The Catholic Calendar for Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Irenaeus, bishop and martyr

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3
Psalm 119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40
Matthew 7:15-20

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

I grew up in the Western United States where the Great Plains end and the Rocky Mountains begin. As a young boy, my buddies and I spent countless hours roaming the foothills outside of town. Many summer days were spent hiking, chasing lizards, finding strange rocks and losing ourselves in the wide-open spaces. We journeyed into the hills with no provisions, but that was all right since we were young adventurers.

It would not take long before the summer heat would get to us and a terrible thirst would set in. No worry, however, as the hills were covered with prickly pear cactus and, with the help of a Boy Scout pocket knife we would work our way around the spines, skin the cactus and quench our thirst with the ample juice the cactus kept well protected.

But it really was not very good. In fact, the cactus juice was sour and bitter and everything bad in between. We should not have been surprised that this spiny plant, which somehow stayed alive in the hills with little water and terrible winters, would provide anything like cold, pure water.

Jesus reminds us that thorny bushes do not produce grapes and rotten trees bear rotten fruit. Just like it was wrong for us to expect lemonade from cactus, it is wrong for us to expect good from false prophets. "So by their fruits you will know them," is the guidance our Lord gives us and He never steers us wrong.

- Don Claunch, SFO
(dlclaunch at bresnan dot net)