20160222 CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP IS AN OFFICE
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
|
First reading
|
1 Peter 5:1-4 ©
|
Now I have something
to tell your elders: I am an elder myself, and a witness to the sufferings of
Christ, and with you I have a share in the glory that is to be revealed. Be the
shepherds of the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it, not
simply as a duty but gladly, because God wants it; not for sordid money, but because
you are eager to do it. Never be a dictator over any group that is put in your
charge, but be an example that the whole flock can follow. When the chief
shepherd appears, you will be given the crown of unfading glory.
|
Psalm
|
Psalm 22:1-6 ©
|
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.
Near restful waters
he leads me,
to revive
my drooping spirit.
The Lord is my
shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me along
the right path;
he is
true to his name.
If I should walk in
the valley of darkness
no evil
would I fear.
You are there with
your crook and your staff;
with
these you give me comfort.
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.
|
Gospel
Acclamation
|
Mt16:18
|
Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
You are Peter,
and on this rock I
will build my Church.
And the gates of the
underworld can never hold out against it.
Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
|
Gospel
|
|
Matthew 16:13-19
©
|
When
Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his
disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he
is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’
‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are
the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of
Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed
this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on
this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never
hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven:
whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you
loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’
CHRISTIAN
LEADERSHIP IS AN OFFICE
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: 1Peter 5:1-4;
Psalm 22:1-6; Matthew 16:13-19
The
feast of the Chair of St Peter was celebrated in the Church as early as the 4th
century. This feast celebrates the election of St Peter as the Bishop
of Rome and as the Chief Shepherd of the universal Church by virtue of
being the successor of St Peter, the Vicar of Christ. The Chair of St
Peter is therefore a celebration of the Office of the Bishop of Rome and the
Pope. It is not the celebration of a person but the office, what it signifies
and what is intended.
The
word, “office” is derived from the Latin word, “officium” which connotes the
meaning of service, duty and a function. Implied in this word therefore is “power and
resources.” One cannot perform a service without the accompanying
authority, power and resources. So it is clear that the authority that
comes with the office is for the sake of service and not to boost the ego of
the person in office. A person holding a religious and public office is
given respect and honour not on account of himself or herself but it is given
to the office, the public capacity that the person is acting in. In
this respect, when we give respect to the Pope and the Bishops who are the
successors of Christ, it is to the office and what it symbolizes rather than to
the persons, especially when Catholics traditionally kiss the episcopal ring of
the Pope and the bishops.
What,
then, is the nature of this office of the Holy Father and by derivation, the office of the
Bishops, priests and all those in Christian leadership? It is an office
of servant leadership. One must never forget that the office with the
accompanying power given to us is not for our glorification or for our benefit,
or for us to do whatever we like according to our whims and fancies. On
the contrary, all leaders must always remember that they are first and foremost
religious and public servants entrusted with authority for the service of the
common good. No leader must ever allow the honour and privileges of leadership
to get into his head, making him feel great and proud. St Peter wrote,
“Be the shepherds of the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it,
not simply as a duty but gladly, because God wants it; not for sordid money,
but because you are eager to do it.”
If
the office of the Holy Father and all Christian leaders is that of service, so
the next question is, what kind of service? Today, we do not speak so much of the papacy but
the Petrine service of the Holy Father. In other words, we want to
underscore not so much the power of the Holy Father but the service of the Holy
Father to the Church and to the world.
Firstly,
the Holy Father has the duty to preserve the deposit of faith handed down in
scripture and tradition. He is called to be a defender of the Catholic Faith in its
pristine condition. To do so is to ensure that the truths revealed by God
are properly taught and passed on in the Church. It is for this reason
that the Holy Father has been given the gift of infallibility. All Bishops
teaching in union with the Holy Father too possess the gift of infallibility in
teaching. Without this guarantee, the Church would be in chaos as we do
not know where the truth is to be found. This is particularly so in an
age of relativism and individualism and humanism, where truth has become
subjective and individualistic. The Holy Father as the defender of
the truths of Christ must therefore assume the role of teacher and
prophet. What is said of the Holy Father is also applicable to the bishops
who are the chief teachers in their own diocese. This also explains
why only the Magisterium together with the Holy Father can teach authentically
and authoritatively. This is what Jesus said to St Peter, “So I now say
to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of
the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in
heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.”
Secondly,
the office of the Holy Father is that of preserving unity in the Church. This perhaps is the most challenging
task in today’s world. With the erosion of authority in both the
religious, political and corporate world because of scandals, trying to
preserve unity is a very daunting task. Most people today are educated
and all think that they know best. If they agree, well and good, they
follow the shepherd, but if they do not agree, they will go their own way.
Few faithful believe in the religious authority of the Pope and the
bishops. The element of faith and trust in the authority of the Pope and
bishops is weak. If the Pope and bishops cannot convince them, then they
would not listen. Rationalism has crept into the Church as well.
People doubt that the promise of Christ is true when He said to St Peter,
“Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood
that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.” We no longer
trust in divine revelation or the promise of Christ that He would be with His
Church until the end of time. For this reason, criticizing our leaders,
the Holy Father and our bishops, or even leaders in public, will not bring
about unity or help the leaders to be more effective because it only destroys
credibility and sows distrust. It only helps those who are our enemies to
ride on such resentment and use them for their own agenda. We must use
the proper forum to express our views and help our leaders to govern well.
Truth must be spoken but we must make sure that it is the truth and secondly,
it must be spoken in charity and humility.
Thirdly,
the office of the Holy Father is to be a brother that empowers, encourages and
offers fraternal correction. In the first reading, we have St Peter writing to the other
elders to encourage them in their ministry. He wrote, “I have something
to tell your elders: I am elder myself, and a witness to the sufferings of
Christ, and with you I have a share in the glory that is to be revealed.”
Indeed, as a leader, the authority invested on us is not for us to be a
dictator, as St Peter reminded the elders, “Never be a dictator over any group
that is put in your charge, but be an example that the whole flock can
follow.” It is in order that we can empower others and give them
encouragement in their difficult tasks. The most damaging thing a leader
can do is to discredit his leaders in public or to shame them, because once
they lose their authority, they can no longer govern effectively. A
leader must show himself to be a true servant of all and be at their service,
rather than to make use of others to serve his interests. His task is to
get others to work with him for the greater good of everyone, but not for his
own gain.
If
we were to be true Christian leaders, we need to find our bearing and source of
strength. Christian leaders therefore must look to Christ for direction. We are called to imitate the
faith of St Peter. The rock that Jesus built His Church on was not simply
Peter but Peter’s faith in Him. It was Peter’s faith in Christ as “the
Son of the living God” that Jesus could confidently place the Church under his
care. He knew that if we have this faith in Him, nothing can rock
or destroy the Church as He promised, “on this rock I will build my Church. And
the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.” Unless
we have this faith in Christ, Christian leaders will waver and falter because
in the face of difficulties, they will cave in to the demands of
others. Leaders must find fortitude in Christ so that they can
remain firm in their faith and leadership, without fear and the need for
approval.
Secondly,
leadership is a call to suffer. So we should not be surprised when
we have to carry the cross of rejection, criticism, slander, false accusations
and being misunderstood as leaders. If we are afraid of
unpopularity, we cannot be a leader. We are here to serve the truth and
to serve God; not to bend to the whims and likes of people who are only
concerned for their own interests and needs.
Yet,
we also must remember that leaders are imperfect because they are human. They have their frailties and
weaknesses. It is important to collaborate with the leaders. They
too need much encouragement and support. Without the love, support and
encouragement of the members, the leader will not be able to do much.
That is why in the Catholic liturgy, we always pray for the Holy Father and the
bishops who are still in office, not those who are retired. The
reason is simply because we are not praying for them as individuals but because
of the public office they hold, their leadership, decisions and conduct will
affect the rest of the Church. Hence, it is not enough to complain and
lament about the weaknesses of our leaders. It would be more effective
and productive to pray and fast for their conversion if we want them to change
for the better.
In
this way, with us working with the leaders, encouraging them, and they in turn
working selflessly for the greater good of the community, everyone will get to
share in the joy and fruits of unity in service. St Peter assures us, “When the
chief shepherd appears, you will be given the crown of unfading glory.”
This glory is already ours when we work together with our leaders for the
growth of the community. Today, as we celebrate the chair of St Peter,
let us renew our love and support, respect and obedience to our Holy Father,
regardless of whether we agree with him or not. Today as I celebrate my 3rd
anniversary of my episcopate, I too ask for your prayers, that I may grow in
holiness by living a life of prayer, compassion, humility and selfless
service. Pray that I have fortitude and perseverance to lead the Church
in spite of the many difficulties and challenges we face in renewing the People
of God and our leaders. Pray for me and my priests; that we will work
together as one Church for the greater good of our people.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment