20210303 ASPIRING TO PUBLIC AND RELIGIOUS OFFICE
03 March, 2021, Wednesday, 2nd Week of Lent
First reading |
Jeremiah 18:18-20 © |
My enemies are digging a pit for me
‘Come on,’ they said, ‘let us concoct a plot against Jeremiah; the priest will not run short of instruction without him, nor the sage of advice, nor the prophet of the word. Come on, let us hit at him with his own tongue; let us listen carefully to every word he says.’
Listen to me, O Lord,
hear what my adversaries are saying.
Should evil be returned for good?
For they are digging a pit for me.
Remember how I stood in your presence
to plead on their behalf,
to turn your wrath away from them.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 30(31):5-6,14-16 © |
Save me in your love, O Lord.
Release me from the snares they have hidden
for you are my refuge, Lord.
Into your hands I commend my spirit.
It is you who will redeem me, Lord.
Save me in your love, O Lord.
I have heard the slander of the crowd,
fear is all around me,
as they plot together against me,
as they plan to take my life.
Save me in your love, O Lord.
But as for me, I trust in you, Lord;
I say: ‘You are my God.
My life is in your hands, deliver me
from the hands of those who hate me.’
Save me in your love, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Jn6:63,68 |
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!
Or: | Jn8:12 |
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Gospel |
Matthew 20:17-28 © |
They will condemn the Son of Man to death
Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, and on the way he took the Twelve to one side and said to them, ‘Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the pagans to be mocked and scourged and crucified; and on the third day he will rise again.’
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’
When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the 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 be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’
ASPIRING TO PUBLIC AND RELIGIOUS OFFICE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 18:18-20; PS 31:5-6,14-16; MT 20:17-28]
There are people who aspire to public and religious office. Politicians seek to be elected into the government. Others seek office in humanitarian organizations. Some aspire to be priests, religious, or assume positions in religious organizations. Even among priests and religious, some aspire to be parish priests, bishops, cardinals or superiors of their Order, although this is seldom expressed openly but subtly. The truth is that pride and egoism is in us because this is the root of original sin. We all want to be recognized and have power over others. Of course, some seek positions for material motives as well.
The question is, whether it is against Christian virtue to desire leadership positions. The gospel today seems to discourage such an aspiration, as seen in the competitive spirit even among the apostles for glory and power. When James and John hid behind their mother’s request for them to be seated on the left and the right of our Lord when He came into His glory, the other apostles became jealous and resentful.
In the opposite case, we have Jeremiah who was an unwilling prophet. When the Lord commissioned him to be the prophet to the nations, he was reluctant and excused himself for his age and lack of eloquence. “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” (Jer 1:6) He was aware of the challenges ahead of him if he were to be a prophet. He would have to face persecution from the political and religious authorities; and being misunderstood not just by the people but also by his own family and relatives. As we read in the first reading, because what Jeremiah prophesied was not in agreement with the political and religious authorities, they orchestrated the people to go against him. They said, “Come on, let us concoct a plan against Jeremiah; the priest will not run short of instruction without him, nor the sage of advice, nor the prophet of the word. Come on, let us hit at him with his own tongue; let us listen carefully to every word he says.”
Yet, if everyone is reluctant to assume office and leadership positions, especially those who are capable, the community would be the loser at the end of the day. Indeed, the danger is that there are some who have leadership talents and knowledge but are not willing to sacrifice themselves to assume leadership. As a result, we have incompetent and even corrupt leaders who care only for their self-interests taking up positions of leadership.
In truth, aspiring to leadership is not against the teaching of Christ, provided we feel called to serve the people, and our primary objective is to better the life of the people that are placed under our charge. Jesus was not against those who sought positions of leadership. To choose the apostles means to deputize them as His representatives. It was their motives that the Lord sought to purify. What was wrong, not just of James and John but the rest of the Twelve included, was that they saw leadership in terms of power, control, glory and also tangible benefits when Jesus came to His kingdom.
However, leadership is not just concerned with leading. Having the competency, the charism and eloquence to lead is not enough. Whilst this would be a great asset in commanding respect and support from those under our charge, it is not sufficient. At some point in leadership, decisions have to be made and someone must be responsible for making difficult decisions, especially when opinions differ and no consensus can be found. This is particularly so in a world of relativism, when everyone has his or her own views. Leaders are called to make decisions for the common good. This is where every leader must examine himself.
Leaders are given authority for the sake of service. Jesus reminded the apostles that “among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you.” Authority is given for the service of the community. Indeed, when one is given respect and honor in his office, it is so that what is said or decided would be taken seriously. The authority and respect given is not to boost the person’s ego and prestige but to help him to exercise his office efficiently and carry out his role effectively.
This is why it is important that such authority should not be abused or turned into a personal exaltation. Respect is given for the office rather than the person per se. Because the person holds the office, respect must be given so that the person can fulfill his role. Every leader must never forget that he is called to serve and to make use of his position, his influence and his power to bring the community together and work together for the good of all. Service is the purpose of authority. When a leader is obsessed with his honour and authority, he has forgotten that he is called to serve humbly and selflessly for the greater good of all. For this reason, the privileges of our office are taken away from us when we no longer hold office, simply because we are no longer acting on behalf of the people.
Leadership is all about selfless and humble service. The greatness of a leader is not simply in how he leads the organization forward, create jobs and raise the productivity of the organization, but how he serves the interests and welfare of his staff and their clients. It is all about service. Greater and nobler of course is when that service is not paid for. Jesus made it clear, “No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”
Those who desire to be in leadership with authority must also not forget that power comes with the obligation to exercise it even when one is unpopular. Jeremiah was given the office of prophet. But he was obliged to teach not only those things people liked to hear but also to speak out against injustices, corruption, hypocrisy and oppression, especially those committed by the leaders in the community. The irony of those who are given authority is that often they are afraid to speak the truth for fear of unpopularity. Today, it is not about speaking the truth in plain words but to couch them in such a way that pleases the ears of everyone. As a consequence of our need to be politically correct, we sacrifice the hard truths that must be spoken.
Jeremiah and our Lord did not mince their words. Jeremiah spoke what the Lord had said to him. The Lord commanded him, “you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you.” (Jer 1:7) So, too, our Lord came to reveal His Father’s love and mercy to all, and was rejected by the religious leaders in His days. Jesus was harsh in His indictment of the religious leaders. He denounced the Scribes and Pharisees for not practicing what they taught, seeking honour and glory, and hypocritical in their observance of the laws. (cf Mt 23) Obviously Jesus, like Jeremiah, earned the wrath of those whom the prophecies were directed against. The ruling religious authorities, including the political institutions, corroborated against Jeremiah and our Lord by inciting public opinion against them. Both were indicted on charges of blasphemy and treason.
This is the reason why the Lord warned the disciples about true leadership. Not only humble and selfless leadership is asked of us but we will be required to drink the cup that the Lord drank at His passion and death. True leadership requires us to be ready to be given as a ransom for the salvation of all. A leader is often misunderstood, criticized unjustly and even ridiculed. But this is the price of true leadership. If a leader is liked by everyone, it could be because he is trying to please everyone so as to be in their good books. It is not about doing the right thing. Rather, a leader must be ready to suffer for truth and love. This is selfless leadership, putting one’s life for the good of others, even giving one’s life as a ransom for many. This was what our Lord and Jeremiah did, preached and served unto death.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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