20260617 CHOOSING SOMEONE FOR AN OFFICE
17 June 2026, Wednesday, 11th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Kings 2:1,6-14 |
Elijah is taken up to heaven
This is what happened when the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in the whirlwind: Elijah and Elisha set out from Gilgal, Elijah said, ‘Elisha, please stay here, the Lord is only sending me to the Jordan.’ But he replied, ‘As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you!’ And they went on together.
Fifty of the brotherhood of prophets followed them, halting some distance away as the two of them stood beside the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water; and the water divided to left and right, and the two of them crossed over dry-shod. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Make your request. What can I do for you before I am taken from you?’ Elisha answered, ‘Let me inherit a double share of your spirit.’ ‘Your request is a difficult one’ Elijah said. ‘If you see me while I am being taken from you, it shall be as you ask; if not, it will not be so.’ Now as they walked on, talking as they went, a chariot of fire appeared and horses of fire, coming between the two of them; and Elijah went up to heaven in the whirlwind. Elisha saw it, and shouted, ‘My father! My father! Chariot of Israel and its chargers!’ Then he lost sight of him, and taking hold of his clothes he tore them in half. He picked up the cloak of Elijah which had fallen, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
He took the cloak of Elijah and struck the water. ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ he cried. He struck the water, and it divided to right and left, and Elisha crossed over.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 30(31):20,21,24 |
Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.
How great is the goodness, Lord,
that you keep for those who fear you,
that you show to those who trust you
in the sight of men.
Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plotting of men;
you keep them safe within your tent
from disputing tongues.
Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.
Love the Lord, all you saints.
He guards his faithful
but the Lord will repay to the full
those who act with pride.
Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Col3:16a,17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let the message of Christ, in all its richness,
find a home with you;
through him give thanks to God the Father.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 6:1-6,16-18 |
Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’
CHOOSING SOMEONE FOR AN OFFICE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Kgs 2:1,6-14; Ps 31:20, 21, 24; Mt 6:1-6,16-18]
Recently, there was a news report the archbishop of an archdiocese in Poland invited priests to submit their resumes and pastoral proposals to apply for the role to lead vacant parishes. This is most definitely a novel approach in appointing leaders in the Catholic Church. In most cases, there is a consultation among the People of God of the possible candidates and hearing of testimonies about the candidates’ competency and good reputation. Then from among the shortened selected list, the archbishop and his council members will deliberate and choose the one most suitable for the office. There is wisdom in the traditional approach because it protects confidentiality, especially the personal life and integrity of the proposed nominee for an office. The truth is that besides seeking a competent person for the office or position, a religious leader also needs a strong spiritual life, be an upright and righteous person, a person of integrity and filled with the love of God and for His Church. The downside of this approach, however, is that some good candidates are not apparent because they keep themselves humble and shy from any limelight, not desiring or seeking of glory, honour and power.
Getting priests to apply for an office and a position might seem to promote the display of pride and the presumptuousness that one is the best candidate for a position. Some could be ambitious and seek promotion for self-interests, like fulfilling their ego and getting personal and material benefits. The danger is that they are calling themselves to an office rather than answering a call that is freely and graciously by the Lord. The Church’s understanding of vocation means it is a call from God. Of course, we need to discern His call. Within limits, perhaps, hearing candidates out in an interview process, coupled with testimonies, perhaps we could get a 360-degree assessment of the person. If done properly, it could also be a way of discernment to the motives of why one is seeking that position, what he intends to do and how he would accomplish it. Regardless which approach we take, the choice of a priest or religious for an office cannot simply be based on competency alone or by using key performance indicators (KPIs) as in the corporate world. Their personal and spiritual life and virtues matter more, for we are not building a business empire but building the Kingdom of God. Our leaders are to be rooted in the Gospel values that our Lord taught in the Sermon on the Mount and exemplified in His own life. In this way, perhaps we can better ensure that the person is truly called by the Lord and not motivated be personal ambitions.
It is within this context that we can appreciate the Scripture readings of today. We have the situation of Elisha. He was a disciple of Elijah, the great prophet of Israel. He was aware that his master whom he called “father” would be taken away to heaven. So, Elisha followed him closely refusing to leave him. When Elijah said, “Elisha, please stay here, the Lord is only sending me to the Jordan,” he replied, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you!” And they went on together. When they arrived at the river Jordan, “Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water; and the water divided to left and right, and the two of them crossed over dry-shod. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Make your request. What can I do for you before I am taken from you?’ Elisha answered, ‘Let me inherit a double share of your spirit.””
In asking for a double portion of his spirit, Elisha was asking for the right of succession and to be able to continue what his master had done, effective preaching and working miracles for the glory of God. Elijah knew that Elisha his faithful disciple would be the one to succeed him and hence when a chariot of fire appeared and horses of fire took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah left behind his cloak for Elijah and “picking up the cloak of Elijah which had fallen, and went back and stood on the banks of the Jordan, he received the spirit of Elijah to continue his work. This was demonstrated when he took the cloak of Elijah and struck the water and it divided to right and left. The fifty of the brotherhood of prophets who followed them would have seen the power invested in Elisha and so they were given confirmation that he was the successor of Elijah. In this instance, we see that the one who is chosen by God must inherit the gifts and charism of his predecessor. But most of all, there must be a confirmation of his call through some external and public observances. For us in the church, a call is often confirmed by the bishop of those whom he appoints for ministries in the Church.
However, it is also important that those who are appointed for office would also be filled with the spiritual qualities that are taught in the Sermon on the Mount so that they would remain focused in their mission and ministry, and not be carried away by thinking too much about themselves and their position, resulting in insecurity, dominance and pride. Indeed, the motive for why we do things is very important in the work of discernment. It is not enough to do the right thing, but we must discern the motives of what and why they do. When we do things for our glory and ambition, the service we give is dangerous. This is the primary teaching in today’s Gospel reading on giving alms, praying and fasting. Jesus warns us, “Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven.”
Indeed, humility is the essential trait for genuine service. Power and authority is for humble service, not to project ourselves as someone great or important. It is to give glory to God and lead others to know Him, love Him and serve Him. Like John the Baptist, who said “He must increase and I must decrease.” (Jn 3:30) Bringing someone to Jesus is what should give us joy and not making ourselves the centre of people’s life. As John the Baptist said, “He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason, my joy has been fulfilled.” (Jn 3:29)
In the light of this fundamental spirit of poverty, leaders appointed must have the capacity to give, pray and fast. The Lord reminds us, “when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; that is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.” Leaders must remember that in the final analysis, we are accountable to God. We must give an account to the Lord for what we do. Hence, what we do should be for the Lord rather than for man to give us praise and recognition. As servants of God, we should act humbly and self-effacing so that people will not mistake us for the Lord!
Secondly, our leaders must be men and women of prayers. We must be people of faith trusting that the strength and capacity for us to do great things for God comes from Him alone and the power of His Holy Spirit and not by our own strength. When a leader relies only on himself instead of the power of God, he becomes ambitious and end up glorifying himself. When a leader prays, he knows his position in life and like John the Baptist, will seek to lead people to the Lord and then quietly dismiss themselves from the limelight. However, some adopt postures of prayer for attention. The Lord warns us, “When you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them. They have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.”
Finally, leaders must exercise self-discipline, which is one of the fundamentals for fasting. When a leader has no self-control, he cannot exercise authority over others. Without self-control, he would be easily tempted by the Evil One, the World and the Flesh. Fasting means the capacity to feel with others and to show empathy. That is why true fasting does not make us look gloomy and sad but make us one with others through self-awareness.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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