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[v.6] Homily: June 8, 2025 / Pentecost Sunday ● Integrity and the Holy Spirit
[__01_] This
Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, and we hear in Acts Chapter 2 of the coming of the
Holy Spirit upon the apostles. They are gathered in the upper room, the same
room where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper. While they are there, a mighty
wind comes and shakes the house—a divine storm, God's own spiritual nor’easter.
At first, the apostles are frightened. But
then something incredible happens: they are filled with the Holy Spirit and
begin speaking in different tongues. People from many nations understand them.
This is more than a miracle of speech—it is a miracle of connection.
What
the Holy Spirit accomplishes in them is not just about communication, but transformation. The same Spirit
wants to work that transformation in you
and me —so that we may live with integrity.
*Pause*
Integrity calls us to be proactive.
Several years ago, a poor homeless man in
D.C. made the news because he found an envelope containing 12,000 dollars in
cash, returned the money and also wanted no reward or credit or publicity.
Do
we report- such incidents because we are intrigued by integrity as though it is
somehow extraordinary or unattainable? The Holy Spirit is given to us to
reconnect in loving God, and in loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.
[__02_] What
Is Integrity?
In a biblical sense, integrity means more than just honesty. It means wholeness—to live in harmony
between what we believe and how we act. The opposite of integrity is not
ignorance or sin—it’s hypocrisy.
Jesus, interestingly, does not condemn tax
collectors or publicly known sinners with the harshest words. He reserves that
for those whose outer lives
do not match their inner convictions—the
Pharisees and scribes. The word hypocrite comes from a Greek
term for an actor wearing a mask. The outside doesn’t match the inside.
That
has sometimes been me. I’ve
had times when I wanted to appear more spiritual, more capable, or more
successful than I really was. I have failed to live up to my own values. I have
been a hypocrite.
Have you ever experienced that gap in your
own life—between who you want to be, and how you act?
[__03_] God
Looks at the Heart
We see an example of integrity in the Book of
Samuel and Book of Kings when Samuel is called to choose a new king. He sees
David’s brothers—strong, tall, impressive—and thinks, “Surely one of these is
God’s anointed.”
But the Lord says to him: “Do not look at his
appearance or his height. Man looks at outward appearances, but the Lord looks
at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Integrity is about looking into the
heart—both ours and others’. It’s the Holy Spirit who helps us do that. And it
reminds us that we are not called to
judge, but to connect, to care, and to serve.
[__04_] Integrity
Is Not Perfection
Now it’s important to be clear: integrity
does not mean a flawless record. It doesn’t mean never making mistakes.
If we seek to live with integrity, we must be willing to admit when we’ve
failed, confess our sins, and try again—with God’s help.
Integrity is not a product we manufacture or
sell. It’s not a title we earn. It’s a process. It’s a power from God to which
we surrender.
Let me share a moment from my life when I
lacked that integrity.
[__05_] 4. A Missed Visit—and a Lesson
In college, one of my roommates became a
close friend. I came to know his family—his father especially, who was warm and
welcoming, and at times became a father figure to me.
A
few years after graduation, I got a call: my friend’s father had suffered a
terrible fall that left him paralyzed.
He was being treated just a few miles from here : Kessler Institute in West
Orange.
I was sad. I was shocked. But I did not visit
At that time, I was focused on my own
future—my work, my goals. And despite having spent plenty of time in that area
for sports or social events, I couldn’t find the time—or the heart—to visit the
man who had been so kind to me.
I look back on that decision with with regret.
I didn’t follow through on my own value regarding friends and family.
the
immobility and brokenness wasn’t in him—it was in me.
[__06_] Wholeness Is a Gift
The
word “integrity” is linked to the word integer—a whole number. Integrity means
**wholeness**, not fragmentation.
And ironically, it was that experience of failure that started to change me. Over
time, I began to see how much I regretted that decision—not only for what it
said about me, but for the missed opportunity to give someone else comfort.
It helped me see the value in being present to others who are suffering
to visit the sick, to sit at the bedside of someone who is hurting, not to have
all the answers, but simply to show up.
That realization became one of the nudges in
my own call to the priesthood.
And
then—God, in His sense of humor—sent me here to West Orange, where Kessler is
located. Not once, but twice.
First as an assistant in 2006, and now again as your pastor.
[__07_] The
Holy Spirit Is Still at Work
You
don’t have to be a priest to live with integrity. You don’t need a title or
vestments. You just need to respond to the Holy Spirit.
And that Spirit is calling all of us to be whole.
Integrity isn’t just about not doing bad
things. It’s about allowing the Spirit to transform
our hearts—so that we can live more authentically, more fully, and more compassionately.
It’s about being attentive to
others—especially those who are suffering. It’s about letting our lives reflect
our deepest values, even when it’s uncomfortable.
[__08_] In 15th Psalm, King David asks
this question about who is connected to and part of God’s people – it also a
question for you and me – the Church – about the meaning of integrity and its
attainability and sustainability
David
asks: Lord, who shall dwell in thy tent? or who shall dwell
on your holy mountain? God answers David: He that walks
without blame, and works justice: He
that speaks truth in his heart, He that does these things shall not be not be
disturbed
Come, Holy Spirit into our house, our
lives, our world.
[__end_]
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