Bible
Study: 1st Corinthians 10, 14 to 22 and Luke 6, 43 to 49.
The words of Jesus in our Gospel passage this morning barely need any
explanation: “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good
fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from
thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the
good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil
treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the
mouth speaks.”
What makes a person good? It is the contents of his heart. When the
heart is full of good treasures, it determines what the person produces. How can
we good? By carefully selecting the contents of our hearts. The heart is like a
computer, it is what you put into it that it comes out with.
I like the parable of the two dragons. A mother told her daughter about
two dragons that are constantly fighting within her and she asked, “Which of
them wins?” The mother replied: “The one you feed.” Of course, a well fed
dragon will always defeat the malnourished and impoverished dragon. Each of us
has something of God within us, yet we commit sin and do all kinds of evil. The
reason is because we pay no attention to feeding the Spirit of God in us.
Jesus wants us to understand today that our goodness, that is, our
ability to bear good fruits depends on how well we practice what his words
teach us. By practicing the word of God we hear on a daily basis, we become like
a house built on a firm foundation, impossible to shake. Refusal to practice
God’s words amounts to refusal to feed the good dragon and this leads to a
cycle of perpetual sinfulness.
Of course, we cannot serve two masters. We cannot afford to feed both
dragons at the same time. St. Paul in today’s first reading tells us: “I do not
want you to be partners with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and
the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of
demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy?”
Let Us
Pray:
Lord
Jesus, sink me firmer in you daily that I may bear the right fruits. Amen.
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.
Happy weekend.
Fr. Abu
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