Once there was an
Indian mother who was disturbed that her son had been eating too much sugar.
She knew it would cause illness to her son if he continues such a bad habit.
She tried to persuade him to stop eating too much sugar but to no avail. And so
she decided to bring her son to Gandhi to seek advice. Upon hearing the
mother's predicament, Gandhi asked them to come back after two weeks. And so she
obeyed the guru. Two weeks later, they returned to Gandhi. The leader told the
boy to stop eating too much sugar for it was not good for his health and the
boy nodded in agreement. The mother wondered why would the leader take two
weeks for him to give her son such simple advice. And so she asked: Why didn’t you tell him
that two weeks ago when I brought him here to see you? Gandhi replied, “Two
weeks ago I was still eating too much sugar myself.”
Integrity is an
important aspect of preaching. It is teaching not by words alone but
accompanied by deeds. And the preacher becomes more credible as he himself
lives by the standards he preaches. Integrity, simply put, is the quality of
being honest. It is the state of being whole and undivided as it comes from the
Latin word: integritatem (integritas) meaning soundness, wholeness, or completeness.
A preacher with integrity proclaims the Word of God sincerely if his preaching
resonates from the richness of his very own life: his words and actions are
one.
In the gospel (Lk
11:42-46), Jesus condemned the Pharisees and the teachers of the law: “Woe to
you...” For these men preach righteousness but fail to live by the standards
they impose upon the shoulders of their people. They overlooked the essentials
of living a holy and humble life, and imparting mercy. These were the very
subjects of their teachings. Their words differ from their life. They did not
preach with the integrity of heart, and consequently suffered the consequences of
the contradictions in their life.
St. Paul warns us
in his letter to the Romans (Rm. 2:1-11) that we will be judged by the same
standard we preach to and judge other people: “You, O man, are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment.
For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you,
the judge, do the very same things. We know that the judgment of God on those
who do such things is true. Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who engage
in such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of
God?”
There is
difficulty in preaching by our actions. We know what is good. And so we teach
it, though having difficulty to live by it ourselves. The struggle is real in
living by the words we preach. But we have to, for by doing so, it can make as
whole. That wholeness achieved through preaching can give us holiness.
Preaching indeed can be our way to holiness!
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