December 4th

December 4, 2022
Second Sunday of Advent
Readings: Is 11:1-10/Rom 15:4-9/Mt 3:1-12 (4) Pss II
Naya Ochoa: Senior

After reading The Gospel for today, something that stood out to me was the line:
“every tree that does not produce good fruit will be thrown into the fire.”
Sometimes, we can have a problem when we say that we are Catholics and
believers, but don’t actually live that out. We can be so quick to judge others for
their wrongdoings that we forget to look at ourselves and ask ourselves what we
are doing wrong. The Pharisees are a good example of this. They may be seen as
the ones who bear good fruit and are always the ones that are right, but they are
just as broken and sinful as the rest of the people that they are condemning.
There are a lot of things in today’s world such as government rulings and cultural
values that go against our Christian values, but that doesn’t mean we should be so
quick to judge and close our hearts to the people that believe in such values
because we aren’t perfect people either. The only true person that has the right to
judge is Jesus Christ himself when he comes again as John said.  Bearing good
fruit doesn’t just mean bearing good fruit to God, it’s also about the fruit we bare
to others. It’s how we act and portray ourselves to others. It is about being Christ to
others and showing that we are truly Christians. Think back: have you found
yourself judging others, or arguing with people that don’t agree with you? Do you
struggle with always thinking about yourself, or have a negative attitude or ego? I
invite you to reflect on those times and if you find yourself portraying yourself like
this often, then ask God to help guide you to bring good fruit of love, conversion,
compassion, and acceptance. Remember that each person is a child of God; the
way we act toward others is considered as how we act toward God.