20181021
GREAT LEADERS GIVE
THEIR LIVES AS A RANSOM FOR THEIR PEOPLE
21 OCTOBER,
2018, Sunday, 29th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Isaiah 53:10-11 ©
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If he offers his life in atonement, what
the Lord wishes will be done
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The Lord has been pleased to crush his
servant with suffering.
If he offers his life in atonement,
he shall see his heirs, he shall have a
long life
and through him what the Lord wishes will
be done.
His soul’s anguish over,
he shall see the light and be content.
By his sufferings shall my servant justify
many,
taking their faults on himself.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm
32(33):4-5,18-20,22 ©
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May your love be upon
us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
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.
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.
Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
The Lord is our help and our
shield.
May your love be upon us, O Lord,
as we place all our hope in
you.
May your love be upon
us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
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Second reading
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Hebrews 4:14-16 ©
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Our high priest is one who has been
tempted in every way that we are
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Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have
the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must
never let go of the faith that we have professed. For it is not as if we had a
high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have
one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin.
Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall
have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn14:6
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says
the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except
through me.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Mk10:45
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Alleluia!
EITHER:
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Gospel
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Mark 10:35-45 ©
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The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for
many
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James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
approached Jesus. ‘Master,’ they said to him ‘we want you to do us a favour.’
He said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ They said to him,
‘Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your
glory.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you
drink the cup that I must drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I
must be baptised?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I
must drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I must be baptised
you shall be baptised, but as for seats at my right hand or my left, these are
not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted.’
When
the other ten heard this they began to feel indignant with James and John, so
Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that among the pagans
their so-called rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their
authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to become
great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among
you must be slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’
GREAT LEADERS GIVE THEIR LIVES AS A
RANSOM FOR THEIR PEOPLE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Is 53:10-11; Ps 33:4-5,18-20,22; Heb 4:14-16; Mk 10:35-45 (or >< 10:42-45) ]
Many people seek
positions of leadership. We
are no different from the apostles in today’s gospel. James and John
asked Jesus for a favour, “Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other
at your left in your glory.” They wanted to be given places of glory and
power when Jesus restored the kingdom back to Israel. However, they were
not the only ones. “When the other ten heard this they began to feel
indignant with James and John.” They were envious of their bold
request.
Indeed, many of us seek
leadership for ourselves.
We seek positions of power in life, not for the good of others but for our own
interests. The focus is not on those whom we are leading, but it is about
us. It is about our needs, our fulfillment and our desires. We seek
office so that we can feel great about ourselves, control the lives of others,
get the attention of the world, be famous and well known, have money and
pleasure at our disposal. Hence, Jesus warned His disciples, “You know
that among the pagans their so-called rulers lord it over them, and their great
men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you.”
Such selfish and worldly
motives for seeking leadership will bring greater destruction and division, not
just to themselves but to the people they are leading. When it is about acquiring power to
control and dominate the lives of others, we act as if we are the master.
When we portray ourselves as the master, the slaves will retaliate one
day. They are in secret hostility against us. They suck up to those
in powers only because they need them. So both leaders and subordinates
make use of each other. The day we are no longer in power, no one would
care for us. Others will be vying for our power as well and finding
ways to bring us down so that they could be in power. Many will seek those
who have money, not because they are their friends but because they have an
ulterior motive. Rich people never know who their true friends are. They
live under deception because one day when they are no longer rich and wealthy,
they will lose all these so-called friends and supporters. For this
reason, worldly motives for leadership will not bring peace and unity, both for
those in leadership and the people whom they lead.
True leadership is when
a leader puts the people above himself. Jesus said, “For the Son of Man himself did not
come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many.” A true leader gives his life as a ransom for his people. In
other words, he sacrifices his life for others. He gives up his life, his
time, his money, his resources, his energy, his sleep and everything he has for
the greater good of his people. For such a leader, the people’s needs
come before his own. He makes himself available to the people. This
is what parents do when they give everything they have to their children,
ensuring that they have the best education and that their needs are provided
before their own. Parents will reserve the best food for their children
and eat what they do not want. This too should be the attitude of a
leader. He regards the people as his own children and family.
For this reason, a
leader is a selfless servant.
Jesus said, “anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant,
and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all.” Leaders
must always be conscious that they are servants. They are providing a
service to the people they lead. Leadership is not about commanding
people and ordering them around. It is about servant leadership, always
thinking how best to serve the people, provide for their needs, give them
security, and bring unity among the community. The leader is always the
last to be served because he cannot rest until the rest have had their needs.
Secondly, in order to be
an effective servant leader, a leader must suffer with the people. He must be one with the sufferings
and the aspirations of his people. The more leaders are detached from the
realities of life, the less effective they become. That is why leaders
must always be on the ground, moving among their people, working with them,
living amongst them, sharing their joys and their woes. A leader who sits
in his office and simply attends meetings and make decisions will soon lose
touch with his people. He would not be able to identify with them and
render the necessary assistance. Leaders who concern themselves only with
administrative roles and making policies often forget the needs of the ordinary
people because they do not walk the ground or speak to them.
This is the case for the
Suffering Servant in today’s first reading. “The Lord has been pleased to crush his servant
with suffering.” In addition, the author of Hebrews speaks of Jesus as
the compassionate High Priest. “It is not as if we had a high priest who was
incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been
tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin.” Indeed, if
God became man in Christ Jesus, it was in order to demonstrate to us that God
knows our pain, our struggles against temptation. Jesus, in sharing our
human nature, suffers with us. He knows what it is to be misunderstood,
ridiculed, unjustly treated, and accused falsely and to suffer. Only
because God understands our misery and pains, that He reserves nothing for
Himself but gave Himself through Jesus to save us from our sins.
This is where we speak
of the third dimension of leadership. A leader suffers with his people so
much that he chooses to suffer for his people so that he can save them from
their suffering. The
task of a leader is to be an atonement sacrifice for the sufferings and the
sins of his people. This is what the Suffering Servant was asked to do
for his people. “If he offers his life in atonement … By his sufferings
shall my servant justify many, taking their faults on himself.” This is
what the Lord also warned the apostles, “You do not know what you are asking’
Jesus said to them, ‘Can you drink the cup that I must drink, or be baptised
with the baptism with which I must be baptised?'”
Leaders are called to
make personal sacrifices for their people. They choose to suffer for their sake so that
the greater number of people would suffer less. At times, in
fighting for their rights, especially those in oppression or suffering
injustices, they will be misunderstood, attacked innocently and suffer
rejection. But through their sacrifices, their sufferings and being
offered as a ransom, a price for the salvation of the people, they will find
peace and contentment. The prophet said, “he shall see his heirs, he
shall have a long life and through him what the Lord wishes will be done. His
soul’s anguish over, he shall see the light and be content.”
When a leader suffers
with the people, for the people, giving his life as a ransom and in atonement
for their sins, he truly brings harmony and unity. The people will not vie over his
position because he is not clinging to an office that gives him power, money or
fame. They know that the leader is giving up his body and blood for the
people, reserving nothing for himself. When a leader is only focused on
giving and helping people, not caring for power or recognition or personal
gains, he commands respect. No one will fight with him but rather he will
inspire people to work with him and join him in giving themselves to the
service of God and humanity. This was what the Lord did. The
apostles eventually learnt from our Lord. Instead of seeking for
position, they became servants of the gospel. Instead of seeking for
security and safety, they gave their lives for the gospel. James was
martyred and John was exiled. This is what Christian leadership is all
about.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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