20260620 DOWNFALL OF LEADERS
20 June 2026, Saturday, 11th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Chronicles 24:17-25 |
'You have deserted the Lord: now he deserts you'
After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came to pay court to the king, and the king now turned to them for advice. The Judaeans abandoned the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, for the worship of sacred poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem. He sent them prophets to bring them back to the Lord, but when these gave their message, they would not listen. The spirit of God took possession of Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said, ‘God says this, “Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord to no good purpose? You have deserted the Lord, now he deserts you.”’ They then plotted against him and by order of the king stoned him in the court of the Temple of the Lord. King Joash, forgetful of the kindness that Jehoiada, the father of Zechariah, had shown him, killed Jehoiada’s son who cried out as he died, ‘The Lord sees and he will avenge!’
When a year had gone by, the Aramaean army made war on Joash. They reached Judah and Jerusalem, and executed all the officials among the people, sending back to the king at Damascus all that they had plundered from them. Though the Aramaean army had by no means come in force, the Lord delivered into its power an army of great size for having deserted him, the God of their ancestors.
The Aramaeans treated Joash as he had deserved, and when they retired they left him a very sick man; and his officers, plotting against him to avenge the death of the son of Jehoiada the priest, murdered him in his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the Citadel of David, though not in the tombs of the kings.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 88(89):4-5,29-34 |
I will keep my love for him always.
‘With my chosen one I have made a covenant;
I have sworn to David my servant:
I will establish your dynasty for ever
and set up your throne through all ages.
I will keep my love for him always.
‘I will keep my love for him always;
with him my covenant shall last.
I will establish his dynasty for ever,
make his throne endure as the heavens.
I will keep my love for him always.
‘If his sons forsake my law
and refuse to walk as I decree
and if ever they violate my statutes,
refusing to keep my commands;
then I will punish their offences with the rod,
then I will scourge them on account of their guilt.
I will keep my love for him always.
‘But I will never take back my love,
my truth will never fail.’
I will keep my love for him always.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt4:4 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 6:24-34 |
Do not worry about tomorrow: your holy Father knows your needs
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘No one can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.
‘That is why I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat, nor about your body and how you are to clothe it. Surely life means more than food, and the body more than clothing! Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they are? Can any of you, for all his worrying, add one single cubit to his span of life? And why worry about clothing? Think of the flowers growing in the fields; they never have to work or spin; yet I assure you that not even Solomon in all his regalia was robed like one of these. Now if that is how God clothes the grass in the field which is there today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more look after you, you men of little faith? So do not worry; do not say, “What are we to eat? What are we to drink? How are we to be clothed?” It is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’
DOWNFALL OF LEADERS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 CH 24:17-25; Mt 6:24-34]
The first reading from the Book of Chronicles records the downfall of King Joash and the kingdom of Judah. The circumstances leading to his downfall were tragic. We have much to learn from the mistakes of King Joash; his failure should not have occurred, given that God had made a covenant with David ensuring his dynastic line. As the Responsorial Psalm reminds us, “With my chosen one I have made a covenant; I have sworn to David my servant: I will establish your dynasty forever and set up your throne through all ages. I will keep my love for him always; with him my covenant shall last. I will establish his dynasty forever, make his throne endure as the heavens.”
How, then, did the descendants of King David bring the kingdom of Judah to destruction? Clearly, they turned away from the Lord. They turned inward toward themselves instead of worshipping the Lord their God. As Scripture records, “The Judaeans abandoned the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, for the worship of sacred poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem.” When we turn away from God to focus on the things of this world–seeking our own power and glory–we ultimately destroy ourselves. The Lord warns us in today’s Gospel, “No one can be the slave to two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and money.”
Perhaps the greatest mistake of King Joash was listening to the wrong advisors. Scripture notes that, “After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came to pay court to the king, and the king now turned to them for advice.” This is the perennial challenge of any leader: finding the right people to work alongside them for the greater good of the community. Many may appear to support a leader while actually working against them, using their positions to further their own self-interests and ambitions. For them, it is merely about offices, titles, and privileges. Unfortunately, bad advisors do immense harm not only to the leader but to the entire community. Good advisors can be difficult to find, and this is especially true when appointing religious leaders; choosing the wrong people will inevitably weaken the entire structure. Therefore, a leader must carefully discern from the very start whom to recruit. After all, even among the Twelve Apostles chosen by our Lord, one betrayed Him. How much more challenging is it for us, who are far less perceptive in reading the human heart?
The second mistake of King Joash was his ingratitude, a flaw that frequently triggers a leader’s downfall. When a leader fails to appreciate his position, his call to service, and – most of all – those who support him, his resulting arrogance and pride inevitably lead to ruin. Joash completely forgot how Zechariah’s father, Jehoiada the priest, had loyally helped him ascend the throne. Instead of remembering Jehoiada’s lifelong fidelity, the king fell under the influence of corrupt officials. Driven by self-interest, these officials grew resentful of Zechariah’s prophetic warnings, which reprimanded the court and the populace for abandoning Yahweh and His commandments. Consequently, “they then plotted against him and by order of the king stoned him in the court of the Temple of the Lord.” King Joash was not only “forgetful of the kindness that Jehoiada, the father of Zechariah, had shown him,” but went so far as to kill Jehoiada’s son, who cried out as he died, “The Lord sees and he will avenge!” This is tragic indeed.
The third mistake of Joash was his refusal to listen to a true prophet. “The spirit of God took possession of Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said, “God says this, ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord to no good purpose? You have deserted the Lord, now he deserts you.”‘ By rejecting this warning, Joash shamefully repeated the mistakes of his forefathers, as the author remarks, “He sent them prophets to bring them back to the Lord, but when these gave their message, they would not listen.” He lacked the discernment and receptivity needed to hear the Word of God, choosing instead to let corrupt officials influence him in getting rid of a true prophet.
The consequence of turning away from the Lord is punishment. As the psalmist warns, “If his sons forsake my law and refuse to walk as I decree and if ever they violate my statures, refusing to keep my commands; then I will punish their offences with the rod, then I will scourge them on account of their guilt.” We need not take this divine punishment literally; rather, it represents the natural consequences of our sins and negligence. When we turn away from God, we lose our moral compass, becoming insecure, self-centered, egoistic, and overly ambitious. This distorted focus causes us to view our neighbours as enemies instead of friends, transforming us into a threat to others. Eventually, this cycle of isolation and hostility ensures that we, too, will be destroyed by our own adversaries and competitors.
Indeed, this Aramean army, though representing a small nation, was able to wage war on Judah, plunder the country, and depose the king. “They reached Judah and Jerusalem, and executed all the officials among the people, sending back to the king at Damascus all that they had plundered from them. Though the Aramaean army had by no means come in force, the Lord delivered into its power an army of great size for having deserted him, the God of their ancestors.” In this way, God allowed the Aramean army to teach Judah a vital lesson. Ultimately, Joash was not only destroyed by enemies from without, but also by his own failure to choose upright advisors; those very officials became the ones who destroyed him from within. “The Aramaeans treated Joash as he had deserved, and when they retired they left him a very sick man, and his officers, plotting against him to avenge the death of the son of Jehoiada the priest, murdered him in his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the Citadel of David, though not in the tombs of the kings.” Such was the tragic end of King Joash – a direct result of his lack of wisdom and discernment. What can we learn from his mistakes?
We must pay close attention to the Lord’s warning in today’s Gospel, where Jesus reminds us to focus entirely on God and His kingdom.“Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well.” As a leader, we should not be focusing on ourselves, our position, our power, glory and privileges. A leader should be focused on doing the job that the Lord has appointed him to do. He should be focused on doing God’s will, which is to build a just, harmonious, and prosperous community. When a leader is genuinely consumed by this holy task, he would have no time to think about his own interests, his desires, and his ego. This explains why the Lord said, “So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow, will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble if its own.”
We worry because we are fearful and insecure, afraid of losing our position, privileges, and benefits. Yet the truth remains that when a leader is chosen, it is never solely due to his skills, knowledge, and intelligence. He is chosen by God to serve His purpose. A time will come when a leader must step down because someone better than him has been chosen to continue the work that he had begun. When we trust in God’s plan for us, we will not worry when we will have to relinquish our leadership, office, or status in life. God knows what is best. He qualifies those whom He has chosen. We only need to put Him as the centre of our lives, and serve Him for His greater glory.
At any rate, let us remember that leadership, position, power, and glory do not last. The Lord reminds us, “Surely life means more than food, and the body more than clothing! Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they are? Can any of you, for all his worrying, add one single cubit to his span of life? And why worry about clothing? Think of the flowers growing in the fields; they never have to work or spin; yet I assure you that not even Solomon in all his regalia was robed like one of these.” The things of this world will pass. We cannot hold on to them forever. So we must enjoy them while we have them, and remain detached when they are taken away from us. These are not the things that can give us lasting happiness; rather, true fulfilment comes from a life well lived, in humble service to God and our community. When we give of ourselves completely and empty ourselves of our egos and attachments, that life is lived meaningfully.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
