I think your last paragraph was so important. I also agree completely. God even warns us about this. “To whom much is given, much is required.”
Those who hold positions of power or honor (such as judges, police, teachers, those who govern) are going to be held to a very high standard by our Lord. He is the one who allowed them to reach such a lofty height in the first place.
Yet, Mark, you seem to think when I talk about apples from apple trees that I expect people to be Saints ala Mother Theresa or the many who devote their lives to the mission field, etc. Not my point at all.
I recognize that we are all sinners and that until we are new creations, we will daily have to fight against the flesh, the world, and the Devil. However, I am talking about people who make it a habit of attending Mass, Worship, etc. but also make a regular habit daily of lying, cheating, and so on. It’s almost like the Godfather syndrome. The guy is running drugs, gambling, etc. and ordering hits on other people, yet he goes to Communion.
Please think about this. We are all sinners in need of a savior.
What I want you to do is show me how you are going to make apple pie from the tree that has just produced a bunch of pears (and rotten pears, to boot).
No, that's not it.
The point is that the same teachings that regrettably produce an Andrew Cuomo or Nancy Pelosi also produce great saints. Sometimes, as the case with Bl. Charles de Foucauld, they experience a tremendous conversion process (that's why I suggested you look him up...)
Please think about this. We are all sinners in need of a savior.
Undoubtedly. The theory of being able to save oneself was condemned as a heresy back in the 400s (it's called Pelagianism). Nothing has changed that. We are all saved by the grace of God.
What I want you to do is show me how you are going to make apple pie from the tree that has just produced a bunch of pears (and rotten pears, to boot).
Again, as I said above, the same "tree" that has produced rotten pears has also produced tremendous fruit, to use your illustration. Perhaps the individuals who turned out rotten were not as fully grafted into that tree as they could have been.