How Sin Affects the Good Fruit of Our Labors

"Sin is a rebellion against God. It is the desire to put our own wants and desires ahead of the moral law written on our hearts."

Following the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939, property and businesses belonging to the Jewish population were seized by the regime. One of these factories, specializing in the production of enamelware, was obtained by a German industrialist named Oskar Schindler. Schindler was a member of the Nazi party and had served in various capacities including spying and intelligence gathering. With his party connections he was able to secure valuable military contracts. He hired Jewish workers over non-Jewish Poles because it was cheaper. Wages for Jewish workers were very low and set by the Nazi party.

Schindler's motivation was money. He was an opportunist who took advantage of a horrendous situation solely for personal profit. He became very wealthy and lived a lavish lifestyle.

But that is not how the world remembers him.

Over time Oskar Schindler became a savior for the Jews he employed at his factories. He his remembered for personally saving 1200 Jews from Nazi concentration camps. He and his wife, Emilie have been named “Righteous among the Nations” by the state of Israel for his extraordinary initiative, tenacity, courage, and dedication to save the lives of his Jewish employees.

Jesus told us, “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit.” Luke 6:43-44

Oskar Schindler is remembered for the fruits of his labors.

We live in a state of constant strife as our sinful tendencies struggle against our desire for righteousness. As such we become so used to the presence of sin in our lives that we forget just how evil and destructive it is.

Sin is a rebellion against God. It is the desire to put our own wants and desires ahead of the moral law written on our hearts. It is no less than an attempt to murder God.

Sin ravages the good tree, exposing it to evil and the devil, the wild beasts and bandits. Sin rots from within and so instead of bearing the good fruit of happiness, justice, beauty and peace, the sin-rotted tree bears only anger, remorse, frustration, sadness, and hopelessness.

It is in trial and adversity that our true nature is revealed. Oskar Schindler discovered his true nature in the face of the growing horror of the Holocaust. It is only after we discover our own true nature, that we can begin to help others.

It is popular these days to speak of an “informed” conscience. It is the idea that the individual, after carefully considering a situation, can take an action contrary to the moral law so long as he follows his “informed” conscience. But the Church does not speak of an informed conscience, rather it speaks of a “well formed” conscience. A well formed conscience is a conscience formed in the laws of God, by its very nature it cannot take a position in opposition to God.

Think of your gifts, the talents and abilities given to you by God. What type of fruit do they bear? Is it good fruit that shares its goodness with others? Or is it rotten fruit that serves no one but itself?

Pax Vobiscum
8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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© Lawrence Klimecki

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Deacon Lawrence draws on ancient Christian tradition to create new contemporary art that seeks to connect the physical and the spiritual.. For more information on original art, prints and commissions, Please visit www.DeaconLawrence.org 

Lawrence Klimecki, MSA, is a deacon in the Diocese of Sacramento. He is a public speaker, writer, and artist, reflecting on the intersection of art and faith