We can pretend to be what we really are not, but sooner or later our true nature reveals itself—in our actions, in our attitudes, by our “fruits.” Nowadays, there are many ways by which deception is carried out, but mostly by means of nice words and gratuitous promises, the illusion of quick gains without sweating it out, and just plain claims about things without real basis in reality. During election time, particularly, politicians can promise us even the moon, and even if we already know their past, we still allow ourselves to be duped by them.

Indeed, as in Jesus’ time, there are many false prophets vying for our attention and loyalty. But our Lord reminds us: look at the fruits that they bear; for it is really impossible to hide what one’s true nature is. The rotten fruit will eventually show itself. Hence, there is need of constant vigilance and discernment about what people say or promise us.

The more people promise the good life, easy gains, without the element of the cross, the more likely are they to be false prophets. Real prophets are not afraid to speak the sad or inconvenient truth; they speak only what God wants them to.

The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield; I will make your reward very great.” But Abram said,“O Lord God, what good will your gifts be, if I keep on being childless and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?”

Abram continued, “See, you have given me no offspring, and so one of my servants will be my heir.” Then the word of the Lord came to him: “No, that one shall not be your heir; your own issue shall be your heir.” He took him outside and said: “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.” Abram put his faith in the Lord, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness. He then said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as a possession.” “O Lord God,” he asked, “how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

He answered him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Abram brought him all these, split them in two, and placed each half opposite the other; but the birds he did not cut up. Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram stayed with them.

As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him. When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch, which passed between those pieces. It was on that occasion that the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River the Euphrates.”

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. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.