Integrity under Duress

The commemoration of the El Salvadoran martyrs yesterday, especially the reminder of the way the Jesuits and their colleagues continued their work for social justice on behalf of the poor in the face of death threats, inspired me to think about the meaning of integrity. While some might think of integrity as sort of consistency between one's intentions and values and the way that that person manifests those intentions and values in action, I think there is more to it than that. It is one thing to be able to be a virtuous, upstanding, and skillful person under the best conditions, and another to be virtuous, upstanding, and skillful when the conditions don't support that kind of character at all.

I think of the way the Jesuits at the UCA in El Salvador were not supermen, but rather very human, humble men, committed to living with and serving the poor. It was not their own courage or heroism that sustained them in the face of danger, but rather a sense of purpose and commitment to something/someone beyond themselves. They lived to be in solidarity with the poor and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus in such a way that this proclamation was not in word only. The Jesuits believed that in order for poor people to believe in a good and loving God, they themselves had to express their faith in action that promoted justice and ended exploitation and violence. Their stance was a vivid confrontation with the powers the be, and the worldly values that under-gird unjust orders.

It is easy, and maybe a bit vain, to live in the comfort of my current surroundings and imagine that I would have been as steadfast and unwavering in my commitment at they were, but I wonder.

In our first reading from the mass of the day, Eleazar demonstrates the kind of integrity under duress that confronts the values of his enemies and inspires and encourages all those of his own community.


2 Maccabbees 6:18-31

Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes,
a man of advanced age and noble appearance,
was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement,
he spat out the meat,
and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture,
as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food
which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life.
Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately,
because of their long acquaintance with him,
and urged him to bring meat of his own providing,
such as he could legitimately eat,
and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice
prescribed by the king;
in this way he would escape the death penalty,
and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him.
But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner,
worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age,
the merited distinction of his gray hair,
and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood;
and so he declared that above all
he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God.

He told them to send him at once
to the abode of the dead, explaining:
“At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense;
many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar
had gone over to an alien religion.
Should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life,
they would be led astray by me,
while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age.
Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men,
I shall never, whether alive or dead,
escape the hands of the Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now,
I will prove myself worthy of my old age,
and I will leave to the young a noble example
of how to die willingly and generously
for the revered and holy laws.”

Eleazar spoke thus,
and went immediately to the instrument of torture.
Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed,
now became hostile toward him because what he had said
seemed to them utter madness.
When he was about to die under the blows,
he groaned and said:
“The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that,
although I could have escaped death,
I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with joy in my soul
because of my devotion to him.”
This is how he died,
leaving in his death a model of courage
and an unforgettable example of virtue
not only for the young but for the whole nation.