Homily for Wednesday in the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time (Feast of Saints John Fisher, Bishop, and Thomas More), delivered Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of the Lord.’’’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it... On hearing the contents of the Book of the Law, the king tore his garments, and gave the following order: ‘Go and consult the Lord on behalf of me and the people... great indeed must be the anger of the Lord'..." (cf. 2 Kngs 22:8-23:3).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit. A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.’" (Mt 7:15-20).

Artwork: "King Josiah" in The Story of the Bible of Genesis to Revelation (1873).