FROM THE SERVANT GENERAL
THE WAY FORWARD IN CHRIST
(Part 209)
GOOD FOUNDATION, GOOD FRUIT
September 11, 2021
Today’s gospel:
Luke 6:43-49
For us to have a good foundation for our life in Christ, we need to do three things: come, listen, act. As Jesus says, “I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them.” (v.47). There are four types of Christians.
There are those who do not come to Jesus. They are the Christians who have apostatized, who no longer have anything to do with religion, who are out of the Church. They are the baptized pagans.
Then there are those who come to Jesus but do not listen and act. These are the lapsed Catholics. They may still do religious activities, but have no personal faith in Jesus.
Then there are those who come and listen but do not act. They do not act according to God’s will and ways. These include the fake Catholics, who pray, go to Church, receive Communion, but are in favor of elements of the culture of DEATH, especially abortion, divorce and LGBT. One wonders who they are truly listening to as they pray. Well, of course we know the evil one whispers in our ears too and attempts to deceive us. Tragically he succeeds so often. And more tragically, their consciences are being malformed by liberal teachers and pastors, who have delved into modernism, and actually promote the culture of DEATH.
So such Catholics actually listen and act, but act in the wrong ways, as they listen to false pastors and teachers. Jesus makes it clear, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?” (v.46). If we come to Jesus, we listen to him, and not to those who distort his teachings and the will of God on His people. We obey his commands, and certainly not the pronouncements of modernist hierarchs, who are quiet on abortion, who condone LGBT, who approve of same-sex unions, who sacrifice mission and conversion for the sake of so-called social justice activities.
Jesus proclaims woe to such people. “But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.” (v.49). Today we have not only a bursting river, but a tsunami of evil overwhelming the whole world. Today we have a Church in apostasy, the enemy within, and the loss of many Catholics to the world, to sects and to cults.
Finally there are those who come to Jesus, listen to him, and act on his words. “That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built.” (v.48). Being such Catholics, we protect not just ourselves and our own homes, but we are able to produce fruit that benefits many others. “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good” (v.45a).
