20171113 SCANDALOUS LEADERS
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Wisdom 1:1-7 ©
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Love virtue, you who are judges on earth,
let honesty prompt your thinking about the Lord,
seek him in simplicity of heart;
since he is to be found by those who do not put him to the test,
he shows himself to those who do not distrust him.
But selfish intentions divorce from God;
and Omnipotence, put to the test, confounds the foolish.
No, Wisdom will never make its way into a crafty soul
nor stay in a body that is in debt to sin;
the holy spirit of instruction shuns deceit,
it stands aloof from reckless purposes,
is taken aback when iniquity appears.
Wisdom is a spirit, a friend to man,
though she will not pardon the words of a blasphemer,
since God sees into the innermost parts of him,
truly observes his heart,
and listens to his tongue.
The spirit of the Lord, indeed, fills the whole world,
and that which holds all things together knows every word that is
said.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 138(139):1-10 ©
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Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
O Lord, you search me and you know me,
you know my resting and my rising,
you discern my purpose from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down,
all my ways lie open to you.
Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
Before ever a word is on my tongue
you know it, O Lord, through and through.
Behind and before you besiege me,
your hand ever laid upon me.
Too wonderful for me this knowledge,
too high, beyond my reach.
Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
O where can I go from your spirit,
or where can I flee from your face?
If I climb the heavens, you are there.
If I lie in the grave, you are there.
Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
If I take the wings of the dawn
and dwell at the sea’s furthest end,
even there your hand would lead me,
your right hand would hold me fast.
Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ph2:15-16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
You will shine in the world like bright stars
because you are offering it the word of life.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 17:1-6 ©
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Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Obstacles are sure to come, but alas
for the one who provides them! It would be better for him to be thrown into the
Sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a
single one of these little ones. Watch yourselves!
If your
brother does something wrong, reprove him and, if he is sorry, forgive him. And
if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says,
“I am sorry,” you must forgive him.’
The apostles
said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were your faith the
size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and
planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’
SCANDALOUS LEADERS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Wis 1:1-7; Ps 139:1-10; Lk 17:1-6 ]
It is never
easy to assume leadership. Not only does it mean responsibility in undertaking our
tasks and doing them well but it also involves personal integrity, conduct and
an exemplary lifestyle. That is why Jesus warned His disciples,
“obstacles are sure to come!” Indeed, in the book of Sirach, the author
warns “My son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for
temptation.” (Sir 2:1) Leaders are human beings and they too are
tempted like anyone else. They too are fallen creatures. The author
of the letter of Hebrews wrote, “For every high priest chosen from among men is
appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and
sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward,
since he himself is beset with weakness.” (Heb 5:1f)
For this
reason, leaders must always be on the alert. Jesus warned the disciples,
“Watch yourselves!” St Paul was conscious of the grave responsibility of
leaders, especially the danger of causing scandals. He said, “We put no
obstacle in any one’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but
as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance,
in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults,
labors, watching, hunger; by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the
Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the
weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and
dishonor, in ill repute and good repute.” (2 Cor 6:3-8)
For those leaders who cause scandals, Jesus’ judgment is severe when He said,
“alas for the one who provides them! It would be better for him to be thrown
into the sea with a milestone put round his neck than that he should lead
astray a single one of these little ones.”
How do
leaders cause scandals? Who are the little ones in the gospel? They
do not refer only to children who are easily impressionable but to the weak of
society. Firstly, when he does not walk the talk. People expect
teachers to live what they teach and preach. Many a parishioner lose
faith in God when they discover that a priest or a lay leader is just the
contrary of what he or she teaches. Indeed, those who live double lives
cause those under them to lose faith both in them and subsequently in
God. When they fail in their moral life, especially the sin of dishonesty
and greed, they make people lose confidence in them.
Secondly, scandals are caused by
leaders who are harsh and lacking sensitivity in dealing with people under their
care. They might say or do something that appears to be lacking
compassion and sensitivity to the feelings of others. When leaders
are dictatorial and unreasonable, people lose respect for them. When
leaders are indifferent to the pains and sufferings of those under their care,
they feel that God does not care as well. Many are hurt by the callous
attitude of priests and leaders with regard to their needs.
Thirdly,
scandals are caused by leaders when they take advantage of their position to
enrich themselves or make use of others under their care. That is why those in
position of authority have to be careful that they do not use their position to
take advantage of others, especially those who are weak and vulnerable.
This is especially so in counselling and in the helping professions. We
cannot use their vulnerability to satisfy our own personal needs. For
this reason, professionalism in the office must always be upheld so that those
who seek help will not be manipulated in any way, especially those young people
under our charge.
Why do
leaders cause scandals? Simply because leaders, as Jesus said, are not
watchful of themselves. They are careless with regard to their spiritual
life and personal growth in maturity. They are often blinded by their
selfish desires and they are blind to the truth and to what is right and
good. So consumed are they by their desire to possess, they become
oblivious to what is right or wrong. This is what the author in the
book of wisdom wrote, “But selfish intentions divorce from God; and Omnipotence, put to
the test, confounds the foolish. No, Wisdom will never make its way into
a crafty soul nor stay in a body that is in debt to sin; the holy spirit of
instruction shuns deceit, it stands aloof from reckless purposes, is taken
aback when iniquity appears.” Holiness and sin are not
compatible. Either we welcome the Spirit of God into our lives and let
Him control us or we seek to control and manipulate others.
What if these
scandals take place? What must we do? Jesus said, “If your brother
does something wrong, reprove him.” It is not wrong to correct leaders who have
departed from the truth. But correction must be done out of charity, not
of revenge or for one’s personal interests. The truth is that those who
offer correction to those they perceive to have done wrong, do so because their
vested interests are not met. When we correct a person out of anger,
vindictiveness and seek to hurt and humiliate the offender, it does no one any
good. The accused would only react defensively and seek to defend himself
and his actions. So each must examine his or her motive if she or
he wants to reprove the person who in our judgement has done something
wrong. If the fraternal correction is done out of charity, sensitivity
and humility for the good of the person and not for the sake of oneself, the
person would be more receptive to the correction. Otherwise, the sin of
presumption would be ours, because we do not have the full picture of the
situation. By making wrong and distorted judgement on others, we would
have committed injustice to our brothers and sisters. Instead of
helping the situation, we cause more harm.
Secondly, if
the person admits guilt and asks for forgiveness, we must pardon the person. Jesus said, “If he is
sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven
times comes back to you and says, ‘I am sorry,’ you must forgive
him.” Our leaders and superiors are human beings, and weak in
handling some parts of their character. Every leader has both strengths
and weaknesses. So we must be understanding and compassionate. We
must be forgiving and tolerant of their human frailties and weaknesses.
Most leaders are sincere and wish to serve the people but they are often
blinded by their human weaknesses, such as insecurity, fear, anger and
temptation to sin.
Finally,
whether we are leaders or subordinates, we must have faith in God who is in
charge of the situation. We should not allow scandals to make us lose faith in God
or in the institution, imperfect as it may be. We must recognize
that they too are sinners. As human beings we are weak in virtues.
But we must have faith in God who writes straight in crooked lines. “We
know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are
called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28)
We should not take things into our own hands. God will know how to deal
with scandalous leaders. The Church and this world is in the hands of
God. With the apostles, we must say to the Lord, “Increase our
faith.” The Lord replied, “Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you
could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it
would obey you.” Indeed, it is not how much faith we have that will
determine our happiness but the quality of our faith. If our faith is
sincere, humble, fervent and expectant, God will hear our prayers and He will
put things right for us all. This is what the author of wisdom says, “let
honesty prompt your thinking about the Lord, seek him in simplicity of heart;
since he is to be found by those who do not put him to the test, he shows
himself to those who do not distrust him.” This is the quality of faith
needed for God to hear our prayers.
As for those
who are leaders, we must endeavor to do the right thing and walk the way of the
gospel. Let us take the words of the first reading to heart, “Love virtue,
you who are judges on earth. Wisdom is a spirit, a friend to man, though
she will not pardon the words of a blasphemer, since God sees into the
innermost parts of him, truly observes his heart, and listens to his tongue.
The Spirit of the Lord, indeed, fills the whole world, and that which holds all
things together knows every word that is said.” If we seek the truth and
guidance from the Lord, the Holy Spirit will lead us to live exemplary lives in
leadership, one that inspires others and draws them closer to God because of
their confidence in us. Let us listen to the wise advice of Sirach when
he wrote, “Set your heart right and be steadfast, and do not be hasty in time
of calamity. Cleave to him and do not depart, that you may be honored at the
end of your life. Accept whatever is brought upon you, and in changes
that humble you be patient. For gold is tested in the fire, and acceptable men
in the furnace of humiliation. Trust in him, and he will help you; make
your ways straight, and hope in him.” (Sir 2:2-6)
Indeed, may
we remain strong in our faith, a faith that is tested and tried even when our
leaders fail us. Our faith ultimately must rest in God. If we find good and
exemplary leaders, we praise God. If they prove themselves to be
unworthy, let us pray for them. As Jesus taught us in the gospel, “The
scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; so practice and observe whatever
they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not
practice.” (Mt 23:2f)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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