~~~ Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ Matthew 7:15-20 ~~~
The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
By their fruits you will know them.
The Lord is forever faithful to his promises.
God made a covenant with Abram that he would have offspring as numerous
as the stars in the sky.
At times we would like to be known by what we produce, if all is going well.
Other times we would like to disown our own offspring, resulting from poor decisions.
Saint Monica spent years praying for Saint Augustine.
He was the fruit of her womb and he was enticed by worldly pleasures for many years.
She was a good and holy mother who never gave up on her son.
She was confident that her son would be a good person.
She was expecting to reap the benefits of her fervent prayers.
Eventually she saw her son transformed by God's grace.
Must all of our works produce a harvest?
Is it our fault if our works do not yield fruit?
Is it acceptable to perform without producing anything of value?
These are tough questions.
By now you must know that God does not call the qualified to work for him.
Instead God qualifies those he has called to work for him.
He showers his chosen with sufficient grace,
but sometime we open up our umbrella in defense?
We try to deflect his grace.
It is expected for God to keep up his half of the covenant.
We, on the other hand, often fall short of doing our part.
We complain about the least little sacrifice we are asked to make.
We want to walk away from our cross,
leaving it lying there on the ground behind us.
We want to pick the ripe juicy fruit without shedding one drop of blood.
We want to avoid all of the thorn bushes and thistles.
When I think of the wild blackberry bushes,
I am reminded of the sweetness of the berry if you can get past the many thorns.
Too many times we may not see the fruit because of the thorns.
I believe that God does make all things for good.
It is up to me as an individual to follow through.
It is up to me to bear good fruit.
The fruit that I bear and that which you produce may be very different;
but fruit just the same.
If keeping your side of the covenant means bearing good fruit
then I can only pray for the grace to make God proud.
I have heard it said...God does not make junk.
It is expected for God to keep up his half of the covenant.
We, on the other hand, often fall short of doing our part.
We complain about the least little sacrifice we are asked to make.
We want to walk away from our cross,
leaving it lying there on the ground behind us.
We want to pick the ripe juicy fruit without shedding one drop of blood.
We want to avoid all of the thorn bushes and thistles.
When I think of the wild blackberry bushes,
I am reminded of the sweetness of the berry if you can get past the many thorns.
Too many times we may not see the fruit because of the thorns.
I believe that God does make all things for good.
It is up to me as an individual to follow through.
It is up to me to bear good fruit.
The fruit that I bear and that which you produce may be very different;
but fruit just the same.
If keeping your side of the covenant means bearing good fruit
then I can only pray for the grace to make God proud.
I have heard it said...God does not make junk.
So by their fruits you will know them.
What do your fruits say about who you are?
We can always improve the quality of our fruits.
We have many aids at our finger tips...
the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, come to mind.
Others will know we are Christians by our love.
Love is the super fruit...loaded with antioxidants for your soul.
Reap the many Blessings of your Faith.
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