💖 HOMILY - JUNE 26 💖

First Reading - 2 Kings 22:8-13,23:1-3

Gospel - Matthew 7:15-20

We have certainly heard this idiom: "Easy to say, hard to do." This idiom tells us about the dichotomy of life, where we say something but fail to do it. The readings of today invite us to become authentic followers of Jesus by discovering God's will in our lives.

The gospel passage warns against false prophets and false doctrines. Jesus underlines that the characteristics of false prophets are those who fail to bear fruits according to what they profess. The prophets were considered to be the mouthpiece of God. They were the people who spoke to others as God showed or told them. The passage is a clear warning to every Christian who claims to be a faithful and authentic follower of Jesus and His teachings. Jesus makes it clear that the authenticity of a follower lies not in their being glad to be Christians but in being able to bear fruit through their lives. The challenge is posed especially to those who preach the gospel message, that their message remains null or worse unless they live a life filled with and defined by Christian love.

The first reading narrates an incident of a great turning point in Jewish history by the discovery of the Law (the Book of Deuteronomy) during the repair of the temple. The discovery of the book ultimately leads to a great reform by Josiah, then the king of Judah. The passage is evident that the discovery was seen as a mammoth discovery of oneself, for people realized their sinfulness and wickedness in the reading of the Law. People discovered what God expects from them through the book. The discovery was a moment of great joy with the realization of sinful living until then. The book brought a renewal in the people.

Dear friends, authentic Christian life entails re-reading what God expects from us every day. Jesus challenges us through the gospel that it's 'by the fruits' the authenticity of a follower can be evaluated or gauged. Christian life is not confined to articulating words alone but is an articulation of faith in life. A paradox of life, as Christians, is no less than false prophets who preach but never live it. They cannot be given the reward of a true disciple. A true disciple of Christ is a person who is in search of discovering what God expects and wants from him or her. This discovery comes about through the daily reading of the Bible. We participate in the Mass, we have daily readings from the Bible as daily spiritual guides for the day. If we try to mold our lives according to the message and inspiration from the readings, certainly we will discover what God expects from us. We also cannot neglect that God certainly guides and directs us through different events, people, and circumstances. However, the daily reading of the Bible and living our life accordingly would be our conscious effort on our part to discover God's ways in our lives. This way we manifest our good disposition towards our lives as disciples of Jesus.

May God help us become authentic followers of Jesus through our lives.