What kind of Christian are you? This Sunday’s readings make us face this question and to answer it with an honest heart. This is a question you need to dig deep to learn the answer for. It is not merely a surface question.
What fruit does your life produce? Are you producing good grapes or are they sour and bad?
Do you look at others through the love and compassion of Jesus? Or do immediately assume that they are trying to be hateful or difficult?
Are you looking for opportunities to help others? Or do you wait for them to pass by so you don’t have to help them? How bad would it hurt you to give that homeless person a couple of dollars?
How do you treat people of color or LGBTQIA+ individuals? Are you loving, supportive, and kind to them? Do you treat them as inferior?
Do you have time to listen to that person who feels like their life is falling apart? Or are you too busy to be bothered?
As I asked before, what kind of fruit are you producing?
We as Christians should be the most compassionate, kind, loving, patient, gentle, and peaceful people on earth. Instead, we are far from it. We champion war, we vote to get ride of public assistance programs, and we work to vilify those who are different from us. And yet we claim to be Christians?
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” How terrible is it that we as Christians are not a better representation of our Christ.
This week, let us work together to produce better fruit!
Pax et Bonum,
Bishop Greer