20200617 PASSING ON THE MANTLE
17 June, 2020, Wednesday, 11th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading
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2 Kings 2:1,6-14 ©
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Elijah is taken up to heaven
This is what happened when the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in the whirlwind: Elijah and Elisha set out from Gilgal, Elijah said, ‘Elisha, please stay here, the Lord is only sending me to the Jordan.’ But he replied, ‘As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you!’ And they went on together.
Fifty of the brotherhood of prophets followed them, halting some distance away as the two of them stood beside the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water; and the water divided to left and right, and the two of them crossed over dry-shod. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Make your request. What can I do for you before I am taken from you?’ Elisha answered, ‘Let me inherit a double share of your spirit.’ ‘Your request is a difficult one’ Elijah said. ‘If you see me while I am being taken from you, it shall be as you ask; if not, it will not be so.’ Now as they walked on, talking as they went, a chariot of fire appeared and horses of fire, coming between the two of them; and Elijah went up to heaven in the whirlwind. Elisha saw it, and shouted, ‘My father! My father! Chariot of Israel and its chargers!’ Then he lost sight of him, and taking hold of his clothes he tore them in half. He picked up the cloak of Elijah which had fallen, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
He took the cloak of Elijah and struck the water. ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ he cried. He struck the water, and it divided to right and left, and Elisha crossed over.
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 30(31):20,21,24 ©
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Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.
How great is the goodness, Lord,
that you keep for those who fear you,
that you show to those who trust you
in the sight of men.
Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plotting of men;
you keep them safe within your tent
from disputing tongues.
Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.
Love the Lord, all you saints.
He guards his faithful
but the Lord will repay to the full
those who act with pride.
Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Col3:16a,17
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Let the message of Christ, in all its richness,
find a home with you;
through him give thanks to God the Father.
Alleluia!
Or:
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Jn14:23
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Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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Matthew 6:1-6,16-18 ©
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Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’
PASSING ON THE MANTLE
One of the biggest mistakes of leaders is that they fail to prepare their successor to take over. Some are so absorbed and preoccupied in leading that they have no time to choose their successor and mentor him or her. In fact, this is one of the main crises in our Church today, the lack of priests, the dwindling number of priestly and religious vocations, and the aging priests. The flock of God will not be formed, ministered, and nurtured in their faith and spiritual life without good leaders. So we should not be surprised that the faith of many of our Catholics is weak, nominal, uninformed and superficial.
In fact, we are more of a maintenance Church than an evangelizing and missionary Church. Just trying to maintain and minister to the one-third of parishioners that come to our churches is already a challenge as our priests are old and few. We are not even thinking of building new churches and new communities, not only because of the exorbitant costs of building a church but we do not have sufficient priests to staff our churches. As it is, we are heavily dependent on foreign priests. We also lack lay leaders that are spiritually and theologically formed for leadership. This simply means that the local Church has not yet reached stability and maturity to be able to say we are sufficient and able to send our missionaries to other countries to help.
Today, the scripture readings invite us to learn from Elijah. He knew his time was near when the Lord would take him away. He did not know when but he knew it would come soon. So, too, for all leaders as well. The office of leadership is always transitional. It is never permanent. Our time will come when we too have to retire. Therefore, it is important that we prepare for a successor by grooming leaders after us. Elijah started early to look for a successor in the person of Elisha. He called him to be his disciple after the Lord instructed him at Mount Horeb. (1 Kg 19:19-21) Leaders whilst leading must therefore always be intentional in finding their successor to continue the work they have begun.
In looking for a successor, leaders must consider the level of commitment of the potential leader. Is he willing to give himself entirely to the mission and the cause of the organization? In the case of the Church, is the person totally committed to the person of our Lord and the spread of the gospel? Elisha for us is a good example of what this commitment entails. When Elijah called him, although coming from a wealthy family of farmers, he was ready to sacrifice his inheritance, wealth and business. He “took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.” (1 Kgs 19:21)
Secondly, the future leader must show humility by being a disciple. The irony is that many want to be leaders but they do not want to be disciples. They want to lead but they cannot follow. Pride and arrogance will make a dangerous leader because he will listen to no one except himself. The humility to be mentored is a necessary criterion for leadership. The disciples of our Lord spent three full years with Him before they were sent out. So, too, for Elisha. He stuck close to Elijah, learning the robes of a true prophet from him, ever ready to challenge the kings, like Ahab and Ahaziah. Both were evil kings. Elijah did not mince his words in reprimanding them. All this time, Elisha walked closely with Elijah. He refused to leave his side, repeating to him three times at Gilgal, Bethel and Jericho “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you” when Elijah sent him away. (2 Kg 2:2, 4, 6)
Thirdly, in finding a successor, the most important discernment is not just the talents and charisms of a leader but that the person has the right motive. “Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Make your request. What can I do for you before I am taken from you?’ Elisha answered, ‘Let me inherit a double share of your spirit.'” In asking for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, Elisha first was claiming to be the first-born “spiritual” son of Elijah, being his successor. This was not an indication of ambition in Elisha to be able to do better than what his master did. Rather, in the Old Testament, it was the custom for the eldest son to receive a double portion of his father’s inheritance. And he knew that without the charisms of his master, he would not be able to deal with the difficult days ahead of him as a prophet of Israel. He needed the same fortitude, wisdom, and strength to confront the evil leaders in his days.
The Lord underscored the importance of cultivating the right motive in what we do, regardless of whether it is prayer, almsgiving, or fasting. It is not what we do that counts at the end of the day but why we do, that is truly pleasing to God. There are religious leaders that apparently are serving God but in truth are serving themselves. They appear to be hardworking, but they are more concerned with their glory and power. They seem prayerful, but just for show. This was precisely what the Lord implied with respect to the Jewish leaders in His days. They were hypocritical, putting on a mask to hide their real intentions. If what we do is for our self-interest, such people should never be in leadership because a leader is called to serve God and His people, humbly and selflessly.
The motive of a leader must be clear. He must seek to glorify God above all things. Whatever he does, his sole purpose must be to glorify Him. This does not mean that we have to hide in our room when we pray or make sure we give without letting our left hand know what the right hand is doing and that everything is done in secret. This is just hyperbole, and a warning from our Lord of the dangers of deluding ourselves into thinking that we are prayerful, disciplined, and generous with arms when these are done to gain attention to oneself. Rather, in all things, the Lord teaches us, our goal must be clear that God is glorified, not us. He said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:16) One way to know for certain that we truly wish to honour God and not ourselves of course is to perform works of piety and mercy even when we are not seen or recognized.
In other words, we know our motive is truly to serve God when we are happy that we have done what is right and good. This is our reward, knowing that we have served Him and His people faithfully. We seek our reward not from people but from God Himself, knowing that He sees what we are doing and is pleased with us. The joy of a happy conscience is what brings us fulfillment. This is the greatest reward because it brings us peace, interior joy, and happiness. True leadership is seen in our love for God first, then in our love for our neighbours. Religious piety must lead to devotion to those whom we serve.
Finally, a potential successor must not only be mentored but also be truly chosen by the Lord. Man proposes but God disposes. When Elisha asked Elijah for a double portion of his spirit, Elijah said, “Your request is a difficult one. If you see me while I am being taken from you, it shall be as you ask; if not, it will not be so.” If Elisha were there at the right time and the right place, he would receive Elijah’s blessings of a double portion of his spirit. Therefore, the call to succession is really the choice of God but it also presumes that the person whom the Lord is calling is ready to take over the office when the time comes. Elisha was chosen but he first served under Elijah as his servant and disciple and stayed with him under his mentorship. When the time came for Elijah to be taken away, he was there. When the mantle fell on him, “He picked up the cloak of Elijah, and went back and stood on the banks of the Jordan. He took the cloak of Elijah and struck the water and it divided to right and left, and Elisha crossed over.” This confirms that Elisha had been well prepared to take over from Elijah for the Lord had anointed him with the same powers.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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