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.”
Lectio (Reading)
Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.Meditatio (Reflecting)
Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them.
Oratio (Responding)
Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.This is so true, maybe even more so today than ever. This is how I see the “catholic” politicians in Washington. They claim the mantle of catholic, but out of the same mouth they condone and even promote the most horrific things…, even the murder of innocent children. Ravenous wolves, who are literally devouring souls, and leading sheep from the flock and into certain slaughter. But they are not the only ones, we all have this fault to some extent in our own lives. We go to the salad bar of faith and we pick and choose what we want believe and follow and then ignore the rest, as if they do not exist. We cannot pick catholic teachings that conform to our own political and social beliefs and just ignore the ones that don’t.
The church’s job is to help us get to heaven, and as such, that means that you cannot disagree with the church on those sins that can never be good under any circumstances. The Church calls these sins, it’s non-negotiables. Those are abortion, homosexual marriage, euthanasia, stem cell research, cloning, and religious liberty. These sins literally cry out to heaven for justice, and there is no way that they can ever be seen as a necessary evil. Good people can disagree on the other issues, like liturgy, or immigration, but you cannot and must not allow yourself to be indifferent on the non-negotiables.
When we die and stand before the lord in judgment, he is not going to ask us how much we agreed with him, and how much we followed the laws we liked, He is going to ask you how much you loved. It is easy to love those that love you, and love the laws that are easy to follow. But it takes faith to love those that hate you, and to do the right thing in the face of great resistance. So we must ask ourselves how much am I falling into this trap, how much am I ignoring Gods laws because they are uncomfortable to me, and how much am I being a wolf leading sheep away from the flock in my own life. The devil loves a hypocrite, because they are easily controlled, but the good and upright man is like smoke in the clutches of the evil one. So be just and upright, and choose to do the right thing despite the consequences. Be a saint, what else is there.
Contemplatio (Contemplating)
Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.Resolutio (Resolving)
Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.Please lord today help me to examine my life, my faith, and my beliefs, and to reconcile them with you and your church, so that I can be a sheep following the good Sheppard, and not a wolf stealing souls away from you.