Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 / Matthew 7:15-20
A good presenter always sounds attractive to us. Whatever product they may be selling or whatever idea they are advocating, the presentation is slick and sharp.
If ever we get impressed by them, it is because they are able to connect our issues in life and that they seem to understand our current situation in life.
And they might even gain our trust and confidence to accept whatever they are saying and believe in it on the basis of our impressions.
But impressions are only skin-deep. More important than the impressions these people make on us, we need to ask if we are aware of the intentions in their hearts.
In the gospel, Jesus tells us to beware of false prophets who come to us disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves.
The imagery of ravenous wolves is quite amazing actually. The word ravenous means extremely hungry and ordinarily speaking, a ravenous wolf would waste no time devouring a prey.
But that is how Jesus describes a false prophet - someone who is like a ravenous wolf but would do all he can to impress us, win our total confidence and when he strikes, it will be total disaster.
But a true prophet is like a sound tree that bears good fruit. They may not be impressive or be spectacular but their fruits are true and good.
One such person is Abram whom we heard about in the 1st reading. He questioned the Lord but still trusted in the Lord. That is why we call Abram the "father of our faith".
Abram was sincere and honest with God and with himself. May we too be sincere and honest with God and with ourselves and with others and be the true prophets that God has called us to be.