20220514 WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A CHRISTIAN LEADER?
14 May, 2022, Saturday, St Matthias, Apostle
First reading |
Acts 1:15-17,20-26 © |
'Let someone else take his office'
One day Peter stood up to speak to the brothers – there were about a hundred and twenty persons in the congregation: ‘Brothers, the passage of scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, foretells the fate of Judas, who offered himself as a guide to the men who arrested Jesus – after having been one of our number and actually sharing this ministry of ours. Now in the Book of Psalms it says:
Let his camp be reduced to ruin,
Let there be no one to live in it.
And again:
Let someone else take his office.
‘We must therefore choose someone who has been with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was travelling round with us, someone who was with us right from the time when John was baptising until the day when he was taken up from us – and he can act with us as a witness to his resurrection.’
Having nominated two candidates, Joseph known as Barsabbas, whose surname was Justus, and Matthias, they prayed, ‘Lord, you can read everyone’s heart; show us therefore which of these two you have chosen to take over this ministry and apostolate, which Judas abandoned to go to his proper place.’ They then drew lots for them, and as the lot fell to Matthias, he was listed as one of the twelve apostles.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 112(113):1-8 © |
The Lord sets him in the company of the princes of his people.
or
Alleluia!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed
both now and for evermore!
The Lord sets him in the company of the princes of his people.
or
Alleluia!
From the rising of the sun to its setting
praised be the name of the Lord!
High above all nations is the Lord,
above the heavens his glory.
The Lord sets him in the company of the princes of his people.
or
Alleluia!
Who is like the Lord, our God,
who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down,
to look down upon heaven and earth?
The Lord sets him in the company of the princes of his people.
or
Alleluia!
From the dust he lifts up the lowly,
from the dungheap he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes,
yes, with the princes of his people.
The Lord sets him in the company of the princes of his people.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Jn15:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I chose you from the world
to go out and bear fruit,
fruit that will last,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 15:9-17 © |
You are my friends if you do what I command you
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘As the Father has loved me,
so I have loved you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments
you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
I have told you this
so that my own joy may be in you
and your joy be complete.
This is my commandment:
love one another, as I have loved you.
A man can have no greater love
than to lay down his life for his friends.
You are my friends,
if you do what I command you.
I shall not call you servants any more,
because a servant does not know
his master’s business;
I call you friends,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
You did not choose me:
no, I chose you;
and I commissioned you
to go out and to bear fruit,
fruit that will last;
and then the Father will give you
anything you ask him in my name.
What I command you
is to love one another.’
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A CHRISTIAN LEADER?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 1:15-17,20-26; JOHN 15:9-17]
What are the pre-requisites of a Christian Leader? Christian leadership is unlike that of the world. It is not based on academic qualifications, skills, competency or hard work. It is not something that we can aspire to or demand for.
Rather, it is first and foremost a free election by God. We are chosen for leadership and our task is to respond generously. This was what happened to the twelve apostles and the replacement of Judas. Jesus said, “You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last.” And in the Acts, we read they “drew lots for them, and as the lot fell to Matthias, he was listed as one of the twelve apostles.”
But before one could be chosen or even considered to be a choice of God, careful discernment is critical and necessary through prayer and consultation. This was what the early Church did. They set out the criteria and then prayed for divine guidance and wisdom. What kind of criteria do we look for in a Christian leader?
The most important requisite is that he or she must have been a follower of Christ right from the outset, a witness to the life of Christ and most of all, His passion, death and resurrection. “We must therefore choose someone who has been with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was travelling round with us, someone who was with us right from the time when John was baptising until the day when he was taken up from us – and he can act with us as a witness to his resurrection.” We must first be a disciple before being an apostle. Of course, discipleship is also an ongoing reality. We are always disciples even whilst being an apostle.
But what does it mean for us who have not seen Christ or was with Him historically like the disciples in His time? In our situation, it simply means that we are walking with Jesus in prayer, study and formation. We need to be discipled. The real problem in the Church is that many of our ministry members lack mentoring and discipling. We all want to work for God but we are not undergoing formation, whether human, spiritual, doctrinal or skills.
Secondly, to be a witness to His death and resurrection calls for an experience of the Kerygma in our own lives when in our sinfulness and helplessness, in union with the Crucified Christ, we relied on the Lord and experienced His saving grace and His power at work in us. This calls for an ongoing dying to self and to sin with a corresponding reliance on His might and power. We must have first experienced the love and mercy of God through the kerygma of struggles. As the psalmist says, “Who is like the Lord, our God, who has risen on high to his throne yet stoops from the heights to look down, to look down upon heaven and earth? From the dust he lifts up the lowly, from the dungheap he raises the poor to set him in the company of princes, yes, with the princes of his people.”
Secondarily, to be a witness means that we are ready to give up our lives for others. Christian Leadership is primarily a call to love and to die for others. Ut Vivant! “This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.” The most important quality of Christian leadership is generosity in service. He must be willing to make sacrifices for the love and service of others. He does not serve himself. The Christian leader is a servant leader, which means he uses his leadership to serve a greater number of people. It is not about himself but the people that he gives priority to before his own needs. We are called to be both priest and victim, to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God.
But the reason for his service is because of the mercy he has received. In this way, he will have compassion, not simply passion, which can be for the wrong reasons such as ambition, power, honour and security, flowing from his experience of God’s mercy.
Thirdly, he must be a man of integrity. He must be healed and be holistic. Jesus said, “If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.” A leader himself is under the leadership of Christ. We are called to keep His commandments, be faithful to our beliefs and live a life of integrity. This means living an exemplary life and a lifestyle that is consistent with our beliefs.
How can we acquire the necessary qualities of a Christian leader?
Remain in the love of Jesus. “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love.” Put on the armour of God.
Personal intimacy with the Lord, sharing His mind and heart. A stable relationship with Jesus can help us withstand the roller coaster of life. We can go through the lows and highs. It is Christ that will give us this joy that the world cannot give. We cannot truly love selflessly like Jesus unless we are in union with Jesus. We must learn how to be friends with Jesus. We become friends with Jesus because we think like Him. “You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I shall not call you servants anymore, because a servant does not know his master’s business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.”
We need to be in union with His Church, the body of Christ. It means being with the Body of Christ, the Christian community in fellowship, faith sharing and witnessing. We need to belong to the community. “We must therefore choose someone who has been with us the whole time.” We need each other to support us in our faith so that we can love them. “What I command you is to love one another.”
Finally, we need to pray and trust in His grace. We must believe in the power of prayer. When we pray for the service of love, the Father will grant our prayers. “The Father will give you anything you ask him in my name.”
In this way, empowered, loved, healed and supported, we can proclaim the gospel in joy. A Christian leader must exhibit joy as Pope Francis wrote in “The Joy of the Gospel”. This joy is not that which arises just in success, but even in trials. It is the joy of living in holiness and in union with God and a clear conscience. “I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.” So our mission is to invite others to share the friendship of Jesus.
Christ has made His choice. What is our choice?
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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