Bad Fruit vs. Good God

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Reading 1 Ephesians 1:1-10

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
to the holy ones who are in Ephesus
and faithful in Christ Jesus:
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.

In Christ we have redemption by his Blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6

R. (2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.

 

 

Alleluia  John 14:6

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 11:47-54

The Lord said:
“Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets 
whom your fathers killed.
Consequently, you bear witness and give consent
to the deeds of your ancestors,
for they killed them and you do the building.
Therefore, the wisdom of God said,
‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles;
some of them they will kill and persecute’
in order that this generation might be charged
with the blood of all the prophets
shed since the foundation of the world,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah
who died between the altar and the temple building.
Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
Woe to you, scholars of the law!
You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.”
When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him
and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Bad Fruit vs. Good God

October 15, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 15:1-8

Reflect on the Word // 

Please, Lord, don’t let it be him, I silently begged as the priest’s booming voice thundered through my home parish.  

I hadn’t expected our new, long-awaited pastor to begin celebrating Masses on this particular morning, and my lack of eyeglasses prevented me from seeing him clearly. But I couldn't imagine someone so, well, loud, being called to lead us. Don’t get me wrong, his homily was beautiful and full of bold truth, but here’s the thing: I was accustomed to shepherds who spoke with a strong yet tender tone, and my heart—not to mention my nerves—were thoroughly jarred.  

Soften him, Jesus, I pleaded, as a dart of remorse immediately pierced my heart. No, Lord, I offered up instead, Soften my heart to him.  

I believe this interior conversion was only possible because of the words Jesus speaks to us in today’s Gospel: “He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit” (John 15:2). Grafted onto Jesus the Vine, it becomes glaringly obvious what “branches” in my mind and heart need to be cut away, the twigs and thorny areas that need His gentle touch of pruning to bear life.   

Because the truth is, on my own, I would overlook all that hinders my growth in Him: the sinful and disordered “fruits” that choke the life of divine love in the garden of my soul. But our good God doesn’t leave me—or any of us—on our own. With audacious love, He invites us to a relationship in which we share the same life source, just like a vine and its branches (see John 15:4-5). And the offshoots of this intimate bond are the sanctifying fruits of grace. 

Sister, rotten fruit cannot stay when we are rooted in Life Himself. So let us remain. Like Saint Teresa of Avila, whose closeness to Christ bore abundant fruit, may we always cling to Him, the Master Gardener. For the work of His hands is holy.

And bad fruit doesn’t stand a chance against His abiding love.  

Relate to the Lord // Pray with us Saint Teresa’s prayer and let nothing separate you from the Vine today.

Share:

Go Deeper

Products to help your prayer life & relationship with Jesus 🙏🏽

Fully Alive Advent Bundle
-20%
Bundle
5.0
Fully Alive Advent Bundle
Sale price $670.00
Regular price $837.00
Dark brown wall crucifix with a white corpus of Christ mounted on a textured wall, softly lit above blurred flowers in a peaceful Catholic setting
-18%
4.6
Wall Crucifix // 12 inch
Sale price $359.00
Regular price $439.00
Catholic Compact Journaling Bible in a bright orange cover held by hand among lush green leaves for prayer and journaling on the go
Hand holding the Blessed Mother Rosary
Do Whatever He Tells You (John 2:5 Poster) - Blessed Is She Posters & Prints
-50%
4.5
Do Whatever He Tells You — John 2:5 (24x36)
Sale price $140.00
Regular price $279.00

Before You Go…

Here are a few more posts you might love:

Bad Fruit vs. Good God
He Lifts Our Burdens
The Yoke of Freedom
You are Free
Blessed Are You
Water in Your Desert
The Open Door to Grace