20170827
A PERSONAL FAITH IN CHRIST AS THE FOUNDATION
OF LEADERSHIP
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
|
First reading
|
Isaiah 22:19-23 ©
|
Thus says the Lord of Hosts to Shebna, the master of the palace:
I dismiss you from your office,
I remove you from your post,
and the same day I call on my servant
Eliakim son of Hilkiah.
I invest him with your robe,
gird him with your sash,
entrust him with your authority;
and he shall be a father
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
and to the House of Judah.
I place the key of the House of David
on his shoulder;
should he open, no one shall close,
should he close, no one shall open.
I drive him like a peg
into a firm place;
he will become a throne of glory
for his father’s house.
|
Responsorial Psalm
|
|
Psalm 137(138):1-3,6,8 ©
|
Your love, O Lord, is eternal: discard not the
work of your hands.
I thank you, Lord, with all my heart:
you have heard the words of my mouth.
In the presence of the angels I will bless you.
I will adore before your holy temple.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal: discard not the
work of your hands.
I thank you for your faithfulness and love,
which excel all we ever knew of you.
On the day I called, you answered;
you increased the strength of my soul.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal: discard not the
work of your hands.
The Lord is high yet he looks on the lowly
and the haughty he knows from afar.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal,
discard not the work of your hands.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal: discard not the
work of your hands.
|
Second reading
|
Romans 11:33-36 ©
|
How rich are the depths of God – how deep his wisdom and
knowledge – and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his
methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his
counsellor? Who could ever give him anything or lend him anything? All that
exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory for ever!
Amen.
|
Gospel Acclamation
|
2Co5:19
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,
and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.
Alleluia!
|
Or
|
Mt16:18
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
You are Peter
and on this rock I will build my Church.
And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
|
|
Matthew 16:13-20 ©
|
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.’ Then
he gave the disciples strict orders not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
A PERSONAL FAITH IN CHRIST AS THE FOUNDATION OF LEADERSHIP
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ISAIAH 22:19-23; ROMANS 11:33-36; MATTHEW 16:13-20]
Leadership is
critical in any organization, human or divine. The survival of a nation or
any group is dependent on its leadership. An institution is as strong as
its leaders. It is said that there are no bad soldiers; only bad
commanders. We need strong leaders to train and form good soldiers.
The scripture readings today invite us to reflect on the appointment and
exercise of leadership.
Instead of
turning to God, the leaders of Judah relied on alliance with pagan nations and
military defenses. They ignored the voice of God spoken through Isaiah that God would
defend the city. Above all, they did not clean up the inner house of
injustice and idolatry. They lacked faith. And when in a state of
hopelessness, they fell into despair, eating and living as if there was no
tomorrow. Instead of repenting they chose to feast when attacked from
every side.
What is
significant is that when leaders like Shebna, a high court official, lack
faith, it affects the rest of the country. He was materialistic and self-seeking
like the rest. He favored alliance with foreigners instead of listening
to Isaiah. Indeed, this is an important lesson for us to learn as
leaders. Very often leaders forget to realize that not only do their
words and decisions, but their actions and lifestyles affect and influence
those under them considerably. The people lost hope not only because of
the Assyrians but because their own leaders fell into despair and did not lead
the way. For this reason, we must consider carefully the kind of leaders
we appoint to lead us.
Who, then,
would qualify as a Christian leader? What is the basis for Christian
leadership? First and foremost, leadership is a divine calling. In the world, people
project and sell themselves as leaders. They seek election into
power. Some even use unscrupulous means to acquire power. Christian
leadership however, is by election and the will of God. It is not
about politics but a discernment of God’s call. God is the one who
dismisses and chooses, as in the case of Shebna and Eliakim. This is also
true in the appointment of Peter as the rock, the leader of the Church.
“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.” So
one does not choose to be a leader on the basis of one’s merits but one is
called to assume leadership by God who speaks through His people.
What, then,
is the primary task of a leader? He is called to be a father to the
community. He represents the heavenly Father. He is the anointed one.
“He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the House of
Judah.” Hence, the most important quality of a leader is
compassion. He is called to be a protector, defender and an
encourager to those under his trust. A leader is one who gives life to
others, just as the father gives life to his children. A leader
seeks to protect his subordinates, especially the weak and the marginalized,
just as a father gives more attention to the weaker children in his household.
Secondly, the
task of a leader is to preserve peace and unity and bring stability to the
house. Indeed, the task of a leader is to unite the different forces and
elements under his charge. The most challenging task of a leader is to
ensure that there is peace, harmony and unity. He is called to be a
mediator and a source of unity, like our Holy Father in the Catholic Church.
For this
reason, a leader needs to be vested with authority. This authority was given to
St Peter and the apostles when Jesus said, “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.” The key refers to authority to carry out Church discipline,
legislation and administration. It concerns the power to judge and
forgive sins. It is also the authority to teach, to instruct and
proclaim the Word of God without error. All leaders therefore are
installed or, for religious leaders, ordained, so that they have the rightful
authority to teach and discipline those under their care.
Authority is
always for service. The moment one seeks authority to bolster his or her ego
or use it for his or her interests, that authority is abused. As it is
said, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We need to
ensure that the authority vested in us is never used in our favour or for our
convenience but at the service of the larger community and for the greater good
of all. Authority is exercised to bring unity and peace; not to
divide or control people.
What, then,
are the necessary qualities of a good Christian leader? The most
important quality is faith! He must be a man of deep faith in Christ. This faith must be a
personal faith. It cannot be borrowed or based on text books. Rather, it
must be a personal discovery, a realization and an encounter with Jesus.
Anything less than a personal encounter would mean that the faith of the person
is in a precarious position. That is why Jesus challenged the 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?’” Without a personal faith in
Christ, we cannot share Jesus with others convincingly. Most of
all, in the face of struggles and temptations, we will lose courage because of
fear for our lives and safety. We are not proclaiming the ideology of a
dead man but a living Christ.
Furthermore,
this faith in Jesus must be nothing less than faith in Jesus as the Son of
God. Then Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God.” This is the rock of Peter’s faith. All believers are joined
to this Church by faith in Jesus as the savior when we confess this same
faith. Nothing less than a confession in the divinity of Christ is
required if we are to stay firm in times of trials and scandals. If our
faith is more than in a human person called Jesus, but also that He is the Son
of God, then we will be able to overcome all things in life.
This faith is
also faith in Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. It is not enough to believe
in Jesus as the Son of the Living God. That was the mistake of St Peter
who could not accept that the way to victory is through the cross. We
must come to faith in Jesus as the rock and foundation through the Paschal
Mystery. Thus, Jesus told His disciples not to publicize Peter’s
confession. The listeners must find out for themselves. It cannot
be from a secondary source. Until the paschal mystery happened, they needed to
grow in understanding of this confession of faith. St Peter got the right
answer but the wrong meaning.
Finally, as
Church, we are built on the foundation of the apostles with Jesus as the
cornerstone.
St Peter and St Paul founded their faith on Christ who is the cornerstone of
the Church. They built the Church on the foundation of Christ
alone. There is no other foundation. We need to have faith in Peter
who is the appointed leader of the Church. He reveals the true identity
of Christ to us, just as Jesus revealed Peter’s identity and role to us.
So our faith is also in fidelity to the apostolic faith and not just our own.
Hence, as
leaders, we must not rely on our strength and ingenuity, thinking that we can
do everything without Christ and His Church. Thus, it is indispensable for leaders to
pray and be in union with God. A leader who does not pray and reflect
will only operate on the human wisdom of the world. He must be in close
connection with God, basking himself in His love, and penetrating the will of
God for himself and for his people. A leader must spend more time in
prayer and reflection if he were to lead as the anointed one of God. Otherwise,
he will only allow his ego, fear and human ingenuity to determine how he
acts. But when a leader is always praying and seeking to glorify God and
working for the good of his people, then his decisions will always be selfless,
life-giving, liberating and empowering.
Prayer strengthens
our faith in Christ the Son of the Living God since this realization is given
through revelation, not by human reasoning. It is not by reason alone that we come
to God. On the contrary, faith is necessary to complement reason, for the
mysteries of God cannot be comprehended by man, especially His inner life and
His divine plan for humanity.
So as leaders we
need not be afraid of the future and of the responsibilities ahead of us. We
can trust in the faithfulness of God. The real problem is not whether God
is faithful to but whether we will trust Him enough to surrender our plans,
success and failures to His divine providence and wisdom. So let us
take heed and respond to the call of God for leadership. If God has
chosen us, He will qualify us.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment