20240913 ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP
13 September 2024, Friday, 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Corinthians 9:16-19,22-27 |
We go into strict training, like fighters at the games
I do not boast of preaching the gospel, since it is a duty which has been laid on me; I should be punished if I did not preach it! If I had chosen this work myself, I might have been paid for it, but as I have not, it is a responsibility which has been put into my hands. Do you know what my reward is? It is this: in my preaching, to be able to offer the Good News free, and not insist on the rights which the gospel gives me.
So though I am not a slave of any man I have made myself the slave of everyone so as to win as many as I could. I made myself all things to all men in order to save some at any cost; and I still do this, for the sake of the gospel, to have a share in its blessings.
All the runners at the stadium are trying to win, but only one of them gets the prize. You must run in the same way, meaning to win. All the fighters at the games go into strict training; they do this just to win a wreath that will wither away, but we do it for a wreath that will never wither. That is how I run, intent on winning; that is how I fight, not beating the air. I treat my body hard and make it obey me, for, having been an announcer myself, I should not want to be disqualified.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 83(84):3-6,12 |
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
My soul is longing and yearning,
is yearning for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and my soul ring out their joy
to God, the living God.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
The sparrow herself finds a home
and the swallow a nest for her brood;
she lays her young by your altars,
Lord of hosts, my king and my God.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
They are happy, who dwell in your house,
for ever singing your praise.
They are happy, whose strength is in you,
in whose hearts are the roads to Zion.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
For the Lord God is a rampart, a shield;
he will give us his favour and glory.
The Lord will not refuse any good
to those who walk without blame.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps147:12,15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
He sends out his word to the earth.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn17:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 6:39-42 |
Can the blind lead the blind?
Jesus told a parable to the disciples: ‘Can one blind man guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit? The disciple is not superior to his teacher; the fully trained disciple will always be like his teacher. Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the plank in your own? How can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,” when you cannot see the plank in your own? Hypocrite! Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take out the splinter that is in your brother’s eye.’
ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 COR 9:16-19,22-27; LUKE 6:39-42]
We all need leaders to guide us in life. Who should we follow? This is the question today’s scripture readings seek to address. We must be discerning in choosing our leaders. As the Lord said, “Can one blind man guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit? The disciple is not superior to his teacher; the fully trained disciple will always be like his teacher.” If we choose the wrong leaders, we will be misled and be destroyed. When organizations, and even countries, choose the wrong leaders, they end up weakened and divided. What is true of political leadership is equally true of religious leadership. If religious organizations today are weak and sometimes scandalous, it is because we have failed to ensure that our leaders are well chosen and put through the rigorous test of leadership training and discernment. Unless a leader is enlightened and wise, he will not be able to help his disciples to walk the way of truth, love and freedom. Hence, today, we are called to reflect on who make good leaders.
Leadership is of course a gift from the Lord. It is not something that we can work for. Leadership is first and foremost innate to the person and developed with the help of some formation and training. If we are not gifted for leadership, we can try to learn the robes, acquire skills and knowledge. But we can never excel. This is why charismatic leaders are few and far-between. No one consciously seeks leadership unless one is ambitious or egoistic. Rather, one is thrust into leadership. This is the case of a true calling to leadership in life. We just have to look at the life of the apostles and Paul. They did not aspire to be leaders but were chosen and appointed.
Indeed, leadership is a vocation. St Paul rightly said, “I do not boast of preaching the gospel, since it is a duty which has been laid on me; I should be punished if I did not preach it! If I had chosen this work myself, I might have been paid for it, but as I have not, it is a responsibility which had been put into my hands.” If a leader is seeking for fame, wealth and power, he will never be a true leader, much less a good one. It will be about himself. His concerns would be about how much he is paid and what benefits he gets out of his service. And as St Paul rightly said, if we are employed to do a work, then we can demand how much we are paid for our services. But precisely because leadership is a vocation, it is not determined by what we get out of it but what we are called to do and whom we are called to serve.
This is why, a true leader cannot be working for material remuneration as the primary motivation. Otherwise, his commitment will be dependent on how much he is paid or given. It will no longer be governed by his passion for his mission or for the service of his people. As the Lord said, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away – and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.” (Jn 10:11f) Indeed, remuneration, whether monetary or privileges, must be the least concern for true leaders. Of course, it is not wrong to remunerate a leader as he also needs to live and be financially supported. However, we cannot measure leadership in terms of how much a leader is paid. This would be a sad situation because he will no longer be motivated by passion, commitment and a dream. This explains why religious leaders, especially in the Catholic Church and in some religions, are not paid but only given an allowance. We want a religious leader to serve God and His people above everything else, with or without payment. This is what the Lord told His disciples, “You received without payment; give without payment.” (Mt 10:8) Of course, we have to take care of their needs.
A true leader must be driven by a higher goal in life. This is what St Paul shared. He said, “All the fighters at the games go into strict training; they do this just to win a wreath that will wither away, but we do it for a wreath that will never wither.” St Paul is thinking not of earthly rewards or glory. He is thinking of a higher value in life, which is eternal life. “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?” (Mt 16:25f) Towards the end of his life, when he knew his time was near, he wrote to Timothy. “From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Tim 4:8)
Hence, a leader must know where he is going and he must know his destination. He must have a clear vision of what he desires for his people. Some leaders are never successful because they lack vision, goal and purpose. They are always being led by the people. These are not leaders but consensus builders. It is the sheep that leads the leader because the leader is lost, like a blind man. Instead of driving his people, he is being driven. He is always concerned about opinion polls and see what pleases the people most. It is not about doing the right thing for the good of the people and for the future generations. He is concerned about the present, his position as a leader, his benefits and whether he is popular. Such leaders are pragmatic, but lacking a real vision for the people.
For this reason, a leader must take care of himself. He must be disciplined in his life. St Paul wrote, “All the runners at the stadium are trying to win, but only one of them gets the prize. You must run in the same way, meaning to win. All the fighters at the games go into strict training. That is how I run, intent on winning; that is how I fight, not beating the air. I treat my body hard and make it obey me, for, having been an announcer myself, I should not want to be disqualified.” If a leader has no control over his life and himself, how can he command the world? Self-control is one of the prerequisites of a good leader. St Paul wrote, “As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Tim 4:6f)
A good leader must exercise discipline over his body, mind, soul and emotions. He must look after himself well, taking care of his body, his diet and his health. He must know when to rest and when to take a break. Physical health will affect mental and spiritual health. So it is important that a leader is not addicted to food and drink, eat healthily, exercise regularly and rest properly. He must also take care of his soul, living a life of integrity and honesty. Without which, his conscience will be disturbed and his mind will be dulled and unable to distinguish between right and wrong. This is why good leaders need time to be alone, to pray and to reflect. A leader who does not spend time before God and take time to meditate on the Word of God and reflect on himself will not have self-awareness to lead his people in the right direction. Of course, the leader must also take care of his mind and feed his intellect with knowledge through the study of scriptures, reading books or articles that can nurture and enlighten his mind because no one knows everything. Reading inspiring and thought-provoking materials will help a leader to grasp the issues in life better.
A leader must also be emotionally balanced and have good emotional quotient. It is not enough to have a good intellectual quotient. This is because a leader must learn how to communicate with people and be identified with them so that the people will feel that the leader understands their aspirations and struggles. This was what Paul did. He said, “So though I am not a slave of any man I have made myself the slave of everyone so as to win as many as I could. I made myself all things to all men in order to save some at any cost; and I still do this, for the sake of the gospel, to have a share in its blessing.” St Paul was able to adapt himself to the different situations, cultures and issues confronting the people. Without compromising the truth of the gospel, he made it relevant and connected with life.
Finally, if the reward of leadership cannot be measured in material terms, then what are the rewards? It is the privilege of service. It is a service that touches life and transforms people under our charge. The joy of healing someone’s heart, giving hope to one who is in despair, giving light to those walking in darkness and confusion, enabling someone to grow in his talents and strengths, forming leaders after us for the greater good of the organization or country, leading a person to God and finally to eternal life, is the most rewarding remuneration of leadership which no amount of money, privileges and benefits can buy. It provides great satisfaction because it makes us feel that we have not lived in vain. This joy of feeling happy for others and satisfaction for ourselves is something that no earthly reward can compare.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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