During this Season of Lent, we are taking a triple approach to our Lenten Journey. First, we invite everyone to commit to the traditional disciplines of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Second, one of our justice committees will offer a weekly reflection focused on different social justice concerns. This week, St. Phoebe’s Footsteps is offering a reflection. Third, we will present a weekly meditation on different Christian virtues such as hospitality, Integrity, humility, clarity, unity, and strength, one each week. During the second week of Lent, we are focusing on the virtues of Honesty and Integrity.
Many years ago, when I was still a teenager, my late mom decided to have a complete make-over. When she arrived home that Saturday, I avoided her because I feared that my honest response to her new look might upset her. Thankfully, the doorbell rang and my mom opened the door. It was one of my friends. Upon seeing my mom, she gasped. My mom asked her what she thought of her new look. She answered: “I guess an old chapel once in a while needs new decorations.” With that the door shut on my friend and my mom disappeared in her room. The issue was that my mom’s new look lacked honesty and integrity about who she was. The new look just was not her. It was a lie.
The Virtue of Honesty
The virtue of honesty mirrors God’s nature as a God of truth. Being honest is fundamental the Christian life. It requires that we align our life with divine truth by living with integrity, steering clear of lies, and communicating truthfully. Honesty is not to be confused with harsh bluntness but rather involves communicating truth with humility and love, and is intended for the upbuilding of the Body of Christ. Honesty also goes far beyond merely refraining from lying. Honesty includes being trustworthy in business, fair in all our dealings, and sincere in our relationships.
The Virtue of Integrity
The virtue of integrity is also central to our Christian life. Christian integrity requires that whatever we do, say or think is in line with the Gospel message. Also, our thoughts, our words, and our actions must be aligned. And we must avoid wearing masks or hiding behind falsehoods.
Lenten Opportunities for Growth
The silence of our Lenten prayer and the practices of fasting and almsgiving help us to examine the hidden corners of our hearts asking: Where have I strayed from the truth? In what situations have I chosen comfort over justified discomfort? Where have I valued the approval of others over adhering to my core principles?
God sees beyond all outward appearances, and desires truthfulness in our words, in our deeds and in our heart. When we are tempted to cut corners, hide our faults, or bend the truth for convenience, let us draw strength from Christ. He is the perfect model of integrity. He never wavered in his commitment to God, resisting Satan’s temptations of physical comfort, popular acclaim, or worldly power. And he was perfectly honest in every human encounter. In turn, he calls us to do the same, not just for our own sake, but so that our witness may inspire others to seek God’s truth and love.
During his time on earth Jesus was not shy in calling out hypocrisy. He admonished his followers to be people of sincerity and transparency: “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’” (Matthew 5:37). Lent gives us the opportunity to ask ourselves: Are we living authentically, or are there areas in our lives where we are untruthful or compromise our values?
This Sunday’s Gospel of the Woman by the Well is a profound illustration of integrity and honesty, showcasing a transformation from a life of hidden shame to one of transparent, truth-filled testimony. The woman came to the well at noon to avoid being seen by others out of fear that she would be harassed for her less than perfect lifestyle. And yet, she does not lie, argue, or deflect, when Jesus mentions her multiple marriages and extra marital relationships. She leaves her water jar behind as a symbol of letting go of her past. When she tells people about Jesus, she no longer hides her failings but rather used her story of being known and forgiven by Jesus to point others to the Messiah.
During this third week of Lent, let us implore the Holy Spirit to reveal any places in our heart where honesty is obscured and integrity is lacking. And let us seek God’s mercy and grace to become whole and undivided; trustworthy, honest, and steadfast so that we may bear witness to the light of Christ in a world drowning in lies and hypocrisy and desperately longing for honesty and integrity.
Some Suggestions to Cultivate Honesty and Integrity
- Authentic Prayer: Let us move beyond superficial prayer and carefully listen to the voice of God speaking in our heart.
- Examination of Conscience: Let us examine the gap between who we are and who we are called to be as Christians.
- Repentance and Reconciliation: Let us turn toward God, acknowledge and confess our sins, and commit ourselves to do better.
- Fasting for Virtue: Let us fast from negative habits (e.g., gossip, hypocrisy) and feast on virtues (e.g., integrity, humility, unity).
- Caring for Others: Let us become the Word proclaimed and the Body of Christ we receive during the Eucharist to bring about the world God intends for us.