. A MEASURED RESPONSE
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There once were two evil brothers. They were rich and used their money to keep their evil ways from the public eye. They attended the same church, and to everyone else, they appeared to be perfect Catholics.
One day, their parish-priest retired and a new one was appointed. Not only could the new priest see right through the brothers' deceptions, but he also spoke well and true about it. Due to the priest's honesty and integrity, the church's congregation grew in numbers. Eventually, a fundraising campaign was started to build a much bigger church.
All of a sudden, one of the brothers died. The remaining brother sought out the new priest the day before the funeral and handed him a check for the amount needed to complete the new building. He held the check for the priest to see.
"I have only one condition," he said. "At the funeral, you must say my brother was a saint. You must say those exact words."
After some thought, the priest gave his word and took the check. He cashed it immediately. At the funeral the next day, however, the priest did not hold back. "He was an evil man," he said about the dead brother. "He cheated on his wife and abused his family. Never once did he commit an unselfish act." He railed on and on about the deceased.
After nearly a half hour of the evil truth, he paused and shrugged his shoulders. Finally, he said, "But compared to his brother, he was a saint."
One day, their parish-priest retired and a new one was appointed. Not only could the new priest see right through the brothers' deceptions, but he also spoke well and true about it. Due to the priest's honesty and integrity, the church's congregation grew in numbers. Eventually, a fundraising campaign was started to build a much bigger church.
All of a sudden, one of the brothers died. The remaining brother sought out the new priest the day before the funeral and handed him a check for the amount needed to complete the new building. He held the check for the priest to see.
"I have only one condition," he said. "At the funeral, you must say my brother was a saint. You must say those exact words."
After some thought, the priest gave his word and took the check. He cashed it immediately. At the funeral the next day, however, the priest did not hold back. "He was an evil man," he said about the dead brother. "He cheated on his wife and abused his family. Never once did he commit an unselfish act." He railed on and on about the deceased.
After nearly a half hour of the evil truth, he paused and shrugged his shoulders. Finally, he said, "But compared to his brother, he was a saint."
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