Beware of False Prophets
Gospel Reflection for Wednesday June 25, 2025
“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them.” Matthew 7:15-16
Today’s gospel is an important one for the time that we live in. In today’s world, we all have immediate access to a multitude of voices. Many of whom claim to speak for the Catholic Church. For today, I simply want to concentrate on this warning from Our Lord. We must be careful not to fall into the trap of false prophets as they are wolves who seek to devour us.
In a sea of YouTube talking heads and social media ‘armchair theologians,’ there are two overwhelming virtues as contrasted by their associated vices that are the fruit by which we will know them:
Humility----- Pride
Obedience----- Disobedience
Very simply, we must be able to observe the fruits of humility and obedience in any voice we choose to listen to. If someone is encouraging disobedience to the church or to the Holy Father because of their private interpretation of what was said, written, or done, then this is the rotten fruit that our Lord speaks of in today’s gospel. Disobedience is always contrary to Our Lord’s governance over His Church through the Magisterium.
In the same way, pride is the root of all sin. Pride causes us to place our own interpretation or viewpoint above that of the Church and her Magisterium. The wolves fall into the sin of pride because they set themselves over the Magisterium. They choose to interpret a papal bull or encyclical according to their own mind rather than the constant tradition of the Church.
There is a simple message today. Beware of those who would use the faith for their own platform. This is not the mind of the Church. Humility and obedience are the necessary fruits that guarantee that the voice we are listening to or reading is authentic and not a wolf seeking the ruin of our souls.