Integrity
- Michael Haldas
- Jan 19, 2024
- 4 min read
“Humanity has grappled with the mystery of integrity for ages. The question begged by the preceding statement is, “Integrity to what?” The historical integrity of man is fluid. All too often, integrity depended on an individual or a mob’s passions and whims…the very definition of integrity is to self, not to the Risen Christ.” (Archpriest Nectarios Trevino)
“Christ wasn’t transfigured into a better person. He revealed to us the integrity of his divine and human nature, which awaits all of us, by grace, provided we follow him and desire to erect our tabernacles close to him. The disciples weren’t good people of their time, but were those who wanted to love Christ. They were, however, still people with their own characters, their own faults and errors, but also with their own progress, as was apparent later on when they were able to cope with Christ’s passion and even his resurrection. Christ was transfigured in order to show a different glory, that of God’s kingdom, in which death, imperfection, passions and errors have no place; but light does. It’s an ascent and an experience in which the heart beats eternally for him whom it loves…Our faith doesn’t comfort us with the fact that we won’t die or with the thought that everything will be beautiful in the next life. What redeems us is the quest for the person of Christ in our life.” (Protopresbyter Themistoklis Mourtzanos)
“There is a direct correlation between right doctrine and right behavior. Such unity of belief and action is evidence of our personal integrity… The apostle is calling Titus to uphold both sound doctrine and a definite “pattern of good works” (Titus 2:7-8). Saint Paul’s teaching flows from doctrine to resulting behavior while barely distinguishing between them, always assuming the full integrity of belief and action.” (Dynamis 1/19/2024)
“The spiritual person is not a hypocrite. He shows himself honestly for what he is, and does not pretend to be what he is not. He reveals himself to all exactly as he actually is. He does not say or do anything that would lead people to have a false impression of him or of anyone or anything. He is utterly honest and pure in all that he thinks, says and does, knowing that God sees all and judges with righteousness all those who “walk in integrity” (cf. Ps 26.1, 11).” (Fr. Thomas Hopko)
“Seeing ourselves as suffering with Christ, seeing that He suffers with us, reverses all of this. It stops the panic and reintegrates the soul. In consenting to suffer with Christ as He consents to suffer with us, we overcome all possible attacks and find our integrity being restored…Our salvation has to do with our integrity. As complete, psychosomatic beings, we’re called upon to love, to forgive, to unite and to see the prospect of the resurrection in life. In particular to believe, to trust, to surrender to God’s will, doing whatever we can to keep the two great commandments: love for God and for other people. And to share our joys and sorrows with others, in the Church. All the rest is known to the Lord.” (Protopresbyter Themistoklis Mourtzanos, Timothy G. Patitsas)
“Integrity is all about integration, as opposed to fragmentation and disintegration. A complete human being, one well pleasing to God, is someone who has godly integration within. His or her thoughts and actions, in response to the grace of the Holy Spirit, operate with unison and obedience to God’s will. This is why sinful behavior is so deadly to our souls and bodies over time. It creates fragmentation within. In worst cases, it causes such depravity that a person is almost no better than an animal, a slave to impulse and wrong desires.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)
“What causes a man to desire what is good in God’s eyes? We learn from Genesis 6:8 that “Noah found grace in the presence of the Lord God.” By God’s grace he overcomes inner confusion, conflicting impulses, and base desires so that he can function with integrity. He is at peace within himself and before God. The grace of God is necessary to enable right behavior and the attainment of integrity.” (Dynamis 6/9/2021)
“The key difference between the Pharisee and the Publican rooted in their hearts and was not simply a matter of their outward behavior or how they appeared to others. Even the despised traitor and thief remained in the image of God and was able to embrace divine mercy when he humbly confessed the truth about his personal brokenness. The Pharisee also bore God’s image, but was so blinded by his slavery to the primordial sin of pride that his spiritual practices lacked integrity and did his soul more harm than good.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)
“The paths of wisdom and folly are not usually clearly marked in our day, and the path of folly which leads to death often looks superficially like the path of wisdom. A solid education therefore will not simply teach children readin’, writin’, and ‘rithmetic, but also the even more valuable skills of discerning between virtue and vice, and of recognizing the excellence of the former. But we must do so with open eyes and courageous hearts…Moral compromise, not integrity, is valued by the world, and leads to worldly success…True goodness always gives offence, and the notion that if a person is truly good he or she will be liked and rewarded by the world is nonsense. A good person will always offend those whose lack of goodness and purity as revealed by the goodness of the good person.” (Fr. Lawrence Farley)
“The spiritual person is not a hypocrite. He shows himself honestly for what he is, and does not pretend to be what he is not. He reveals himself to all exactly as he actually is. He does not say or do anything that would lead people to have a false impression of him or of anyone or anything. He is utterly honest and pure in all that he thinks, says and does, knowing that God sees all and judges with righteousness all those who “walk in integrity” (cf. Ps 26.1, 11).” (Fr. Thomas Hopko)
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