that today’s Gospel reading warns against being tempted by false prophets whose values and teachings run counter to that of Christ. To distinguish the false and true prophets, Jesus tells us to look at their “fruits,” which leads him to Galatians 5 for a list of bad fruits contrasted with the good.

“immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like” (verses 19-21)...

“the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (verses 22-23). (Crawford, n.d.)

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) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 7:15-20 comments that there is something we can try to do at the end of each day. Start by looking over all that has happened that day, including how we felt and how we reacted to the situations that came up. Then look at the fruit that each event has borne in our life. What kind of fruit should we look for? Maybe the fruit of the Spirit that St. Paul lists: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Or take your lead from St. James. He tells us that if something comes from God, it leads to peace, gentleness, mercy, and good deeds (James 3:17). 

Today, keep your eyes open for the good fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life. Pursue the things that bring good fruit. And if you see some bad fruit, take heart. It’s your opportunity to turn from it and let the Lord prune it away. “Lord, help me to see the fruit in my life so that I can reject the bad and cultivate the good.” (Meditation on Matthew 7:15-20, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler recalls the reforms of Hezekiah and the discovery of a Book (Deuteronomy?) in the restoral of the Temple by Josiah. The Deuteronomic school may have told history the way they thought it should have happened. Friar Jude reminds us our conversion is based on continuing to live by doing what we say as disciples of Christ.

Cynthia Bourgeault, Episcopal priest and CAC teacher emerita, writes of the difference between our modern understanding of emotions and the teachings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Wisdom teaches that the emotions are in fact the primary culprits that obscure and confuse the heart. The real mark of personal authenticity is not how intensely we can express our feelings but how honestly we can look at where they’re coming from and spot the elements of clinging, manipulation, and personal agendas that make up so much of what we experience as our emotional life today.

In the teachings of the Christian Desert Fathers and Mothers, these intense feelings arising out of personal issues were known as the “passions,” and most of the Desert spiritual training had to do with learning to spot these land mines and get free of them before they did serious psychic damage. In contrast to our contemporary usage, which tends to see passion as a good thing, indicating that one is fully alive and engaged, the Desert tradition saw passion as a diminishment of being. It meant falling into passivity, into a state of being acted upon (which is what the Latin passio actually means), rather than clear and conscious engagement. Instead of enlivening the heart, according to one Desert Father, the real damage inflicted by the passions is that “they divide our heart into two.” . . . The heart, in the ancient sacred traditions, has a very specific and perhaps surprising meaning. It is not the seat of our personal affective life—or even, ultimately, of our personal identity—but an organ for the perception of divine purpose and beauty. . . . Finding the way to where our true heart lies is the great journey of spiritual life. . . . [1] (Bourgeault, n.d.)

We are attracted to ideas and actions that support the direction we take from the Spirit or from the distractions and diversions of our addictions and emotions.

References

Bourgeault, C. (n.d.). Freedom from Our Passions. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/freedom-from-our-passions-2022-06-22/ 

Crawford, D. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/062222.html 

Matthew. (n.d.). Matthew 7. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/7?15 

Meditation on Matthew 7:15-20. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/06/22/415737/ 

Psalms, PSALM 119. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?33 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Will Know Them by Their Fruits. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jun22 

2 Kings, CHAPTER 22. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2kings/22