‘Why do you call me “Lord, Lord”, and do not do what I tell you?

Some people claim to have faith but do not live out of it,

 The only way to become a good person is to be changed fundamentally on the inside.

They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock.

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

 Therefore, dear friends,

Shun the cult of idols.  I address you as intelligent persons; judge what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a com­munion with the blood of Christ? And the bread that we break, is it not a com­munion with the body of Christ? The bread is one, and so we, though many, form one body, sharing the one bread.

Consider the Israelites. For them, to eat of the victim is to come into communion with its altar. What does all that mean? That the meat is really consecrated to the idol, or that the idol is a being. 

However, when the pagans offer a sacrifice, the sacrifice goes to the demons, not to God. I do not want you to come into fellowship with demons. You cannot drink at the same time from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons. You cannot share in the table of the Lord and in the table of the demons. Do we want, perhaps, to provoke the jealousy of the Lord? Could we be stronger than he?

 

Ps 116:12-13, 17-18

To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.

     

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 6:43-49

No healthy tree bears bad fruit, no poor tree bears good fruit. And each tree is known by the fruit it bears: you don’t gather figs from thorns, or grapes from brambles. Similarly the good person draws good things from the good stored in the heart, and an evil person draws evil things from the evil stored in the heart. For the mouth speaks from the fullness of the heart.

Why do you call me: ‘Lord! Lord!’ and not do what I say? I will show you what the one who comes to me and listens to my words and acts according­ly, is like. That one is like the builder who dug deep and laid the foundations of his house on rock. The river overflowed and the stream dashed against the house, but could not carry it off because the house had been well built.

But the one who listens and does not act, is like a man who built his house on the ground without a foundation. The flood burst against it, and the house fell at once: and what a terrible disaster that was!”

 

Gospel Reflection：

Ensuring Good Fruits

To produce good fruit, a tree must grow healthily. To grow healthily, he tree needs good manure, optimal water and sunlight. Thus, producing good fruits is contingent on the constant nourishing that is provided for the tree.

The same applies for the Spirit. What ensures that our souls are well-watered and manured? A life of sacraments by which we regularly feed on the grace of Christ.

This is what Paul asks rhetorically, referring to our Eucharistic participation: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a communion with the blood of Christ… ?” By remaining in communion with Christ as a branch is united in communion with the vine, we draw on his Spirit and produce the fruits of the Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22-23). Without him, we can do nothing (cf. Jn 5:5).