Feria Sexta infra Hebdomadam VII post Octavam Pentecostes — IV Classis
Commemoratio: Ss. Martyrum Machabæorum
Today’s liturgical readings, taken from the Epistle to the Romans (6:19–23) and the Gospel according to St. Matthew (7:15–21), provide the faithful with a sober meditation on the spiritual warfare in which every soul is engaged. As we continue through the green-clad days of this seventh week after the Octave of Pentecost, the Church quietly insists: the fruits of our lives reveal our true allegiance—whether to sin unto death, or to justice unto sanctification.
“Servants to righteousness unto sanctification” — Romans 6:19–23
St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, employs the image of servitude—a potent metaphor especially in the ancient world, where slavery was a visible and harsh reality. He reminds the faithful that just as they once yielded their bodies as instruments of iniquity and impurity, now they must render themselves in service to righteousness. This is no mild invitation to piety; it is a radical call to total transformation.
“For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from justice” (Rom 6:20).
St. John Chrysostom, in his homilies on Romans, illuminates this paradox. He writes:
“He who is a servant of sin is not free, but rather bound, dragged, and thrown down headlong. Yet Paul says they were ‘free’ from justice — meaning, they had abandoned righteousness entirely, having no part in it.” (Hom. XII on Romans)
The Apostle culminates with the solemn warning:
“The wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is life everlasting in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23)
Here we see the justice of God and His mercy intertwined. Sin earns a wage—death. Grace gives a gift—eternal life. The Fathers saw in this verse a summary of the whole Gospel. St. Augustine remarks:
“He who desires to boast in himself receives the due wages—death. But he who hopes in the mercy of God receives not what is owed, but what is given—life.” (Enarr. in Ps. 31)
“By their fruits you shall know them” — Matthew 7:15–21
The Gospel from St. Matthew echoes and deepens this warning. Our Lord warns against false prophets—wolves in sheep’s clothing. But how are they to be discerned? Not by appearance, nor by words, but by fruits.
This imagery—of trees and fruits—draws from deep Old Testament roots. The Psalms speak of the just man as a tree planted by running waters (Ps 1:3), and Our Lord carries this forward in His teaching: a good tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor a bad tree good fruit. Holiness must express itself in action.
St. Jerome, commenting on this passage, says:
“It is not the sheep’s clothing which makes the sheep, but the nature of the sheep itself. Likewise, it is not the external appearance, nor even the words that make one a prophet of God, but the truth and fruit of life.” (Comment. in Matt. 7:15)
The chilling conclusion of today’s Gospel — “Not every one that saith to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21) — reveals the seriousness of Christian discipleship. Faith without obedience is a barren tree.
St. Gregory the Great puts it starkly:
“Let no one deceive himself with empty words. For he who is not already striving to live according to his words, even if he speaks truth, yet sows not a seed of truth within himself.” (Hom. in Evang. XI)
Commemoration: The Holy Maccabean Martyrs
Today’s commemoration of the Holy Maccabean Martyrs brings these readings into a concrete example of fidelity. These seven brothers, along with their mother, chose torture and death rather than to violate God’s law. Their “fruit” was clear: obedience even unto martyrdom.
St. Cyprian praises such steadfastness:
“He who stands firm in confession before men, stands already crowned before God.” (De Lapsis)
The Maccabees, though pre-Christian, are honored by the Church as witnesses of the eternal law of God. In a world where truth is often sacrificed for convenience, their example calls us back to the fundamentals: obedience, sacrifice, and the courage to suffer rather than sin.
Conclusion: Life in the Spirit, Not in the Flesh
As we journey through this liturgical season after Pentecost—a time marked by the growth and maturing of the Church—we are continually brought face-to-face with the consequences of sin and the call to holiness. The Holy Ghost, given at Pentecost, does not remain idle in the soul. He works, prunes, convicts, and sanctifies.
Let us, then, daily renew our commitment to be servants of righteousness. Let us examine our lives not by appearances, but by fruits. Let us beware of false prophets, even within ourselves, where pride may disguise itself as piety.
And as we honor the Holy Maccabees today, may we find in them the strength to live not for this world, but for the world to come.
“For the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is life everlasting in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23)