20200310
LEADERS
MUST LEAD THE WAY TO CONVERSION
10 March, 2020,
Tuesday, 2nd Week of Lent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Isaiah 1:10,16-20 ©
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Cease to do evil; learn to do good
Hear
the word of the Lord,
you
rulers of Sodom;
listen
to the command of our God,
you
people of Gomorrah.
‘Wash,
make yourselves clean.
Take
your wrong-doing out of my sight.
Cease
to do evil.
Learn
to do good,
search
for justice,
help
the oppressed,
be
just to the orphan,
plead
for the widow.
‘Come
now, let us talk this over,
says
the Lord.
Though
your sins are like scarlet,
they
shall be as white as snow;
though
they are red as crimson,
they
shall be like wool.
‘If
you are willing to obey,
you
shall eat the good things of the earth.
But
if you persist in rebellion,
the
sword shall eat you instead.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 49(50):8-9,16-17,21,23 ©
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I
will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘I
find no fault with your sacrifices,
your
offerings are always before me.
I do
not ask more bullocks from your farms,
nor
goats from among your herds.
I
will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘But
how can you recite my commandments
and
take my covenant on your lips,
you
who despise my law
and
throw my words to the winds,
I
will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘You
do this, and should I keep silence?
Do
you think that I am like you?
A
sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me
and
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.’
I
will show God’s salvation to the upright.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Mt4:17
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Glory
and praise to you, O Christ!
Repent,
says the Lord,
for
the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.
Glory
and praise to you, O Christ!
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Or:
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Ezk18:31
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Glory
and praise to you, O Christ!
Shake
off all your sins – it is the Lord who speaks –
and
make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.
Glory
and praise to you, O Christ!
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Gospel
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Matthew 23:1-12 ©
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They do not practise what they preach
Addressing the
people and his disciples Jesus said, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the
chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what
they say; but do not be guided by what they do: since they do not practise what
they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but
will they lift a finger to move them? Not they! Everything they do is done to
attract attention, like wearing broader phylacteries and longer tassels, like
wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the
synagogues, being greeted obsequiously in the market squares and having people
call them Rabbi.
‘You,
however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one
master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father,
since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow
yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be
humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.’
LEADERS MUST
LEAD THE WAY TO CONVERSION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Isaiah 1:10,16-20; Ps 50:8-9,16-17,21,23; Mt 23:1-12]
Lent is an invitation to
repentance. It is a call to conversion of hearts. Whilst this call is addressed to
all, it begins with leaders. Indeed, the people cannot be converted
unless leaders take the lead. This was particularly true in the case of
the Ninevites. “When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his
throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in
ashes. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: ‘All shall turn from
their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands.'” (cf Jonah 3:6-8) Leaders must show the
way and walk the way if we want to move the hearts of others.
This is why both
scripture readings today are addressed to the leaders of Israel. The first reading was addressed to
the political rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah. The gospel was
addressed to the religious leaders of Israel, the scribes and the
Pharisees. Indeed, the current state of the world today is pathetic
because we lack leaders with integrity, honesty, sincerity and humble service.
It is about success, ego, fame, power and wealth. Their concern is not
the well-being of their people, but possessing power to serve themselves.
This was precisely why
the Lord singled out the scribes and the Pharisees for reprimand. Even religious leaders can be
worldly in their service to their faithful. In fact, spiritual
worldliness is even more difficult to detect because they often come under the
guise of good works and virtuous acts. On the surface, it appears to be
“holy” acts but underneath, the motives can be for self-glory and personal
gain. Like Jesus, religious leaders are tempted to satisfy their own
needs first, turning stone into bread; proving that they are good enough, like
jumping off the pinnacle of the Temple; or even worshiping glory, power and
wealth by selling themselves to worldly powers.
This was how the Lord
exposed the insincerity of the religious leaders. Jesus said, “Everything they do is
done to attract attention, like wearing broader phylacteries and longer
tassels, like wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front
seats in the synagogues, being greeted obsequiously in the market squares and
having people call them Rabbi.” They were seeking honour, recognition and
the attention; not helping the people to come closer to God and to live a
righteous life.
In the responsorial
psalm, God told the people that what He wanted was not sacrifices but obedience
to His commandments. “I
find no fault with your sacrifices, your offerings are always before me.
I do not ask more bullocks from your farms, nor goats from among your
herds. But how can you recite my commandments and take my covenant on
your lips, you who despise my law and throw my words to the winds.” In
the gospel, Jesus said, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not
sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.'” (Mt 9:13) In Hosea, the Lord said, “For I
desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than
burnt offerings.” (Hos 6:6)
All leadership must be
of servant leadership. This
was what the Lord underscored, “The greatest among you must be your servant.
Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will
be exalted.” All true leaders must always put the interest of the people
before themselves. A leader therefore must lead with humility and make
himself a servant to his people. The greatness of a leader is determined
by how much he gives himself to the service of the people that he leads.
The more a leader dies to himself and empties himself for the good of his
people, the more he will be reckoned as a great leader. We honour a
leader not because he is powerful, wealthy and influential but because he has
given his life selflessly, humbly and totally for the good of his people.
All leadership is at the
service of God ultimately.
Leaders, being the Anointed Ones, are called to be the representatives of God
to His people. A leader undertakes his leadership on behalf of God.
The sheep belongs to God, not to us. We are shepherds appointed by the
Lord to look after His sheep. The Lord said, “You, however, must not
allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one master, and you
are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father, since you have
only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow yourselves to be
called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ.” It does not
mean that we cannot be called Father or teacher. Rather, we must remember
that the only Father is God our heavenly Father and the only Teacher is our
Lord Jesus Christ. All of us are called to deputize them. This was
what St Paul wrote, “For this reason I bow my knees before the
Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its
name.” (Eph 3:14) To His
apostles, Jesus said, “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever
rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent
me.” (Lk 10:16)
This servant leadership
is expressed in a special way by giving preferential treatment to the poor, the
marginalized, the oppressed and those who are voiceless. If leaders are more concerned about
enriching the rich, empowering the powerful, giving glory to the famous, for
their own benefit, they are serving themselves. This is not to say that a
leader should not be friends with the rich, the powerful and the famous.
He should, otherwise he will lack the resources to fulfill his goals, which is
“to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan,
plead for the widow.” But he must solicit, encourage and empower
the rich, the powerful and the famous to use their position, wealth, power and
influence to do good, to help the poor and to serve justice.
In this way, both the
poor and the rich, the weak and the powerful, the ordinary and the influential
will enjoy the fullness of life.
The rich, by using their resources to help others, will come to share in the
joy of giving, touching lives and giving hope to the hopeless. Their life
will be more meaningful and rich. At least they will not feel that they
are living an animalistic life, eating, drinking and enjoying the pleasures of
life. On the contrary, they will be so enriched because their humanity
will be touched, their hearts will be moved and they will open up their
reservoir of love to receive and give love. Only in love and in service
to our brothers and sisters, especially the poor and suffering, will we feel
that we have lived a life that is worthwhile. The poor on the other hand will
have their fill; the oppressed be uplifted, bringing joy to their faces.
As leaders let us lead
the way to conversion. Let
us purify our motives in serving our people. Let us serve humbly and
selflessly. Let the concerns of our people be ours rather than our
own. Otherwise, the Lord will also say, “do not be guided by what they
do: since they do not practise what they preach.” As leaders and parents,
we must learn to identify ourselves with those under our care in their
struggles. Let us not be accused of tying “up heavy burdens and lay them
on men’s shoulders.” If we cannot live a virtuous life, we cannot expect
our children or subordinates to act the same way. Before we can
teach others to do good, we must first cease from doing evil and show the way
of love. Let us heed the words of St Paul, “if you are sure that you are
a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of
the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of
knowledge and truth, you, then, that teach others, will you not teach
yourself?” (Rom 2:19f) So let
us walk the talk, let us be mentors of change and conversion.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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