20200326
CREDIBILITY
OF LEADERS
26 March, 2020, Thursday, 4th
Week in Lent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Exodus 32:7-14 ©
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Moses pleads with the Lord his God to spare Israel
The Lord spoke to
Moses, ‘Go down now, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have
apostatised. They have been quick to leave the way I marked out for them; they
have made themselves a calf of molten metal and have worshipped it and offered
it sacrifice. “Here is your God, Israel,” they have cried “who brought you up
from the land of Egypt!”’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘I can see how headstrong
these people are! Leave me, now, my wrath shall blaze out against them and
devour them; of you, however, I will make a great nation.’
But
Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘why should your wrath
blaze out against this people of yours whom you brought out of the land of
Egypt with arm outstretched and mighty hand? Why let the Egyptians say, “Ah, it
was in treachery that he brought them out, to do them to death in the mountains
and wipe them off the face of the earth”? Leave your burning wrath; relent and
do not bring this disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
your servants to whom by your own self you swore and made this promise: I will
make your offspring as many as the stars of heaven, and all this land which I
promised I will give to your descendants, and it shall be their heritage for
ever.’
So
the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had
threatened.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 105(106):19-23 ©
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O
Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.
They
fashioned a calf at Horeb
and
worshipped an image of metal,
exchanging
the God who was their glory
for
the image of a bull that eats grass.
O
Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.
They
forgot the God who was their saviour,
who
had done such great things in Egypt,
such
portents in the land of Ham,
such
marvels at the Red Sea.
O
Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.
For
this he said he would destroy them,
but
Moses, the man he had chosen,
stood
in the breach before him,
to
turn back his anger from destruction.
O
Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Jn6:63,68
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Glory
to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Your
words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you
have the message of eternal life.
Glory
to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
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Or:
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Jn3:16
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Glory
to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
God
loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:
everyone
who believes in him has eternal life.
Glory
to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
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Gospel
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John 5:31-47 ©
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You place your hopes on Moses but Moses will be your accuser
Jesus said to the
Jews:
‘Were
I to testify on my own behalf,
my
testimony would not be valid;
but
there is another witness who can speak on my behalf,
and I
know that his testimony is valid.
You
sent messengers to John,
and
he gave his testimony to the truth:
not
that I depend on human testimony;
no,
it is for your salvation that I speak of this.
John
was a lamp alight and shining
and
for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.
But
my testimony is greater than John’s:
the
works my Father has given me to carry out,
these
same works of mine testify
that
the Father has sent me.
Besides,
the Father who sent me
bears
witness to me himself.
You
have never heard his voice,
you
have never seen his shape,
and
his word finds no home in you
because
you do not believe in the one he has sent.
‘You
study the scriptures,
believing
that in them you have eternal life;
now
these same scriptures testify to me,
and
yet you refuse to come to me for life!
As
for human approval, this means nothing to me.
Besides,
I know you too well: you have no love of God in you.
I
have come in the name of my Father
and
you refuse to accept me;
if
someone else comes in his own name
you
will accept him.
How
can you believe,
since
you look to one another for approval
and
are not concerned
with
the approval that comes from the one God?
Do
not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father:
you
place your hopes on Moses,
and
Moses will be your accuser.
If
you really believed him
you
would believe me too,
since
it was I that he was writing about;
but
if you refuse to believe what he wrote,
how
can you believe what I say?’
CREDIBILITY OF
LEADERS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EXODUS
32:7-14; PS 106:19-23; JOHN
5:31-47 ]
The scripture readings
today focus on the credibility of leaders. Specifically in the gospel, we
have the Jews questioning the credibility of Jesus as the Messiah or the
messenger of God. What
does it take for leaders to gain the confidence of their people? There
are three important factors that would help to bolster trust and faith in
leaders, namely, the integrity of the leader, the purity of his intention, and
thirdly, the testimony of others.
With regard to
integrity, a leader must be consistent in what he says and does. In the first reading, we have the bad
example of Aaron. He was not consistent in his faith in Yahweh who led
them out of Egypt with signs and wonders. When the people felt the
absence of God and Moses, they went back to their old ways of worshipping idols
and even importing the Canaanite gods. They never really trusted in
Yahweh to take care of them in spite of the wonders God worked for them in
Egypt through Moses. Aaron, in seeking to please the people, made a
golden calf for them to worship. The excuse he made to Moses was, “They
said to me, ‘Make us gods, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man
who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of
him.'” (Ex 32:23) Aaron was not leading the people. Instead,
he allowed the people to lead him even when he knew that what they were doing
was wrong. Isn’t this what many leaders are also doing? Giving in
to what the people want! Do we as parents give whatever our children
want? Are shepherds being led by the sheep or are they leading the sheep?
In contrast, we see the
integrity of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. When God saw the idolatrous
attitude of the people of Israel, He threatened to let His wrath “blaze out
against them and devour them.” This wrath of God speaks of God’s justice.
God is truth and justice, and therefore lies and falsehoods manifested in the
sin of idolatry are abominable to God. In the gospel too, we see the
steadfastness of Jesus in the face of opposition. “The Jews were seeking
all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the Sabbath, but was
also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.” (Jn 5:18)
Jesus was true to His convictions and His words. He did not run away from
the truth and what He was called to proclaim.
Secondly, a leader must
have purity of intention in serving his people. When God saw the people
apostatizing, the Lord tested the purity of the heart of Moses. He said
to him, “I can see how headstrong these people are! Leave me now, my wrath
shall blaze out against them and devour them; of you, however, I will make a
great nation.” God offered Moses blessings for his descendants whilst
destroying those who had apostatized. But the response of Moses showed
how selfless he was as a leader. He was not interested in working for
himself or even protecting his loved ones. He saw himself as a leader of
the people under his care. It would not be right to save only his family
and allow the others to perish.
Moses pleaded with the
Lord his God for the entire
people. He dissuaded God saying, “Why, let the Egyptians say, ‘Ah, it
was in treachery that he brought them out, to do them to death in the mountains
and wipe them off the face of the earth?'” Moses was not only concerned
about the people but he also wanted to protect the Holy Name of God.
God’s reputation and name would be tarnished if the people were to
perish. Finally, Moses pleaded to God for he believed that God was always
consistent in Himself and His promises. So he prayed, “Remember Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, your servants to whom by your own self you swore and made this
promise: I will make your offspring as many as the stars of heaven, and all
this land which I promised I will give to your descendants, and it shall be
their heritage for ever.” On account of Moses’ sincerity, “the Lord
relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.”
Jesus also insisted on
the purity of His intentions in doing what He did. Miracles were performed not to
impress people or even to cow people into submission. All that He did and
taught were for the glory of God. It was not about Himself, unlike the
scribes and the Pharisees. “As for human approval, this means nothing to
me.” Jesus was not seeking human approval or acceptance. Nor
was He worried for His status and privileges. However, this was not so
for the Jewish leaders. They were fearful of losing their authority over
the people, their position in society and all the benefits that came with it.
Jesus said, “Besides, I know you too well; you have no love of God in
you. I have come in the name of my Father and you refuse to accept me; if
someone else comes in his own name you will accept him.” They made the
law so difficult that ordinary people could not fulfill them. They were
not concerned about the welfare and good of their people. They were not
pleased when the paralyzed man was healed by the Lord. Instead, they were
angry simply because the Lord interpreted the Sabbath Law differently from
them.
Thirdly, for a leader to
be credible, he must have witnesses. According to the law, Moses decreed, “a
single witness shall not suffice to convict a person of any crime or wrongdoing
in connection with any offense that may be committed. Only on the evidence of
two or three witnesses shall a charge be sustained.” (Dt 19:15)
Jesus could adduce five witnesses not just two or three, namely, John the
Baptist, His Heavenly Father, His works, Scriptures and Moses.
Firstly, he had the
witness of John the Baptist.
He said, “You sent messengers to John and he gave his testimony to the truth;
not that I depend on human testimony; no, it is for your salvation that I speak
of this. John was a lamp alight and shining and for a time you were content to
enjoy the light that he gave.” Indeed, the people all recognized John the
Baptist as a true prophet. John had said, “Here is the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man
who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'” (Jn 1:29f)
Alas, they also rejected John the Baptist. Jesus said, “For John the
Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a
demon’; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say,
‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and
sinners!'” (Lk 7:33f)
Secondly, Jesus had the
Father and His good works as His witnesses. “My testimony is greater than
John’s: the works my Father has given me to carry out, these same works of mine
testify that the Father has sent me. Besides, the Father who sent me bears
witness to me himself. You have never heard his voice, you have never
seen his shape, and his word finds no home in you because you do not believe in
the one he has sent.” The works of Jesus testified to the fact that He
had been sent by the Father. He said, “Believe me that I am in the Father
and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the
works themselves.” (Jn 14:11) What greater signs than the works of healing,
exorcism, and power over nature can Jesus have to affirm His identity and the
veracity of His words? Of course, the ultimate sign would be His passion, death
and resurrection.
Finally, Jesus had the
testimony of scriptures and Moses who represented the Law, the five books of
Pentateuch. The scriptures
testified to the coming of the Messiah. “I will put enmity between you and the
woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you
will strike his heel.” (Gn 3:15) Moses prophesied a new prophet to come, “The Lord
your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people;
you shall heed such a prophet.” (Dt 18:15)
Indeed, the Lord said, “Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the
Father: you place your hopes on Moses, and Moses will be your accuser. If you
really believed him, you would believe me too, since it was I that he was
writing about but if you refuse to believe what he wrote, how can you believe
what I say?” As leaders, too, if we want to gain credibility, we need to
purify our intentions, which is to serve God’s glory and the good of our
people. It means to live a life of integrity, pure selfless service, seen
in our good works and confirmed by a life consistent in what we teach and
believe.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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