In a world of false identities and hidden agendas, it often becomes difficult to discern the facts. There exists however a foolproof test that will never fail to reveal the truth.

Gospel – Matthew 7:15-20
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. – The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection
In the story of Snow White and the seven dwarfs, the evil queen wanted to kill Snow White. As the different methods she adopted to do this had failed, the queen decided to get rid of her personally by disguising herself as an old woman. With her sweet talk and flattery, she tried to convince Snow White to eat the apple she enticingly offered. Ignoring the instructions of the seven dwarfs, Snow White fell prey to her trap, little knowing that the apple was poisoned.

In the Garden of Eden, God had explicitly commanded Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, while they could eat everything else. However, the evil one slyly approached them in the form of the serpent to mislead and misguide them with his sweet but false claims. They succumbed to his trickery and ate the forbidden fruit thereby disobeying God.

How often have we come across people wearing masks of pretense behind which lurk startling and at times hideous truths? At face value, they appear and sound picture-perfect; only on scratching beneath the surface does the real picture emerge. They can be very dangerous because it often takes a while for the entire truth to be revealed, by which time they might have caused considerable damage.

It is this category of people that Jesus warns us to be extremely cautious about in today’s gospel passage. “Beware that no one leads you astray.” (See Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 23-24, Jeremiah 23:16, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15) Saint Paul in his letter to the Romans also warns, “For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded.” (Romans 16:17-18)

So having received this warning what must we do to avoid being led off-track by wolves disguised as sheep? We must use the fruit test - the fruits of the Holy Spirit! This is the reality test every true Christian must pass. As believers in Christ with the Holy Spirit within us, the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, chastity, modesty and generosity will manifest in our daily life (See Galatians 5:22-23) The Holy Spirit enables us to do good works and bear good fruit in abundance to glorify God (See John 15:8). Therefore if we do not observe these fruits, we know what it means.

Along with the Holy Spirit, there is another powerful tool to test the truth and that is the word of God. “It is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Never accept anything at face value; as Scripture recommends we must crosscheck the word of God to verify the authenticity of every teaching to avoid being led astray (See Acts 17:11, Ephesians 4:14, Colossians 2:8, 1 John 4:1-3)

So whenever in doubt, let’s stop and apply the fruit test; the results will be there for all to see and decide.

Let us pray:
Dear Lord, we thank you that in a world where deceit and pretense thrive, you have gifted us the power of the Holy Spirit and the light of your word to discern and direct our thoughts, words and deeds. Amidst all the darkness, please continue to be our guiding light, so that in everything we may honor and glorify only you. We ask this in your mighty holy precious name - Amen.

God bless you!

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VIDEO
Audio credit: Mr. Clive Vincent