20170514 CRITERIA FOR APPOINTING CHRISTIAN LEADERS
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 6:1-7 ©
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About this time, when
the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against
the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked.
So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, ‘It
would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food;
you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation,
filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them,
and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.’ The
whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of
faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon,
Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these
to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
The word
of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was
greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the faith.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
32(33):1-2,4-5,18-19 ©
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May your love be
upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
or
Alleluia!
Ring out your joy to
the Lord, O you just;
for
praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Give thanks to the
Lord upon the harp,
with a
ten-stringed lute sing him songs.
May your love be
upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
or
Alleluia!
For the word of the
Lord is faithful
and all
his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves
justice and right
and fills
the earth with his love.
May your love be
upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord looks on
those who revere him,
on those
who hope in his love,
to rescue their souls
from death,
to keep
them alive in famine.
May your love be
upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
or
Alleluia!
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Second reading
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1 Peter 2:4-9 ©
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The Lord is the
living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him; set
yourselves close to him so that you too, the holy priesthood that offers the
spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God, may be
living stones making a spiritual house. As scripture says: See how I lay in
Zion a precious cornerstone that I have chosen and the man who rests his trust
on it will not be disappointed. That means that for you who are believers, it
is precious; but for unbelievers, the stone rejected by the builders has proved
to be the keystone, a stone to stumble over, a rock to bring men down. They
stumble over it because they do not believe in the word; it was the fate in
store for them.
But you
are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart
to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his
wonderful light.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Jn14:6
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus said: ‘I am the
Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to
the Father except through me.’
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 14:1-12 ©
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Jesus said to his
disciples:
‘Do not let your
hearts be troubled.
Trust in God still,
and trust in me.
There are many rooms
in my Father’s house;
if there were not, I
should have told you.
I am going now to
prepare a place for you,
and after I have gone
and prepared you a place,
I shall return to
take you with me;
so that where I am
you may be too.
You know the way to
the place where I am going.’
Thomas said, ‘Lord,
we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus said:
‘I am the Way, the
Truth and the Life.
No one can come to
the Father except through me.
If you know me, you
know my Father too.
From this moment you
know him and have seen him.’
Philip said, ‘Lord,
let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’ ‘Have I been with you
all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him ‘and you still do not know me?
‘To have seen me is
to have seen the Father,
so how can you say,
“Let us see the Father”?
Do you not believe
that I am in the
Father and the Father is in me?
The words I say to
you I do not speak as from myself:
it is the Father,
living in me, who is doing this work.
You must believe me
when I say
that I am in the
Father and the Father is in me;
believe it on the
evidence of this work, if for no other reason.
I tell you most
solemnly,
whoever believes in
me
will perform the same
works as I do myself,
he will perform even
greater works,
because I am going to
the Father.’
CRITERIA
FOR APPOINTING CHRISTIAN LEADERS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
ACTS 6:1-7; PS 32:1-2, 4-5, 18-19; 1 PETER 2:4-9; JN 14:1-12 ]
We are called to be the priestly and
prophetic people of God. St Peter wrote, “But you are a chosen race, a
royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises
of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
Indeed, by virtue of our baptism, we have been chosen by God to lead others to
Him as well. This is the way to give thanks to God for His great mercy
and kindness. The psalmist says, “Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you
just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts. Give thanks to the Lord
upon the harp, with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.” Whilst all are
called to be members of the royal priesthood of Christ, some of us are called into
Christian leadership, whether as laity or as clergy. At any rate, all of
us are Christian leaders in different degrees and positions.
But what does it take to be a Christian
leader? The Scripture readings give us the guidelines as to how a
Christian leader should be chosen. From the Acts of the Apostles, we read
that the apostles told the community to “Select from among yourselves seven men
of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom.”
The first criterion is therefore a good
reputation. It is necessary that Christian leaders enjoy the confidence
and trust of the community. Without a good reputation, whatever good work the
leader does would be contradicted. The credibility of a leader is
everything. Otherwise, he can no longer lead. This explains why
leaders must ensure that they do not do anything scandalous to tarnish their
reputation. St Paul himself wrote, “We are putting no obstacle in
anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as
servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great
endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings,
imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity,
knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful
speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right
hand and for the left.” (2 Cor 6:3-7) In the
gospel, Jesus warns us of the dangers of causing scandal when He said, “If anyone
causes one of these little ones, those who believe in me to stumble, it would
be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be
drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Mt 18:6) Leaders
therefore must always be exemplary in their conduct, in their way of life,
their speech and their actions. Indeed, many Catholics have left the
Church because of the arrogance and misconduct of priests, religious and lay
leaders. They were scandalized and give up faith in the Church.
Secondly, he must “be filled with the
Holy Spirit.” To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to be very much in
touch with the Lord. Only a person who has the mind of Christ, the heart
of the Good Shepherd, the love and compassion of Christ can truly lead His
people. Jesus told the disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God still, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house;
if there were not, I should have told you. I am going now to prepare a place
for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take
you with me; so that where I am you may be too. You know the way to the place
where I am going.” Jesus comes to live in us forever in the Holy
Spirit. The place that Jesus is taking us is to His heart. When His
Spirit dwells in our hearts, that is where heaven is, where we find joy, peace
and love. Being receptive to the Holy Spirit is to be docile to the
movements of the Spirit in one’s life and among one’s people. In giving
oneself to the power of the Holy Spirit, one is filled with the gifts of the
Spirit as well, both of theological and functional gifts, for one’s personal
sanctification and growth in grace and also for the work of building up the
body of Christ to full maturity. For this reason, a leader must
always be in touch with the Holy Spirit, seeking His power and blessings.
Thirdly, a leader needs wisdom from God
to lead his people. Wisdom is not just knowledge, understanding and
skills. The wisdom of the Holy Spirit is to be able to see beyond what is
earthly and worldly to the ultimate good and truth of life. It is the
grace to judge everything in this world in the light of the highest things of
life, that is, union with God, union with our brothers and sisters, and peace
of mind. It is the ability to know the right course of action and carry them
out according to the spirit of the commandments. So a leader who has
wisdom must make all decisions in view of the ultimate good of all. Jesus
taught, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is
one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all
your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The
second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other
commandment greater than these.” (Mk 12:29-31) A man
who is sensual and worldly or self-centered cannot judge things and situations
in the right perspective.
Fourthly, a Christian leader must always
have Christ as His cornerstone. Christ must be the center of our lives.
Cornerstone means the foundation. “Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the
Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you
know me, you know my Father too.” In other words, he must be deeply
connected with the Lord. St Peter urges us, “The Lord is the living stone,
rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him; set yourselves close to
him so that you too, the holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices
which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God, may be living stones making a
spiritual house.” Christ must be the reference point in all that he
thinks or does. He should always be asking, “Is that what and how
Jesus would act in a particular situation?” If he has the mind of Jesus
and His Holy Spirit, he will be guided by the Lord to do the right thing and
the wise thing even when the world thinks differently. That is why some
Christian leaders are more concerned about doing and functioning than really
making time to pray and be connected with the Lord. Even Jesus Himself
took leave from His disciples to go to the hills or the desert to be alone in
prayer. A Christian leader who hardly meditates on the scripture, making
time for intimacy with the Lord, and basking in His love and presence, is in
great danger of losing focus and relying on his human wisdom and human strength
rather than on the wisdom and power of God.
Finally, a Christian leader must have
great faith in the Lord. Otherwise, he will rely only on himself and when
things happen or when he experiences success, it will get into his head, and he
will start thinking highly of himself. Pride is the downfall of many Christian
leaders. When they become successful, they begin to attribute their success
unconsciously to their talents and ingenuity although they might publicly claim
that it is the work of God. Jesus made it clear that He could do great
things only because of His Father. “Do you not believe that I am in the
Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak as
from myself: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work. You must
believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; believe
it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason.”
Faith in Jesus is the basis for
effectiveness in ministry. Jesus assures us, “I tell you most solemnly,
whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, he will perform
even greater works, because I am going to the Father.” In this way, we
have no fear even when things do not happen the way we plan. We must
trust that if God wants it, He will make it happen. Just like the
apostles, we tend to worry too much. But if it is a question of
fulfilling our own plans and not the plan of God, then we should worry.
Otherwise, we must surrender everything into His hands and His wisdom for this
is what the Lord said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still,
and trust in me.”
If we can find such people in our
community, who are God-fearing, humble and faith-filled, they will indeed make
great leaders like the deacons in the primitive Christian community. We
read that these were presented “to the apostles, who prayed and laid their
hands on them.” As a consequence, “The word of the Lord continued to
spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large
group of priests made their submission to the faith.” Indeed, more than
just skills, talents and knowledge, we need leaders with wisdom and
faith. Together with a deep love for God and His people, they will help
the community to grow in grace and in number. The psalmist says, “For the
word of the Lord is faithful and all his works to be trusted. The Lord
loves justice and right and fills the earth with his love. The Lord looks
on those who revere him, on those who hope in his love, to rescue their souls
from death, to keep them alive in famine.”
Written by The Most
Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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