20210718 MORAL AND SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP
18 July, 2021, Sunday, 16th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading | Jeremiah 23:1-6 © |
I will gather together the remnant of my flock and raise up shepherds for them
‘Doom for the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered – it is the Lord who speaks! This, therefore, is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds in charge of my people: You have let my flock be scattered and go wandering and have not taken care of them.
Right, I will take care of you for your misdeeds – it is the Lord who speaks! But the remnant of my flock I myself will gather from all the countries where I have dispersed them, and will bring them back to their pastures: they shall be fruitful and increase in numbers. I will raise up shepherds to look after them and pasture them; no fear, no terror for them any more; not one shall be lost – it is the Lord who speaks!
‘See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks –
when I will raise a virtuous Branch for David,
who will reign as true king and be wise,
practising honesty and integrity in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel dwell in confidence.
And this is the name he will be called:
The-Lord-our-integrity.’
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 22(23) © |
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
Second reading |
Ephesians 2:13-18 © |
Christ Jesus is the peace between us
In Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God: in his own person he killed the hostility. Later he came to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand. Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn10:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 6:30-34 © |
They were like sheep without a shepherd
The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But people saw them going, and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.
MORAL AND SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Jer 23:1-6; Ps 23:1-6; Eph 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34]
Prophet Jeremiah denounced the spiritual and political leaders of Israel for their failure to look after the flock of God. “Doom for the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered – it is the Lord who speaks! You have let my flock be scattered and go wandering and have not taken care of them.” Instead of looking after the people the leaders of Israel cared only for themselves, their interests and their wealth and power. They were corrupt, oppressive of the poor and unjust in rendering justice for their people. Instead, they supported the rich and the powerful. As a result, the country became divided because both the moral and spiritual leadership of the country were weak.
Indeed, the world faces a great crisis when it comes to selecting good leaders who are not just politically or corporately competent but also have strong spiritual and moral foundation. A leader without strong spiritual values and strong moral principles cannot distinguish clearly between what is right or wrong. As a moral relativist, he acts and reacts only to situations as pragmatists do, unable to see far and to see the full implications clearly. Some might be able to manage the country or the organization well using their talents and creativity. However, some “successful” leaders who lack spiritual and moral foundation, are easily tempted to corruption, greed and the abuse of power. In many countries, political leaders are elected on the basis of whether they can make the country prosper economically, without real concern whether the leaders are good role models for the young people in values.
As a consequence, the world has become so divided because of a failure in moral and spiritual leadership. This was the judgment that God pronounced on the leaders of Israel. “Right, I will take care of you for your misdeeds – it is the Lord who speaks!” When the country, the government and religious leaders lose their moral authority, the people will degenerate. Without spiritual and moral foundation, the motivation to do good, to sacrifice oneself for the common good of the people, or the future of the country and humanity will be weakened. Even if they do out of good and sincere motive, they can bring more harm to future generations because they fail to see the need for integral development of the human person. The truth is, whether we recognize it or not, we are seeking for something more, something to quench our spirit. We are looking for meaning and fulfilment that cannot be met by the things of this world. When people live only for themselves, then we see all kinds of crimes, drug trafficking, gambling, excessive drinking, womanizing, cheating, lying and killing. When one lives only for this world, this life, money, pleasures and power, even and especially when he attains all these, life becomes totally meaningless. Judah was ultimately destroyed, not because of the power of the Babylonian empire but more because of internal division and moral decadence, when everyone was just caring for himself.
In the gospel, Jesus showed us the kind of leaders He was seeking to be His apostles and how He trained and formed them after His own heart. Today’s gospel on the multiplication of loaves must be read within context. Just earlier on, we read that Jesus sent out the Twelve on a mission. (Mk 6:7-13) After their return from mission, they gathered for a debrief. They “rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught.” We can be sure they were narrating all the exciting and dramatic stories of how they healed the sick, expelled the evil spirits and how the people were amazed at the power of God, or more likely, their power. At the same time, they would have shared with Jesus those occasions when they were rejected or failed to heal or exorcise those who were possessed. Jesus had already warned them about such rejections as He Himself was rejected by His own kinsfolk. (Mk 6:1-6) Furthermore, just before today’s periscope, Mark narrated how John the Baptist was executed by King Herod for his denunciation of his adultery with Herodias. (Mk 6:14-29)
However, Jesus wanted to form the hearts of His disciples. Leadership is more than position and skills. The danger of leadership is when we are concerned more with our Office, like the apostles, than with our function, which is to serve those under our care. Some are more concerned with formulating structures rather than focusing on the tasks at hands. Others are more concerned about self-preservation of their position, their organization, their church than about reaching out to serve more people. This was why Jesus had to push them further in examining their motive for service and whether they have a heart for leadership. Jesus wanted to test them and purify their hearts for service. This is the significance of the miracle of the loaves taking place in the wilderness, for we remember that in the wilderness Jesus was also tempted by the Evil One and the wilderness was a time for prayer and reflection. For John the Baptist, the wilderness was a call to repentance.
A leader must have a heart of compassion and service and ready to sacrifice his own convenience. The Lord said to the apostles, “‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat.'” We can imagine how tired the apostles were after the mission. They were too happy to withdraw. “So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But people saw them going, and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them.” The people were hungry for spiritual food. They were seeking direction in life. But as Jesus “stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.”
Indeed, a true shepherd must put the interests of His people before himself. He must be willing to be inconvenienced, to sacrifice his own rest and even prayer life for the needs of the people. This is not to say that spending time with Jesus is not important and we can substitute our prayer life for ministry. But there will be situations when helping people takes priority even over our prayer life because of the urgent task before us. So we can empathize with the apostles when their rest time with the Lord was taken away. They were agitated. Hence, when Jesus at the end of His teaching told them to feed the five thousand, they were not only annoyed but sarcastic. They wanted to have some rest and so they told Jesus when it was getting late. They said, “send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” (Mk 6:35) They said to Jesus, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” (MK 6:37) Don’t we all act like them? Instead of finding a solution for them, we send our flock to look after themselves or to seek help from the world.
Not for Jesus! He put aside His need to be alone to mourn for the death of His cousin and to be with His apostles. He was ready to serve beyond the call of duty. He came to provide the people not just with spiritual food but also material help by multiplying food for them. He is the great Moses that fed the people with manna and fish in the desert. (Num 11:4-6) But when they asked for bread, the apostles cried out like Moses, “Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me.” (Num 11:13f)
Indeed, as shepherds, we are reminded that we are called to not just supply the spiritual needs of our people, or just their material needs. A leader must be holistic in providing for his flock. The mistake of some governments is that they marginalize religions in the name of being secular in governing the people. Indeed, we in Singapore are blessed that we have a multi-religious and multi-racial state, even though we are run by a secular government. Religions are appreciated, recognized and seen as contributive to society. So long as religions can live and co-exist in harmony among themselves and respect the secular nature of the government, there is no reason why religions should be excluded from public space. Only in this way, can we become like Jesus the Good Shepherd, and reconcile our people, our nation and humanity as one family of God.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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