20240121 WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A CATHOLIC LEADER?
21 January 2024, Sunday, 3rd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Jonah 3:1-5,10 © |
The people of Nineveh renounce their evil behaviour
The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah went on into the city, making a day’s journey. He preached in these words, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least.
God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 24(25):4-6,7b-9 © |
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
In your love remember me,
because of your goodness, O Lord.
Lord, make me know your ways.
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Second reading |
1 Corinthians 7:29-31 © |
The world as we know it is passing away
Brothers: our time is growing short. Those who have wives should live as though they had none, and those who mourn should live as though they had nothing to mourn for; those who are enjoying life should live as though there were nothing to laugh about; those whose life is buying things should live as though they had nothing of their own; and those who have to deal with the world should not become engrossed in it. I say this because the world as we know it is passing away.
Gospel Acclamation | Mk1:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The kingdom of God is close at hand:
repent, and believe the Good News.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 1:14-20 © |
I will make you into fishers of men
After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’
As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A CATHOLIC LEADER?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JONAH 3:1-5,10; 1 COR 7:29-31; MARK 1:14-20]
The theme that runs through the Liturgy of the Word is about our calling in life. All of us are called by God to be His messengers of the Good News. We are called to save humanity from destruction just as Jonah was called to save the Ninevites. Jesus came to proclaim the Good News of God’s love and mercy to us all who are hopeless. The apostles, too, were called to be “fishers of men”. St Paul speaks of our eternal vocation in heaven. Regardless of our vocation in life, we all share a common call to proclaim the Good News. It is therefore appropriate that as we begin the New Year, we must re-examine our calling. We have to be clear of our mission and responsibility as Catholic leaders, otherwise we will not be true to our vocation and calling.
What does it mean to be proclaimers of the Good News? In the gospel, we read about the beginning of the ministry of Jesus when He said, “The time has come and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.” The Kingdom of God means that God reigns in truth and love so that there will be justice and peace. Indeed, in the first reading, we have Jonah who went about proclaiming the truth to the Ninevites who were pagans and living in sin. In the gospel, Jesus proclaimed the truth in deeds by reaching out to those who were sinners, the sick and the marginalized. Consequently, regardless of our vocation and calling in life, every vocation is at the service of truth and love.
As a Catholic leader what, then, is your specific calling? Your task is to serve primarily those under your charge. You are called to provide them with a holistic formation. This requires that they not only be formed in skills and professional knowledge but they must also be formed in truth. This includes the importance of human, moral and spiritual formation. Your vocation is not just to help them to be prepared for their vocation on earth but to help them to find their ultimate calling, which is eternal life and union with God. This is what St Paul urges us, “Brothers, our time is growing short. Those who are enjoying life should live as though there were nothing to laugh about; those whose life is buying things should live as though they had nothing of their own; and those who have to deal with the world should not become engrossed in it. I say this because the world as we know it is passing away.” In a nutshell, life is more than just about material success. It is more than just about enjoyment and fun. Life is ultimately about the giving of ourselves to God and humanity in selfless service and love. We live not for this life only but for life eternal.
However, good leaders have an equal responsibility to form the leaders under their charge. This is because we do not have much personal interaction with the individuals most of the time. Our leaders are the ones in direct contact with them. We cannot presume that all our leaders, who are the main ones responsible for the well-being of their members or those under their charge, are also formed in truth and love. Indeed, just as the bishop is concerned for the formation of the whole flock of Christ under His charge, yet his first outreach must be to his priests and Church leaders as these are his direct deputies in reaching out to the masses. Hence, a more intensive and advanced level of formation is needed for all leaders so that they, who are already supposedly formed in their own particular disciplines, would also acquire human, moral and spiritual formation. The truth is that formation of leaders is more than just imparting professional knowledge. There is an ethical dimension in the use of knowledge. Members are not only taught in the discipline but in the process of teaching, directly or indirectly, leaders also impart values when they give concrete examples and apply them to life situations.
Where, then, can we find the fullness of truth and love? As a Catholic leader you seek to uphold the truth and love as taught to us in the Catholic Faith. The Christian point of departure is that truth and love can only be found in God who is the Truth and Love. This is what the responsorial says. “Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth, for you are my God, and for you I will wait. Good and upright is the Lord; He shows us the way. He guides the meek to justice. He teaches the humble to follow his ways.”
This comes back to the critical question of the relationship between reason and faith. The faith of the Church has always maintained that reason and faith must complement each other. Reason alone cannot come to the fullness of truth and love. Reason can enable a person to know God but only faith can enable him to come to the knowledge of the fullness of truth.
In the light of Catholic teaching, where do you stand? What is your position? As a Catholic leader, if your fundamental position is not that of the Church’s faith, then it would be extremely difficult to align yourself and your mission with that of the Church and her mission. The truth is that we cannot give what we have not got. As a Catholic leader you are tasked to form all under your charge the eternal truths and lasting love.
Consequently, your understanding of Christian leadership would very much be determined by your stance towards life and values, truth and love. For instance, we do not only speak of love because love is such an ambiguous word. Everyone in the world claims to love. But what is love? If we all believe in love, why, then, is there so much division? This is because love is not founded on truth but on personal preferences and illusory sentiments. Consequently, when we teach love, we need to teach truth; and when we teach truth, it must be rooted in love.
Accordingly, we need to consider whether our values are holistic based on truth and love. Authentic love involves morality, which for us would exclude things like contraception, abortion, same sex union, etc. In the final analysis, is the love that is promoted based on justice, the good of not just the individual but society, humanity and the dignity of the individual being? What is your perspective on marriage, family, and on eternal values like justice, compassion and integrity? What is your anthropological understanding of the human person, whether he is just an animal or one with a soul and therefore destined for eternal life?
In order to be able to impart the Catholic perspective of life and love, this presupposes that you have found the truth yourself. Have you found Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life? Many people are thirsting for God and their lives are restless and meaningless without God. Does our leadership lead people to God so that in Him their hearts will find rest? Can a worldly leadership ensure that our people will have happy and meaningful lives? Is happiness a matter of having a good career, wealth and position in society? At the end of the day, happiness is not so much about making a name for ourselves but for the service of others.
As the gospel makes it clear, we are called to go beyond fishing and mending nets, that is, simply just doing the mundane tasks. Rather, the Lord is inviting us to be fishers of men, that is, to change lives and to help others to be truly human and happy in life, people who will live a life of justice based on truth, compassion based on love. Unless, we are people who are conscious of the dignity of the human person and the greater things of life, such as love and truth, we can never be truly happy. Thus, until we have found Jesus for ourselves and have faith in Him, we will not be able to be like the first apostles to leave the worldly values and pursuits in life and follow Him in proclaiming the Good News of God’s reign of life and love. This is the pre-requisite.
In the final analysis, Catholic leaders must first form themselves in the truth and in love before they can impart to the rank and file. For the sake of those under their charge, Catholic leaders must live up to their calling to be faithful to Catholic values. Otherwise, they would be betraying themselves and their organization and members. Those who join our organizations hope to be formed in the Catholic faith and values. When we fail to do so, we would have short-changed them. Leaders must therefore allow themselves to be caught by the Lord Jesus before they can in turn catch other men and women for the Lord. Have you been caught by the Lord that you would leave everything behind for the vocation that the Lord has given to you? Are you so passionate in your vocation that you would do anything to help realize the plan that God has for those under your charge?
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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