20141123 CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP AS HEALING AND EMPOWERING
First
reading
Ezekiel
34:11-12,15-17 ©
The
Lord says this: I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in
view. As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when he stands up in the middle
of his scattered sheep, so shall I keep my sheep in view. I shall rescue them
from wherever they have been scattered during the mist and darkness. I myself
will pasture my sheep, I myself will show them where to rest–it is the Lord who
speaks. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the
wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I
shall be a true shepherd to them.
As for you, my sheep, the Lord says this: I
will judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and he-goats.
Psalm
Psalm
22:1-3,5-6 ©
The
Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The
Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh
and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
The
Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Near
restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
He
guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
The
Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You
have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My
head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
The
Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Surely
goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In
the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
The
Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Second
reading
1
Corinthians 15:20-26,28 ©
Christ
has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep.
Death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has
come through one man. Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought
to life in Christ; but all of them in their proper order: Christ as the
first-fruits and then, after the coming of Christ, those who belong to him.
After that will come the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father,
having done away with every sovereignty, authority and power. For he must be
king until he has put all his enemies under his feet and the last of the
enemies to be destroyed is death, for everything is to be put under his feet.
And when everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subject
in his turn to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all
in all.
Gospel
Acclamation Mk11:10
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Blessings
on him who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessings
on the coming kingdom of our father David!
Alleluia!
Gospel
Matthew
25:31-46 ©
Jesus
said to his disciples: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all
the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations
will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the
shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand
and the goats on his left.
‘Then the King will say to those on his right
hand, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom
prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you
gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you
made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison
and you came to see me.” Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord,
when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When
did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or
in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly,
in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you
did it to me.”
‘Next he will say to those on his left hand,
“Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for
the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was
thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never
made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you
never visited me.” Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see
you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come
to your help?” Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you
neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to
me.”
‘And they will go away to eternal punishment,
and the virtuous to eternal life.’
CHRISTIAN
LEADERSHIP AS HEALING AND EMPOWERING
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: EZEKIEL 34:11-12,15-17; 1 COR 15:20-26,28; MT 25:31-46
There is so much
division in the
world today, injustices, civil and religious and even moral
wars. The family as the basic block in building society is breaking
down. Unity in society is fragile as this unity is built on compromises
and superficial values. There is so much division, pain and hopelessness
in the world as many are confused over their identity, purpose and meaning in
life. We are living in a society that is counter-culture. There are
so many who are lost and in their own prison as they cannot find happiness and
meaning in life. Many are wounded in family life, marriage, children and
parents.
Leaders are critical for
the organization.
It is often said that there are no bad soldiers but only commanders.
Leadership will determine the direction and the morale of the
people. Good leaders are needed to heal the community because today
society is fragmented and divided because of the wounds that come from sin and
injustice. Many are misled and confused over their identity, and what is
truth and love.
It is for this reason, Jesus
our Good Shepherd has come to lead us to the fullness of life. He is
the fulfillment of the prophecy when the Lord said, “I shall look for the lost
one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I
shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to
them.” Jesus our Good Shepherd Himself said, ““For I was hungry and
you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you
made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison
and you came to see me.”
Indeed, the true leader
is exemplified by the leadership that Jesus showed to His disciples. Jesus was the suffering servant who
came not to be served but to serve and offer Himself as a ransom for
many. His humble and selfless service is the epitome of
service. His leadership is an enlightened leadership. He came
as the Teacher in words and deeds, not just showing us the way but walking the
way Himself, the way of truth and love. For this reason, Jesus is
the Good Shepherd, the Shepherd-King of us all. As the good shepherd, He
lays down His life for his sheep. He walks the talk and leads by
example. “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of
all who have fallen asleep.”
In the light of these
challenges and the example of Christ, we need to recover the authentic
meaning of leadership. What does it mean to be a servant leader? Firstly,
who are we serving as servants? The right perspective is that first and
foremost, we are servants of God and servants of His servants. He is
our master. He is the shepherd and we are all His flock. We
must bear in mind that there is only one shepherd and master and that is God
alone. We are only servants of the Kingdom. The flock belongs to
Him. It is His flock; not ours. We are stewards of God’s flock and
are accountable to Him. There is only one Good Shepherd. We are looking
after His sheep. We are accountable to Him. They are not ours and
hence accountability is required. Leaders too must acquire a
self-effacing and humble attitude, remembering his calling as a servant, not a
king.
Our task is to hand over
the kingdom intact to the Father. “Christ as the first-fruits and then, after the
coming of Christ, those who belong to him. After that will come the end, when
he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, having done away with every
sovereignty, authority and power. We are not to lose any of His sheep.
What then are the tasks
of a leader as servant of God?
His first duty is to
defend the flock. The
shepherd seeks to protect his flock from possible enemies that attack them
without their knowledge. Again, this means he needs to take preemptive
measures and not wait for the enemies to attack, which would be too
late. So as a leader, it is necessary that one of the tasks is
formation and strengthening the flock so that they can be strong to fend
off possible attacks from enemies. Accordingly, a leader must also
consider the kind of moral values that he imparts to his people. He
must also help them to be independent through intellectual formation. There can
be no real progress if we do not ensure that right values are inculcated.
A nation without a soul and a conscience is surely a sign of decadence rather
than progress.
As leaders, we cannot
shirk our moral responsibility in leading our people to the greener pasture of
life. There is a
tendency in political and corporate leadership today to disjoin moral
leadership from professional leadership. Leaders today are reduced to
merely bringing economic benefits to the people they serve and disclaim
responsibility in moral and ethical leadership. The question is, can
there be true peace, love and harmony if what we as leaders simply provide
people with material gains and fail to help them to walk in the truth?
Leaders must provide leadership in revealing the truth to their people so that
they could be guided in authentic love and service. The failure of
leaders to lead their people in the truth will cause the nation to be divided
and suffer moral decadence because unity is built on superficial values. This
is true also of family life. Many of our children are so wounded by the
way their parents brought them up because of bad examples and lack of wisdom
and compassion.
He has the duty to
discern what is truly good for his people and provide the necessary direction,
vision and goal. “As for you, my sheep, the Lord says this: I will judge between
sheep and sheep, between rams and he-goats.” There will be judgement.
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted
by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the
nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another
as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his
right hand and the goats on his left.” He is called to work for the progress of
the people, economic, spiritual and human development, an integral development
of mind, body and soul. To lead people to the greener pasture of life
means offering his people a holistic life, which is not just a better life,
materially, but also moral and spiritual growth as well.
Secondly, he is called
to heal the sick and strengthen the weak. A leader needs to have a
preferential option for the weak under his care. This is what the Lord said, “I shall
look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the
weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd
to them.” The true leader works for the good of others, and has a special
preferential treatment for the poor and the weak without neglecting the strong
and the rich. He is always ready to die for those whom he serves, and
always puts himself last before others.
For this to happen, he
must be identified with his sheep. In the gospel, Jesus identified with His sheep. He said,
Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or
thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your
help?” Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to
do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.” God
is identified with the poor not the powerful and the rich. That is why,
the Holy Father urges us, shepherds, to go out and reach out to the
marginalized, those who are suffering.
As we celebrate the feast
of Christ the King, we, too, by virtue of our baptism share in the
leadership of Christ. In truth, we are all servants and masters at the
same time in different ways. We are not absolute master but we are
all subjects and leaders, sheep and shepherd simultaneously. We serve
each other in different roles, whether we are in a position of authority or
otherwise. We do not cling on to our power or position.
Service is the only reason for assuming a role in leadership. The secret
of leadership lies in this conscious reminder that we must first be sheep
before we are shepherds. The psalmist says, “Let us
listen for the voice of the Lord.” We need to pray and be good sheep
before we can be good shepherds. Servant leadership demands humility and
obedience to the Master. We need to know Christ, His wishes and
desires before we can serve Him since we are serving His sheep.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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