Honesty, Dishonesty
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector - James Tissot, (1886-94), Brooklyn Museum.[1]
Honesty means expressing the truth in one’s words and not seeking, through concealment, lies or deception to take advantage of one’s Neighbor.
In "The Gospel as It Was Revealed to Me"
- I only wanted to forgive, suffer, be honest because the Angels said: "Glory to God in the highest Heavens and Peace on earth to men of good will"[2]
- Have a peaceful, honest, moderate eye, pure, and you will have peaceful, honest, moderate, and pure desires.[3]
- It is not permitted for you to offend the love of your Woman. Be just and honest. God will give you a reward that will exceed your merits.[4]
- Every work, when it is honest, deserves the blessing of the Eternal Lord. But, I have said: the first condition to have God's blessing is to be honest in all one’s Actions. Now, let us look together at when, and under what conditions, Actions are honest. They are honest when performed with the Eternal God present to The Spirit. Can one who says: "God watches me. God has His eyes on me, and no detail of my Actions escapes Him" ever sin?[5]
- With Me, there can only be those who love humility, gentleness, continence, honesty, and love, above all love, because whoever loves God and Neighbor consequently possesses all the Virtues and gains Heaven.[6]
- Honesty in work is part of love of the Neighbor: "You know that our Law commands love of the Neighbor. Honesty in work is part of love of the Neighbor. He who is honest in his work does not steal in business, does not cheat the worker of his wages, does not dishonestly rob him. He remembers that the servant and the worker have a flesh and a Soul like his own. He does not treat them like inert stones which can be broken and struck with foot or iron. He who does not act this way does not love his Neighbor and therefore sins in the eyes of God. His gain is cursed, even if he offers a coin for the Temple.
Oh! what a false offering! And how can one dare to place it at the foot of the altar, when it glistens with the tears and blood of the cheated inferior, or when it is called “larceny,” that is betrayal against the Neighbor, for the thief is a traitor to his Neighbor?"[7]