Christians Shall be Recognized by Their Deeds

16. “Not all those who say to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who has done the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

Listen to these words of the Lord, all you who reject the Spiritist Doctrine as a work of the Devil. Open your ears, for the time to listen has come.

Is it enough to wear the uniform of the Lord to be a faithful servant? Is it enough to say, “I am a Christian” to follow Christ? Look for the true Christians and you will recognize them by their deeds. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” “Any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.” These are the Master’s words; disciples of Christ, understand them well! What are the fruits that the tree of Christianity must bear, that mighty tree whose leafy branches cover part of the world with its shade, but which as yet does not shelter all those who should gather around it? The fruits of the tree of life are the fruits of life, hope and faith. Christianity, as it has done for many centuries, preaches these three divine virtues; it seeks to spread these fruits, but how few pick them! The tree is always good, but the gardeners are bad. They have wanted to fashion it according to their own ideas; they have wanted to mold it in accordance with their own needs; they have cut it, diminished it and mutilated it; its barren branches do not bear bad fruit; they no longer bear any at all. Thirsty travelers who stop in its shade to look for the fruit of hope that ought to restore their strength and courage see only dry twigs announcing the coming storm. In vain they look for the fruit of life on the tree of life: its leaves fall dry; human hands have tampered with them so much that they have withered them!

Therefore, open your ears and your hearts, dearly beloved! Cultivate that tree of life, whose fruits give life eternal. The One who planted it invites you to care for it with love, and you will see it once again bearing its divine fruit in abundance. Keep it just as Christ gave it to you. Do not mutilate it; it wants to cast its immense shade over the entire universe; do not cut off its branches. Its beneficent fruit falls abundantly to nourish hungry travelers who want to reach their objective. Do not pick this fruit in order to hoard it and allow it to rot so that it is of no use to anyone. “Many are called but few are chosen.” This is because there are monopolizers of the bread of life just as often there are of material bread. Do not align yourselves with them. The tree that bears good fruit must give it to all. So go and seek out those who are hungry. Lead them beneath the branches of the tree and share with them the shelter it offers. “Grapes cannot be gathered from thorns.” My brothers and sisters, distance yourselves therefore from those who call you to show you the thorns along the way, and follow those who lead you to the shade of the tree of life.

The divine Savior, the righteous one par excellence, spoke and his words shall not pass away, “Not all those who say to me,

‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who have done the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

May the Lord of blessings bless you; may the God of light illumine you; may the tree of life abundantly shed its fruit over you! Believe and pray.

Simeon (Bordeaux, 1863)