Wednesday in the 12th Week of Ordinary Time, June 26, 2024

Matthew 7, 15-20

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 thorn-bushes, 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.”

The Lord’s easy use of the natural world to teach deep matters to the people reveals his love for it and for the folks whom he taught.  He shows himself not as a Pharisee, caught up in the vagaries of the Law, but as a common man who was raised in the country and who knew it well.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves.”  St. Matthew is most keen to report every utterance the Lord made against false prophets.  This came from his own concern with the imminent end of the world, and from his experience as a Jew living in Galilee who had seen many false prophets even before Jesus began his Public Life.  These false prophets, Jesus warns, would disguise themselves as virtuous, God-fearing men.  Just so, St. John warns us that the Antichrist who will come near the end of the world will appear as a holy person, as signified by the number 666, which was regarded by both Jews and Gentiles as a perfect number, as the number 6 is the sum of the first three whole numbers: 1 + 2 + 3 = 6.  The Lord describes these false prophets as dressed in sheep’s clothing, that is, so as to resemble the Lamb of God in appearance as closely as possible.  However sweet-sounding their words, “by their fruits you will know them.”  A close look at what they actually do, lying, cheating stealing, and misleading the faithful with their teachings, tells us that they are both false and exceedingly dangerous.  Some false prophets do and will hold positions of leadership within the Church and seek to destroy it from within, just as the wicked kings of Judah  led the people into idolatry and the Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians as a result.  “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.”  This is a further warning for those who think they can compromise with false prophets in order to keep the peace, or who think that the false prophets may utter some good teaching at some time or perform some laudable act for the benefit of the Church.  This is foolish and puts souls at risk.  

False prophets will also arise outside the leadership of the Church, some claiming to have received or be receiving messages from God, the blessed Mother, or the angels.  In times of crisis when the Church’s leadership seems oblivious to the wolves of error ravaging the flock of God and when war and the threat of war or other catastrophes are present, people are susceptible to such as these.  

“Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”  This is a warning to the “bad trees” and to the wolves disguised as sheep.  They will be cut down publicly — exposed as frauds — and burned in the undying flames of hell.

“By their fruits you will know them.”  Again, the Lord urges the faithful to examine closely the works of those who profess to be leaders in the Church or to have divine messages.  We should not be embarrassed to admit that we have been fooled, if we have been, but to care for our souls so that we do not lose them to the wicked charlatans who are hunting for them.