The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friends,

Let us consider what fruits we have produced in our lives, as well as the final Judgment. What do we have that will allow us to approach the All-Knowing, Just Judge without fear or trepidation? We have nothing of ourselves. If there is any good within us, it is truly a gift of God. Even our very prayers often become tainted by our false illusions. We pray to receive the goods of this world from God. It is as if God said that those who possess good fruits will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. What He actually instructed us to do is to produce good fruits — not possess them.

We have a desire to be without want or need in this life. If we could be independent and not need anyone else, we would never have a need to beg or ask or rely upon them. The reality is that the more that we possess the more we are in need of the assistance of others. The rich man is in great need of others to maintain, guard, and develop all that he has. God has so arranged our lives here on earth so that we are all dependent upon one another. We are as various parts of a single body. Each and every part of the body is dependent upon all the others.

It is not what we receive from others that makes us rich. It is what we can contribute to others that strengthens the individual members and in turn the entire body, and ultimately strengthens ourselves as members of this body. If we become self-absorbed or self-centered, we become greedy, avaricious, and finally accumulate a whole host of evil in ourselves. We accumulate material wealth, while not truly producing anything ourselves. We are then thieves and robbers. We have taken good fruit but we have not produced anything ourselves — we are then bad trees that have not produced any good fruit, and are only fit to be cut down and cast into the fires of Hell.

To produce good fruit, we must give of what we have — we must give of our very selves. We cannot give to God, He has everything and is in need of nothing. However, we can give to the various members of His Mystical Body. We can give a simple cup of water to the least of His Brethren. In doing this, we become producers, rather than takers or accumulators. In aiding the least of His Brethren, we do this to Jesus Christ, we truly have something to give to God. This is the good fruit He is looking for and will judge us upon on that Last Day.

The accumulation of the material goods of this world is often accomplished by the use and/or abuse of others. Wealth is often built up by impoverishing the poor or the helpless, widows or orphans. Far from being trees bearing good fruit, these are bad trees bearing bad fruit.

To truly become productive good trees bearing good fruit, we need to develop the ability to see the image of Jesus in every member of His Mystical Body. In giving or aiding those in need, we lose nothing because what we do for them, in truth benefits us even more. We are then bearing good fruit, and we will find a favorable judgment on the Last Day. If we deny them or turn them away when we are able to help or to give, makes us produce bad fruit and turns us into bad trees. Jesus will say to us because you did not do this for Me, you are not worthy of Me. And we will be forced to depart from Him. If we love Him, we will love all whom He loves. We cannot say that we love God if we have no love for our fellow men.

Just as others are in need of our love and assistance, so we are in need of their love and assistance. In administering the good that God has given to us to one another, we produce good fruit — we accumulate true treasures in Heaven. The material need of others is there to satisfy the spiritual need of ourselves. In administering the gifts entrusted to us in little ways to help one another, we produce small fruits. If we truly love and give even of our very selves, we administer in a great way the gifts God has entrusted to us, and we correspondingly produce greater fruits.

We all have something to give or share with others. Let us do what we can. If we have only a little, let us make sure to give even a little. If we have been given much, let us share generously with those in need. In supplying the need of others, we truly obtain what we are in need of. "It is in giving that we receive."

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