That's David's call to the Lord in Psalm 101, but it strikes me as just as plausible as Christ's call to each of us.
But what does integrity mean? St. Escriva speaks frequently about integrity in his writings, calling true Christians "men and women of integrity"2, and saying that Christian integrity is "the fruit of divine love" and what may lead others to find God3. Surely, St. Escriva is speaking about more than honesty and good character, the traits society at-large tends to associate with integrity?
I think he is. The Pharisees may have been trying to trick Christ when they asked whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, but they unknowingly were right when they identified Christ as a man of integrity.4 It is in Christ that we find the true model of integrity and what it means to live an integrious life.5
I have long associated the word integrity with the mission and character of the laity. I think there are three dimensions to the word: (1) honesty and good character; (2) unity of life ("integrated"); (3) a strong foundation and stability ("structural integrity"). And for the Christian, these dimensions find their full meaning in Christ. We will be exploring these dimensions in more detail in the coming weeks.
One additional thought concerning preaching of the Gospel. If people are drawn to integrity as defined by the secular world, how much stronger is the attraction and pull of an integrity given fullness through Christ?
Again from David's psalm, commenting on those who would enter his company. But could these words also serve as a message to us from Christ?
1 Psalm 101:2, NAB. 2 Christ Is Passing By, Marriage a Christian Vocation, #28. 3 The Furrow, #322. 4 See Mark 12:14, Matthew 22:16. Only the NIV translates it "man of integrity", but the other translations (the RSV's "you are true"; NAB's "a truthful man") have similar connotations. 5 Before Nihil Obstat comments that "integrious" isn't a real word, let me state that it is. It is quite rare, but you can find it in old copies of the Oxford English Dictionary, which gives it the meaning of "marked by integrity". Several friends of mine think the word is in need of a comeback and speculate that the lack of an adjective form of integrity in modern parlance is symptomatic of a culture that places a diminishing value on true integrity. 6 Psalm 101:6, NAB.
"Hear, O Israel, the LORD your God, the LORD is one!"
Since the fact God is one -- i.e., He has integrity -- is the cornerstone of the Law Christ came to complete, I'd agree that integrity is important for Christians.
Okay, so it requires a bit of wordplay, but only a bit, and I think the idea of our own integrity imaging the unity of God is very powerful.
Posted by: Tom | Monday, August 25, 2003 at 02:09 PM
You might find some thoughts here interesting. In addition to integrity, I think authenticity matters.
http://davidmorrison.typepad.com/sed_contra/2004/01/abp_omalley_nam.html
Posted by: David Morrison | Monday, January 19, 2004 at 04:19 PM