2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3 / Matthew 7:15-20 (2018)
Spiritual leaders, whether they are Christian or otherwise, have great authority and power.
They can be called the "modern day prophets". They are usually given great respect, and more so if they exhibit spiritual powers of healing and prophesying, and with eloquent preaching.
Yet, there are also many who claim that they are "prophets" and they too seem to be quite impressive in their words and deeds. So how would we know if one is a true prophet or not?
The oldest known Christian manual called the "Didache" which was written around 100AD, gives the rule of thumb to discern the motives of preachers and prophets.
If they ask for money for themselves, then they are false prophets and preachers with ulterior motives.
It was clear enough for the Church right from the beginning that prophets and profit do not go together.
In fact, the task of true prophets is to bring about righteousness and justice and faithfulness to God.
As we heard in the 1st reading, the king and the priest and the other officials used their authority and power not for personal gain but to call the people to faithfulness to God and to walk in the ways of the Lord.
By virtue of our baptism, we share in the prophetic mission of Christ.
Our task is to faithful to God and to practice justice in our relations with others.
By the fruits of our lives, others will know who we really are.