Commencement of School Year Homily – Part 2: Living with Integrity
This article is the second part of the homily preached by His Eminence Archbishop William Cardinal Goh at the Mass for the Commencement of School Year, held on 29 January 2023.
If our young people were to be leaders in future, they need to acquire full basic qualities, as listed in today’s Scripture readings. Zephaniah said, “Seek integrity.” Number one, integrity. Number two: “Seek humility.” Jesus complemented these two and reiterated in the Beatitudes: seek compassion and justice. A leader, if he does not have these full qualities, he cannot be a leader. He cannot lead people to greener pastures in life. He will lose the capacity to lead.
Integrity: Zephaniah says, “Seek the Lord. All you humble of the earth, seek integrity.” What is integrity? Integrity is consistency. And what we believe is what we teach, and what we teach is how we live. What we believe is what we teach, and what we teach is how we live. Consistency. Integrity of life.
And I think it is very important that as educators, we form more young people to be people of integrity, believing in righteousness. They are people with principles. Because, unless we have people of integrity, consistent with what they say, what they do, what they believe, what they teach, they will not impact the lives of others. In fact, they can be destructive.
Hypocrites
A doctor is called to protect life, to save lives. But when a doctor uses his skill to kill, he is going against the very principle, the basic principle of what a doctor is called to be. An accountant is to make sure that the accounts are right — but we know that many accountants use their skills to manipulate, to cheat, to commit fraud, to enrich themselves.
It’s true for lawyers. Lawyers are supposed to be people of integrity, righteousness; they are supposed to uphold the law, protect the weak and vulnerable. But today, not many lawyers are trustworthy. In the latest case, the law students cheated in their exam, and they are supposed to be the future leaders of the country. The world has come to this state, where it is a question of intellectual power, capacity – it is not about character, moral integrity.
If we leaders lack integrity, we cannot rule the country. We cannot be leaders of organisations. You know why? Whatever we say, no one will believe us. Whatever we say, people will be sceptical. That’s why integrity is actually the most important criterion of being in the government.
The government can be very smart, very intelligent — but if there is no integrity, the government will collapse, because the people will not trust it. That’s why, we can understand, our government puts integrity at the heart of their governance. With knowledge or skills without integrity, we will lose our authority. Same too for the Church — when church leaders don’t live lives of integrity, all that we say, all that we do, all go down the drain. People no longer have faith in the Church today, because of religious leaders who lack integrity in their lives.
This article is the second part of the homily preached by His Eminence Archbishop William Cardinal Goh at the Mass for the Commencement of School Year, held on 29 January 2023.
