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| A Quote from Adlai Stevenson |
Today’s word of God takes us back to the second century before Jesus. The wisdom of Sirach is one of Israel's many spiritual guides. Here the author writes that our words, for better or worse, reveal who and what we are.
Do our words build people up or tear down? Are we constructive or destructive?
St. Paul in his letter to the Christian community in Corinth waxes eloquently about the resurrection. Yes, our faith proclaims that good ultimately will triumph over evil, light over darkness, life over death. Because Jesus Christ is risen. He lives and because He lives, we live.
Paul urges us to focus upon God and the things of God; live a godlike life.
In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus says: don't be too quick to point out the shortcomings in others while blind to your own shortcomings. Don't be hypocrites, saying one thing and doing another. Let your inner attitudes be in sync with your outward behaviors.
Yes, be men and women of integrity, of moral character, true to our inner selves.
One of my favorite quotes about moral character is from Norman Schwarzkopf, who led the allied coalition that drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait in the Persian Gulf in 1990. Schwarzkopf said this:
“Leadership is a whole combination of different ingredients – but by far, by far, the single most important ingredient of leadership is your character. … Integrity: that is the linchpin.”
So what is character?
First, there’s a difference between personality and character. Personality on the surface puts us in a category – e. g. cheerful, or moody, or excitable, etc. Character, by contrast, is singular and defines who we are, at the core of our inmost self. It's what we do when no one else is looking.
Personality is emotional. Character is ethical. Personality is neither good nor bad. Character, by definition, is either good or bad. By character, one stands out. That takes courage.
A person of moral character will choose dignity, respect, a willingness to go the extra mile. A person of character will speak up for what is right and defend what is fair, will take a stand on principle and an informed conscience. A person of character will show courage, and not simply “get along by going along.”
A person of character, in short, will try to choose what is true and good and right in all decisions, small and great.
Each of us is called to this. And having found what is right and true and good: as the advertisement says, “just do it.”
