20180627
DISTINGUISHING TRUE FROM FALSE LEADERS
27 JUNE, 2018, Wednesday, 12th Week,
Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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2 Kings 22:8-13,23:1-3 ©
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The Book of the Law is found in the Temple of the Lord
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The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, ‘I have
found the Book of the Law in the Temple of the Lord.’’’ And Hilkiah gave the
book to Shaphan, who read it. Shaphan the secretary went to the king and
reported to him as follows, ‘Your servants’ he said ‘have melted down the
silver which was in the Temple and have handed it over to the masters of works
attached to the Temple of the Lord.’ Then Shaphan the secretary informed the
king, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book’; and Shaphan read it aloud in
the king’s presence.
On hearing
the contents of the Book of the Law, the king tore his garments, and gave the
following order to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of
Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s minister: ‘Go and consult
the Lord, on behalf of me and the people, about the contents of this book that
has been found. Great indeed must be the anger of the Lord blazing out against
us because our ancestors did not obey what this book says by practising everything
written in it.’
The king
then had all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem summoned to him, and the king
went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the men of Judah and all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, priests, prophets and all the people, of high or low
degree. In their hearing he read out everything that was said in the book of
the covenant found in the Temple of the Lord. The king stood beside the pillar,
and in the presence of the Lord he made a covenant to follow the Lord and keep
his commandments and decrees and laws with all his heart and soul, in order to
enforce the terms of the covenant as written in that book. All the people gave
their allegiance to the covenant.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 118(119):33-37,40 ©
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Lord, teach me your statutes.
Teach me the demands of your statutes
and I will keep them to the end.
Train me to observe your law,
to keep it with my heart.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Guide me in the path of your commands;
for there is my delight.
Bend my heart to your will
and not to love of gain.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Keep my eyes from what is false;
by your word, give me life.
See, I long for your precepts;
then in your justice, give me life.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps118:18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Jn15:4,5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Make your home in me, as I make mine in you,
says the Lord;
whoever remains in me bears fruit in plenty.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 7:15-20 ©
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You will be able to tell them by their fruits
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Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Beware of false prophets who come to
you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to
tell them by their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from
thistles? In the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree
bad fruit. A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good
fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the
fire. I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.’
DISTINGUISHING TRUE FROM FALSE LEADERS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 2 KINGS 22:8-13, 23:1-3; MT 7:15-20 ]
In the
history of humanity, there have always been false prophets and leaders, just as
there are today. This is the case in every area of life, whether in the
corporate world, the political arena and even in the context of religion.
This is because we are sinners and are inclined to sin and selfish interests.
Whilst people are not surprised to find corruption in corporate and political
organizations, the greatest scandals are to be found among religious
leaders. This explains why many are skeptical of religious leaders
because they are seen as what the Lord described them to be, “disguised as
sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves.” If religious leaders are
hypocritical and self-serving, what hope is there for those who are looking for
directions from God?
For this
reason, we also need to be discerning as to who the genuine leaders are. We must not follow blindly
anyone who comes along claiming to be doing the work of God or serving us when
in fact they care more for their personal gain and glory, wealth and power.
Jesus gives us the rule of thumb in assessing the authentic leaders that we
should be listening to and following. “You will be able to tell them by
their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? In the
same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit. A sound
tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. Any tree that
does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you
will be able to tell them by their fruits.” Indeed, we must examine the
motives of our leaders and teachers, the direction they are taking and the
results they produce.
What, then,
are the fruits that we should measure in authenticating the true leaders in our
day? Firstly, we must examine their conduct and behavior. Good teachers consistently
manifest good behavior and a high moral lifestyle. They seek to live out
the universal values of justice, integrity, honesty and compassion. These
values are found in the scriptures. Doing what they preach is what
makes a leader credible. When leaders do not walk the talk but just talk
alone, no one is going to be convinced or be inspired. This does not mean
that leaders must be totally impeccable and perfect. It would be
counter-productive to engage in witch-hunting who among our teachers and
leaders are not walking their talk. We are all sinners and are subject to
sin and human weaknesses. When we say that leaders must walk the talk, we
are saying that they are striving for perfection, notwithstanding their
weaknesses. This is unlike those leaders and teachers who have no intention
of living a righteous life but are living a double life under cover of their
high moral teachings. This is the kind of hypocrisy that Jesus
condemned; those who are deliberately cheating others, as opposed to those who
are struggling to be faithful to the grace of God. Hence, we must show
the same mercy and compassion to leaders who fail us as much we need the same
mercy from everyone else.
Secondly, we
know that they are teaching the right doctrines when they teach right values to
our people.
We must be cautious of leaders who are false prophets as in the days of old,
teaching what pleased the people and what they liked to hear, and not whether
they were truly good for the people, both in the short-term as well as in the
long term. Whatever policies or teachings that leaders implement or
impart must be done because of their conviction of wanting the best for the
people and for their ultimate good. When leaders compromise the truth and
the real good of the people for popular decisions, they short-change and lead
them to eventual destruction. That is why, to be a true leader and
prophet one must be clear of his values and convictions, doing what is not just
popular but what is good. Our doctrines must be Christ-centered and not
self-centered.
Thirdly,
Christian leaders lead people to God and not to themselves. We must, as leaders, avoid
creating idolatry, the worship of the creature rather than the creator.
Whilst religious leaders are always in the limelight, they must take care that
the position of God is not compromised or overshadowed by their charismatic
personality. The goal of religious leaders is to bring people to
the Word of God and to worship Christ. So religious leaders must not get
carried away by seeking praise and honour from the people they serve.
Whilst they may be good role models and exemplars for the faithful to follow,
they must remain humble and self-effacing so that the glory that is given to
them is directed to God who is the source of all blessings. When praise
gets into the head of a leader, the devil will make him arrogant, proud,
self-righteous, demanding, and intolerant of others.
Fourthly,
Christian leaders take the Word of God and their prayer life seriously. The biggest temptation
of Christian leaders is to rely on themselves, their ingenuity and hard work
rather than the grace of God. When leaders do not pray and read the Word
of God daily, meditating on it and examining their conscience and life daily,
they are led by their human needs and aspirations and sometimes even under the
influence of the Evil One, rather than under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit. One just has to observe how some leaders react to situations and
problems. Instead of calmly examining and praying over the issues, they
react out of their anger, pride, self-interests and fears. This explains
why Christian leaders can use words that are harsh and nasty, taking vindictive
and shaming actions, are unforgiving and retaliatory – they are no better than
those in the corporate world who are without the gospel values.
Instead of finding the best solution and seeking to discern the will of God
through prayer and consultation, they bring division, breed politics and seek
power to control and dominate.
In the first
reading, we have a role model in King Josiah who lived out the principles of a
good leader. Repenting upon hearing the Word of God is the first response
we must take as leaders. When the Book of the Law, which was abandoned by his
predecessors, was found and “on hearing the contents of the Book of the Law,”
he was immediately filled with remorse. He “tore his garments” and
repented of his sins and that of his people. He knew that sincere
repentance is the way to move the heart of God to be merciful to them.
But repentance is not merely a sentimental expression of grief.
Josiah sought
to live the life of the Covenant and be faithful to God. He gave the order to
his priests and officials: “Go and consult the Lord, on behalf of me and the
people, about the contents of this book that has been found. Great indeed must
be the anger of the Lord blazing out against us because our ancestors did not
obey what this book says by practising everything written in it.”
King Josiah was aware that the nation could not make progress or be at peace
unless the people and the leaders carried out the commands of the Lord as
prescribed by Moses. He knew that the punishments and sufferings of
the people were due to disobedience.
Indeed,
Josiah took the Word of God seriously, unlike many of us who pay lip service to
the Word of God. Although we say that the Bible is the Word of God, we do
not make reference to it as the source and guide of our lives. Unlike
Josiah, we are unmoved when we read or hear the Word of God at every
mass. We do not take action immediately, as Josiah did, to change our
lives and observe the truths of the bible. We do not align our lives with
the Word of God. Josiah knew that the only way to govern the people
properly was to direct them to God and worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Finally,
Josiah and his people made a commitment to renew their faith in God and be
faithful to Him. “The king stood beside the pillar, and in the presence of
the Lord he made a covenant to follow the Lord and keep his commandments and
decrees and laws with all his heart and soul, in order to enforce the terms of
the covenant as written in that book. All the people gave their allegiance to
the covenant.” We too must renew our baptismal vows again!
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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