20160831 PREVENTING THE GROWTH OF A CULT PERSONALITY
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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1 Corinthians
3:1-9 ©
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Brothers, I myself
was unable to speak to you as people of the Spirit: I treated you as sensual
men, still infants in Christ. What I fed you with was milk, not solid food, for
you were not ready for it; and indeed, you are still not ready for it since you
are still unspiritual. Isn’t that obvious from all the jealousy and wrangling
that there is among you, from the way that you go on behaving like ordinary
people? What could be more unspiritual than your slogans, ‘I am for Paul’ and
‘I am for Apollos’?
After
all, what is Apollos and what is Paul? They are servants who brought the faith
to you. Even the different ways in which they brought it were assigned to them
by the Lord. I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God made things
grow. Neither the planter nor the waterer matters: only God, who makes things
grow. It is all one who does the planting and who does the watering, and each
will duly be paid according to his share in the work. We are fellow workers
with God; you are God’s farm, God’s building.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
32:12-15,20-21 ©
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Happy the people
the Lord has chosen as his own.
They are happy, whose
God is the Lord,
the
people he has chosen as his own.
From the heavens the
Lord looks forth,
he sees
all the children of men.
Happy the people
the Lord has chosen as his own.
From the place where
he dwells he gazes
on all
the dwellers on the earth;
he who shapes the
hearts of them all;
and
considers all their deeds.
Happy the people
the Lord has chosen as his own.
Our soul is waiting
for the Lord.
The Lord
is our help and our shield.
In him do our hearts
find joy.
We trust
in his holy name.
Happy the people
the Lord has chosen as his own.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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1P1:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of the Lord
remains for ever:
What is this word?
It is the Good News
that has been brought to you.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Lk4:17
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord has sent me
to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty
to captives.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 4:38-44 ©
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Leaving the synagogue
Jesus went to Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a
high fever and they asked him to do something for her. Leaning over her he
rebuked the fever and it left her. And she immediately got up and began to wait
on them.
At sunset
all those who had friends suffering from diseases of one kind or another
brought them to him, and laying his hands on each he cured them. Devils too
came out of many people, howling, ‘You are the Son of God.’ But he rebuked them
and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ.
When
daylight came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place. The crowds
went to look for him, and when they had caught up with him they wanted to
prevent him leaving them, but he answered, ‘I must proclaim the Good News of
the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to
do.’ And he continued his preaching in the synagogues of Judaea.
PREVENTING
THE GROWTH OF A CULT PERSONALITY
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ 1 CORINTHIANS
3:1-9; PS 32:12-15, 20-21; LUKE 4:38-44]
Everywhere there are some
charismatic leaders that will shine out from among the rest. They attract
followers because of their eloquence, passion, dynamism, preaching and other
charisms, such as healing and humour. Most organizations are dependent on
leaders who are charismatic for their growth. Without such leaders, it
would be difficult to attract members and attention.
But there is a danger that
such charismatic leaders can create a kind of cult personality. In some
religions, leaders have been known to form cults where members give absolute
obedience and even surrender their lives, wealth and even wives to them!
When that happens, members no longer act rationally because they are mesmerized
by their leaders and their rhetoric.
In the early Church,
charismatic leaders also existed in the Church of Corinth. There was
factionalism. Some were for Paul and others for Apollos. The people
were taking sides and championing their favourite leader. As a result,
the community was divided. This is happening in our parishes as
well. There are cliques and supporters of one priest over another; one
leader over another. This is made worse when both leaders are
competitors or are not able to get along. Not only are people divided,
but the leaders are also divided when they support such factionalism. This can
cause great scandal and embarrassment to the Church. At the end of the
day, the whole Church is wounded and the name of the Church is discredited
since all of us belong to the one Body of Christ.
St Paul says this is due to
the lack of spirituality and immaturity in our spiritual life. “Brothers,
I myself was unable to speak to you as people of the Spirit: I treated you as
sensual men, still infants in Christ. What I fed you with was milk, not solid
food, for you were not ready for it; and indeed, you are still not ready for it
since you are still un-spiritual. Isn’t that obvious from all the jealousy and
wrangling that there is among you, from the way that you go on behaving like
ordinary people? What could be more unspiritual than your slogans, ‘I am for
Paul’ and ‘I am for Apollos’?” Indeed, when those who call
themselves Christians engage in such politicking, quarrelling and publicly displaying
their unhappiness with their leaders, instigating others to stand up for him or
for her, slandering or competing with each other and putting each other down to
boost their position and credibility, it only goes to show their childishness,
insecurity and pride. When we see or hear such scandals, we feel sad for
the Church and embarrassed that such things are happening among people who are
supposedly committed to Christ and the gospel. How could they use the
name of God to justify their attacks on the integrity and weaknesses of
others? What must we do to prevent such unfortunate competition and
factionalism from taking place?
Firstly, we must remind
ourselves that we are God’s servants. St Paul wrote, “After all, what is
Apollos and what is Paul? They are servants who brought the faith to
you.” Our task is to serve God and His Church. Everything we do
must be for His greater glory. As servants, we must not do anything that
discredits His Church. The greater good of the Church must be kept in mind
and not our personal or factional interests.
Secondly, our position in
service is assigned by God; not by our choice. It is for the Lord to allocate
His gifts to us and to place us where He thinks we can best serve Him. To
aspire for positions or to vie for honour is not what a servant of God should
do. He would be serving His own self. We all have our parts
to play in everything. No one person is responsible for the success of
any project. Someone might get the honour but it is not for himself but
on behalf of the team. Like in the case of the Prime Minister; if the country
is doing well, it is not solely his work alone but that of his team and
supporters. So too the bishop and the parish priest and in any
organization! Let us not delude ourselves into believing that it is all
due to our hard work and leadership.
Thirdly, it is God who is
the cause of fecundity. “God made things grow. Neither the planter nor
the waterer matters: only God, who makes things grow.” Man proposes but
God disposes. Regardless how hard we work, it is not for us to determine
the success of any project. Success is not only strategic planning or
hard work but it is due to the grace of God. There are other factors as
well that are beyond our control; the weather, the circumstances, the timing,
the people whom we meet, the contacts, the generosity of those who support us,
etc. Without the grace of God, we cannot succeed. So once
again, let us not allow our glory to get into our heads, thinking that success
is due to us alone.
Fourthly, we are all fellow
workers in God’s farm. We are called to work as a team. The farm belongs
to God and the building is His. So as servants of God we are all called
to work together to tend to His farm and take care of His building. All
are needed to get the job done. Since God is the owner and we are His
servants, our task is to serve Him and remember that we are only
stewards. We do not own the people under our charge. They are not
our property for us to do as we like. As stewards, we must be responsible
and at the end of the day, give an account to the Lord for all the talents and
resources He has blessed us with to serve His people.
Finally, the reward must be
left to God alone. A servant of God cannot be thinking of rewards.
What reward should we expect when the greatest reward has already been given,
namely, the capacity to serve Him and His people? Without Him blessing us
with health, wealth, charisms and time, we will not be able to serve His
people. That we are able to serve and make use of our resources to help
others is the greatest of all rewards, for in service we find life and
fulfillment. So there are no other rewards we can expect because the
reward is love, joy, peace and fulfillment. When a person lives in that
manner after the life of Christ, he or she should be thankful. Indeed, in
the gospel, the reward of doing well as we see in the parable of the Talents is
to be given a greater task and a heavier responsibility to manage other
things. The more we expand and expend ourselves for service, the greater
is the joy and the happiness.
All that we have just said
are exemplified in the life and ministry of Jesus. The gospel
describes His daily routine, which was hectic and busy. But Jesus was
conscious that His ministry was not about Himself but about the needs of the
people. His mission was to proclaim the Good News of God’s unconditional
love and mercy. His sole purpose was to lead the people to know His
Father’s love and mercy. It was not to lead people to Him and if people
were to come to Him, it was only because He is the Way to the Father.
Hence, although identified
with His people and their distress, He was also detached from them. He
did not allow Himself to be controlled by the people or even by their love and
attachment to Him. He did not make use of them for His
security or ego. When they sought to have Him stay with them, the answer
of Jesus was firm, “’I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the
other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do’. And he continued his
preaching in the synagogues of Judaea.” He did not wait for any
appreciation or recognition for the work He has done. In some instances,
He even forbade those who were healed to speak of Him for fear that others
might come to Him for the wrong reasons. This explains why He “rebuked
them (the Devils) and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he
was the Christ.” He did not allow the Devil to derail His plans and His
mission by identifying Him as the Son of God. He wanted people to come to
Him not out of fear but out of faith. So it must be a personal discovery
and a relationship, not based on spectacular performances.
Jesus was focused on His
mission and not on Himself. This is the key to prevent a cult
personality. Today, we need to learn from Jesus by being discerning and
growing in self-awareness. Unless leaders are praying sincerely, they would not
be able to be self-effacing in their leadership and ministry. Worst of
all, they can be deceived into thinking too highly of themselves and believing
that they are indispensable for the success of the organization. Humility
and selfless service is the key to leadership.
The basis of our ministry
must come from our humility and gratitude to God who enables us to serve with
Him. Being grateful that we are chosen as His own and for His
service is the greatest reward. We should not be seeking more. “They are
happy, whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen as his own. From the
heavens the Lord looks forth, he sees all the children of men. Our soul is
waiting for the Lord. The Lord is our help and our shield. In him do our hearts
find joy. We trust in his holy name.” To be counted among the
servants of God and His children is the greatest of all joys in life.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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