Daily Catholic Lectio. Sat, 13 Sep ’25. Bearing Fruits

Daily Catholic Lectio

Sat, 13 September ‘25

Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday

Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop – Memorial

1 Timothy 1:15-17. Luke 6:43-49

Bearing Fruit in Faith

1. Christ Came to Save Sinners

Scripture: Paul declares: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost” (1 Tim 1:15). He sees his life as proof of God’s unlimited patience.

Church’s Teaching: The Catechism (CCC 1846) teaches that the Gospel is the revelation of God’s mercy for sinners.

Reflection: Paul’s humility is our lesson: the more we recognize our need for mercy, the more we allow Christ to transform us. Mercy is not weakness but God’s power to make new.

Pastoral Application: Do I see myself as one who needs God’s mercy daily, or as one who only points out the sins of others?

2. The Tree and Its Fruit

Scripture: Jesus says: “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit” (Lk 6:43). A person is known by the fruit of their life.

Church’s Teaching: The Catechism (CCC 2074) affirms that faith without works is dead; our love of God must be shown in action.

Reflection: Our words may sound pious, but the fruit of our actions reveals the truth of our hearts.

Pastoral Application: What fruit do I bear—in my family, parish, workplace? Do people taste patience, kindness, and honesty, or bitterness and pride?

3. Building on the Rock

Scripture: Jesus concludes: “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and acts on them…is like a man building a house on rock” (Lk 6:47–48). Storms will come, but foundations in Christ endure.

Church’s Teaching: Vatican II (Dei Verbum 25) insists that Scripture must not only be read but lived, making Christ our sure foundation.

Reflection: Faith is not only listening but living. Storms—trials, doubts, losses—reveal what foundation we have built on.

Pastoral Application: Do I build my life on shifting sand—comfort, wealth, approval—or on the rock of Christ’s Word and mercy?

Note on St. John Chrysostom (c. 349–407)

Today we remember St. John Chrysostom, “Golden-Mouthed,” Archbishop of Constantinople and Doctor of the Church. Famous for his eloquent preaching, he also lived simply and defended the poor, often challenging the powerful. For this, he suffered exile and persecution. His life reflects today’s Gospel: his words bore fruit, and his foundation was Christ alone. Like him, we are called to speak truth with love and to root our lives in the mercy of Christ.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Missionary of Mercy