Liturgy Alive, Models of Celebrations

2 Kgs 22:8 –13; 23:1–3; Ps 119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40; Mt 7:15–20

Daily Gospel

First Reading: 2 Kgs 22:8 –13; 23:1–3

The high priest Hilkiah informed the scribe Shaphan, “I have
found the book of the law in the temple of the LORD.” Hilkiah
gave the book to Shaphan, who read it. Then the scribe Shaphan
went to the king and reported, “Your servants have smelted
down the metals available in the temple and have consigned
them to the master workmen in the temple of the LORD.” The
scribe Shaphan also informed the king that the priest Hilkiah
had given him a book, and then read it aloud to the king. When
the king heard the contents of the book of the law, he tore his
garments and issued this command to Hilkiah the priest,
Ahikam, son of Shaphan, Achbor, son of Micaiah, the scribe
Shaphan, and the king’s servant Asaiah: “Go, consult the LORD
for me, for the people, for all Judah, about the stipulations of
this book that has been found, for the anger of the LORD has
been set furiously ablaze against us, because our fathers did
not obey the stipulations of this book, nor fulfill our written
obligations.”

The king then had all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem
summoned together before him. The king went up to the temple
of the LORD with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of
Jerusalem: priests, prophets, and all the people, small and great.
He had the entire contents of the book of the covenant that had
been found in the temple of the LORD, read out to them. Standing
by the column, the king made a covenant before the LORD that
they would follow him and observe his ordinances, statutes
and decrees with their whole hearts and souls, thus reviving
the terms of the covenant which were written in this book.
And all the people stood as participants in the covenant.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40

R./ Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.

Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
R./ Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.

Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R./ Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.

Lead me in the path of your commands,
for in it I delight.
R./ Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.

Incline my heart to your decrees
and not to gain.
R./ Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.

Turn away my eyes from seeing what is vain:
by your way give me life.
R./ Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.

Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your justice give me life.
R./ Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.

Gospel Reading Introduction
Christ is our real tree of life. If we pluck the fruits of his message and life, we too can become trees of life that produce good fruits. It is not enough for us to take pride in being the People of God and in boasting that we are disciples of Christ. We must also effectively follow him and lead the life of people of the covenant.

Gospel Reading: Mt 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 thornbushes, 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.”

Commentary

Jesus' words are direct and clear, and provide us with a compelling image that helps us to discern good from evil. There are plenty of voices that seek to influence us, the voices of materialism, individualism and hedonism to name but a few. Yet what are the fruits that they bear? Greed, loneliness, and broken hearts. By the fruits of our contemporary culture should we judge whether we will follow its siren call, or whether we will follow the message of the Gospel.

When one stays near the cross of Jesus, the tree of life, one will discover the good fruit that it bears.

General Intercessions

- That we may not be afraid when we meet difficulties, but keep always trusting in God who loves us and wants us to be happy, we pray:

- That the Gospel and the life of Christ may be our guide in all the choices we face, we pray:

- That with all our heart and soul we may love the Lord, who has made with us a covenant uniting us with himself and with one another, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God, our Father,
in these signs of bread and wine,
signs of communion and sharing,
you let us renew the covenant
made once and for all in the blood of your Son.
All we ask of you, Lord, is:
let your Son be the living bond
between you and us, between us and people.
Then it will be easy to respond to your love
and to bear good fruit
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
through your Son in our midst
help us rediscover what it means
to be loved by you.
Let our whole lives be a disclosure and deepening
of the riches and the potentials
of our faith, of hope and love,
that we may bear lasting fruits
of goodness and justice,
in response to your love that lasts for ever.

Blessing

A tree that bears good fruit is a good tree. Let the sap of Jesus' Gospel and his union with us and our closeness to him flow in us, and we shall bear fruits of justice, mercy and love, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.