The warning about false prophets must have been very relevant in the early Church but has by no means lost its meaning in our own day. "Wolves in sheep's clothing." On the outside they seem to have the image of Jesus, his gentleness and love, but in fact they are religious predators using people for their own ends. We saw this in some so-called 'televangelists' who, in the name of the Lord Jesus ripped off countless numbers of trusting people, taking large sums of money from the elderly and not well off.

How can you recognise them? By their 'fruits', by the way they behave and not just by what they say or the claims they make. As Jesus says, it is not possible for a bad tree to consistently produce good fruit nor for a genuinely good tree to produce bad fruit. We have to admit that quite often we ourselves try to make a good impression on others while trying to hide what we see to be our weaknesses. Jesus is calling on us today to be really genuine people, to be truly transparent. And, if we take care of the inside, the outside will take care of itself. Good tree, good fruit.