The Gospel for Wednesday of the twelfth week of Ordinary Time is taken from 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. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is discernment in the image of a tree that produces good fruit or bad fruit is a beautiful image for us to understand that what we look at when we look at someone and discern who they are, we are perceiving things about them that we either like and feel comfortable with or don’t like. But the one that seems most potent is whether or not you feel the person is connecting with you. There’s a connection of spirit.

That’s the sign that we look for the spirit in someone else. Like the spirit in us gives us the authority to discern whether we’re dealing with someone who is helpful or harmful. Please reflect on these thoughts and after the music, I will close with a prayer. Foreign Closing prayer Father, give us the strength and the wisdom to know who we are ourselves and who the people around us truly are. Help us always to be with people that are fruitful with gifts of the Holy Spirit. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.