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Jesus said, “Either declare the tree good
and its fruit
is good, or
declare the tree rotten and its fruit is rotten, for a tree is known by
its
fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you say good things when you are
evil? For from the fullness of the heart the
mouth
speaks. A good person brings forth good
out of a store of goodness, but an evil person brings forth evil out of
a store
of evil. I tell you, on the day of
judgment people will render an account for every careless word they
speak. By your words you will be acquitted,
and by
your words you will be condemned.”
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Perhaps
Rudy Baylor in the movie “The Rainmaker” could have been a
good lawyer. Evidently, he still had much to
learn,
especially working within a court of law. But
even if he could have been good in this profession, he had every
indication that the business of law was not a good business all the
time. He observed how some lawyers worked
the law
and used it to their advantage. He saw
firsthand how evidence that should have been admitted could be denied
by some
technicality, and how evil men who committed criminal acts could
legally go
free. He had to conclude that sometimes
a person might have to leave a profession in order to accomplish what
he
wanted in life.
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When
Jesus spoke about
what people should do in their lives, he continually called for some
type of
conversion. He noted that the person who
has achieved conversion, the good person who brings forth good out of a
store
of goodness, would receive a good reward on the day of judgment, while
evil
people, people who refused a change of heart in their lives, would find
condemnation.
Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation that should change because of some evil involved. We know it. Everyone who is part of the organization knows it. The group may be something as small as a service club in school or as large as a global insurance organization. When a Christian discovers the evil, he or she must do something about it. Sometimes they may even have to quit the organization in order to accomplish any good. But whether the Christian leaves the situation or not, a person who recognizes the evil must make some change—perhaps even a life-altering change—in order to accomplish any good. |
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THOUGHT
Do you
think that a professional person should
ever leave a profession or place because of moral reasons? Yes
or no and why?
PRAYER Good and gracious God,
you call us to conversion—all
the time, every moment of every day. We
are called to bring forth goodness out of the store of goodness in our
hearts. Help us choose good in every
situation of our lives. Be with us, we
pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |