Bishop Tobin on Why We Do the Right Things

"There's a story about a little boy who was misbehaving in church one day during Holy Mass. His mother corrected him several times, growing more frustrated with each correction. He continued to misbehave. Finally, the little boy said to his mom: 'I'll be good if you give me ten dollars.' To which his mom replied, 'Why should I give you ten dollars to be good? Your father is good for nothing.'

"The story may or may not be true, but it does raise a valid question. What is it that motivates us to 'behave,' to do the right thing? Or, more simply, why are we good?"

In a recent commentary based on St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians (4: 29, 31-32), Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, of the Diocese of Providence (RI), reflected on the challenge of doing the right thing for the right reasons.

To access Bishop Tobin's complete essay, please visit: 

The Imitation of Christ: Why Are You Good? (10 MAR 22)