“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).” (Father Thomas Hopko)
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