Trees and Fruit
Saturday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Luke 6: 43-49 - Jesus said to his disciples: “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree is known by its own fruit.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
It is certainly a good thing to want other people to be happy and to have good lives. We should want this for everyone we know, and everyone we don’t know. Often, we will need to work, even sacrifice, to help bring about this happiness and this good for others. But we must not be fooled. It is not really us or our hard work that can ultimately make other peoples’ lives better. It is God and His work that does that. We must discover where and how God is asking us to join Him. There are many people who neglect their own prayer and their own vocation because they are so busy trying to help or serve others. They make excuses for continually missing prayer and missing opportunities to be with those whom God has really called them to be with. These people have mistakenly come to believe that it is their help that others need, instead of God’s help. We must prioritize our prayer and our vocation if we are really going to follow God and help Him care for those who will really benefit from our work and sacrifice. It is not selfish to first take care of our own spiritual lives, our own prayer, and our own vocation. It is selfish not to! This is part of what Jesus means when He says that only a good tree can give good fruit. So too with us: only after we have received strength and direction from the Lord can we give strength and direction to others.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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