Wednesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, Yr. II: reflection

Theme: Bear good fruits wherever you are planted.

Reading: Mt 7:15–20

In the Garden of Eden, God instructed humanity through Adam and Eve to bear fruits — to increase and multiply. Hence, every human being enters this world with the same injunction that was given to our first parents — to bear fruits. To enable humanity to bear good fruits, God endowed human nature with innocence and goodness. When this nature of goodness and innocence was corrupted by sin on the tree of Eden, God restored it by His sacrifice on the tree of Calvary. Thus, it is expected of all those who have been buried and raised with Christ to bear fruits that are consistent with their nature — good fruits.

In today’s gospel reading, Christ reminded us of the nature we bear (redeemed nature), which He won for us through His death and resurrection, and urged us to bear fruits that will reflect such nature or image. This calls into question the type of fruits we bear in our families, in the lives of our friends, and in our society. Do we bear fruits that reflect the nature won for us by Christ on the Cross or fruits that reflect our fallen nature in Eden?

Of course, the fruits that will reflect our original nature that was reclaimed for us by Christ are fruits of peace, love, compassion, kindness, charity, unity, sanctity, patience, faithfulness, humility, self-control and many other virtues. On the other hand, the fruits that will reflect the fallen nature in Eden are all indecent actions, jealousy, anger, envy, hatred, division, selfishness, immorality and other vices. By our fruits, we will know whether we are good trees or bad trees in the society.

Dear friends, Christ challenges us to examine our lives today to know the fruits we are producing, because, as he promised, every tree that doesn’t bear good fruits will be cut down and thrown into fire. Do not permit the bad economy of our nation to push you into bearing fruits that are not consistent with the nature Christ reclaimed for you on the Cross.

May the works of your hands bear good fruits this Wednesday. Amen

Fr Isaac Chima