“Faith without works is dead”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew we are told that the measure by which we will be judged will not be what we believe - Our eternal salvation will be evaluated by what we DO……..”Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit”…What we DO for the Kingdom of God is a “fruit” of our interior life…If we have a deep interior life, what we DO for God’s Kingdom will come very naturally…..It will feel as natural as breathing!……As a Catholic, EVERYTHING depends upon our interior life….And really that is our only job - To develop our interior life…The fruit will then just happen!…..St Matthew tells us in very clear terms today…Those who do not “bear fruit” will not enter God’s Kingdom…..To be very honest - How can the human mind possibly “gloss over” these words?….It could not be any clearer!!!……Have we created our “own God” and our own “idea” of heaven?...Over and over again, Jesus tells us…”Faith without works is dead”…Focus on your interior life - If you do - The “fruit” will come without you even realizing it…..”He said, “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come”…Notice the “seed” grows and “he knows not how”?…..If your interior life is deep - “The seed” will grow and bear fruit - And if it is not - It won’t……Staying “connected to the vine” is how we bear fruit!

“I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord, to go and bear fruit that will remain”

If you look at the various Catholic religious orders on the internet - Each one posts their daily schedule…And if you look at the schedule of these men and women - You will notice that a good deal of their time is spent in prayer and at Mass each day….Why?…..Because if they are not praying - If they are not fasting - If they are not receiving the Blessed Sacrament at Mass…..Their religious order will NOT “bear fruit”….The same goes for a Diocesan Priest - A Diocesan Priest prays daily the Liturgy of the Hours and presides over the Mass….This keeps him “bearing fruit”…..How about us? - Married and Lay Catholics - The Church at the bear minimum requires us to go to Mass on Sunday and to receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace - The Church also requires Lay Catholics to go to confession with a Priest once a year - And that is the bear minimum!!!!…..How are we too “bear fruit” for God if we do not do the “bear minimum”? - The answer is - We are not…..Jesus today at Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew is very clear…He tells us what is required of us to get into heaven….That we must “bear fruit”…..And the Church is fully aware of this “requirement” - So the Church, in her wisdom, provides us with the “tools” we need……Daily Mass - The Rosary - Sacramental Confession - Eucharistic Adoration - Weekly Fasting…Reading Holy Scripture….These practices develop our interior life and if we make these practices apart of our life - We will UNDOUBTEDLY bear fruit for the Kingdom of God…And if we don’t - WELL - We won’t!…..And if we don’t - Jesus tells us today that the story does not end well for us….

"Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.  Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.  But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned.  Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.  Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.' They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.  What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?" They answered him, "He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times."  Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit."

Staying “connected to the vine” is how we bear fruit!….And its vital that we “bear fruit”…Because - “Faith without works is dead”….JMJ

“I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord, to go and bear fruit that will remain”