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10 Aug 2025 - Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Catholics these days are angry. I live in a curious region that votes majority conservative Republican yet harbors a subset of way-out liberals. Both sets of Catholics are angry. While the politics of anger can be complicated to parse, one thing unites the rage on both sides: a crisis of confidence in church leaders. Catholics on both sides of the aisle are not satisfied with the way our leadership has handled many scandals inside and out. Lack of accountability or failure in courage continues to fester in the assembly—and it's not going away. It will be very difficult for the church to lead if the faithful give up on following. We get ample opportunities in the lectionary to continue the in-house dialogue on leadership. We should take them. Jesus tells a parable about responsibility and culpability this week. Peter (Peter!) asks him, "Lord, who's the steward of the household to whom you refer?" And Jesus all but tells him, as the prophet once told King David: "That man is you." The buck stops with Peter. It always stops with Peter. And those whose authority derives from Peter have to take seriously the charge that, in the master's absence, the stewards have acted in a way that deserves a severe beating, an assigned place with the unfaithful, as the gospel soberly declares. Pastors are the local face of the church's authority. The alternative is what we have now: punting control of important discussions to the blogosphere, podcasters, news channels, and other venues where Catholics and others get information and vent frustration. Leadership requires "girding our loins and lighting our lamps" (Luke 12:35). We need to tell the truth, and give our people a model to follow on all the issues of our day that require a faith-filled response. Related scripture links Other heroes in Hebrews: Heb. 11:20-39 Christ assumes and fulfills salvation history: Luke 9:28-31 Common scenes in Lucan parables: 8:4-18, 10:29-37, 12:16-21, 13:6-9, 18-21, 14:7-24, 15:1-16:8, 16:19-31, 18:1-14, 19:11-27 Those who have eyes to see: Luke 7:41-42, 10:23-24, 11:33-36, 12:54-56, 18:41-42 Catechism links Preparedness: CCC 305; 544; 1021-1022; 2443-2449; 2544-2547; 2612; 2849 Adapted from a previously published Exploring the word.

Authors Alice Camille

Peter Leadership followers Trust church leaders crisis of confidence

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Featured Exploring the Word

10 Aug 2025 - Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Catholics these days are angry. I live in a curious region that votes majority conservative Republican yet harbors a subset of way-out liberals. Both sets of Catholics are angry. While the politics of anger can be complicated to parse, one thing unites the rage on both sides: a crisis of confidence in church leaders. Catholics on both sides of the aisle are not satisfied with the way our leadership has handled many scandals inside and out. Lack of accountability or failure in courage continues to fester in the assembly—and it's not going away. It will be very difficult for the church to lead if the faithful give up on following. We get ample opportunities in the lectionary to continue the in-house dialogue on leadership. We should take them. Jesus tells a parable about responsibility and culpability this week. Peter (Peter!) asks him, "Lord, who's the steward of the household to whom you refer?" And Jesus all but tells him, as the prophet once told King David: "That man is you." The buck stops with Peter. It always stops with Peter. And those whose authority derives from Peter have to take seriously the charge that, in the master's absence, the stewards have acted in a way that deserves a severe beating, an assigned place with the unfaithful, as the gospel soberly declares. Pastors are the local face of the church's authority. The alternative is what we have now: punting control of important discussions to the blogosphere, podcasters, news channels, and other venues where Catholics and others get information and vent frustration. Leadership requires "girding our loins and lighting our lamps" (Luke 12:35). We need to tell the truth, and give our people a model to follow on all the issues of our day that require a faith-filled response. Related scripture links Other heroes in Hebrews: Heb. 11:20-39 Christ assumes and fulfills salvation history: Luke 9:28-31 Common scenes in Lucan parables: 8:4-18, 10:29-37, 12:16-21, 13:6-9, 18-21, 14:7-24, 15:1-16:8, 16:19-31, 18:1-14, 19:11-27 Those who have eyes to see: Luke 7:41-42, 10:23-24, 11:33-36, 12:54-56, 18:41-42 Catechism links Preparedness: CCC 305; 544; 1021-1022; 2443-2449; 2544-2547; 2612; 2849 Adapted from a previously published Exploring the word.

Authors Alice Camille

Peter Leadership followers Trust church leaders crisis of confidence

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Featured Exploring the Word

28 Dec 2025 - Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Cycle A

Leadership skills are desirable qualities. Girls’ and boys’ clubs promise to develop them. From academic programs to the armed forces, turning lemmings into leaders is a constant theme. We need people to take the lead in families, church, the local community, and government. It raises the question: If being a leader is so important, why do we need followers? Shouldn’t we just transform everyone into a self-propelled leader and let it go at that? If so, we’d have to skirt around that mantra in the gospels: Come follow me. Jesus invites his crew to fish but also to follow. They will lead others but follow their Teacher. That suggests that while we do need every good leader we can get and should cultivate leadership skills in children, we also have to develop their “followership” skills. Discipleship, as it’s more normally called, requires it. What does that have to do with the Feast of the Holy Family? Plenty, as the gospel unfolds. This week Joseph is once more our protagonist, and again the righteous man shows us that following divine guidance is the wisest course—not to mention the route to survival. Joseph’s actions are never the obvious choice: Many would not have married the girl, fled to Egypt, or returned to the danger zone afterwards. Joseph doesn’t reason things out: He trusts in God. He’s a grand follower. And as we learn in Luke’s version of the story, Mary’s not so bad herself when it comes to knowing how to balance self-determination with resting in God’s counsel. She does one at Cana and the other at the Annunciation. She’ll have to do both, grimly, at the cross. Though it may be strange to think of Jesus as a follower, his moral compass pointed to the true north of God’s will and not his own—right up to that final hour in the garden of Gethsemane. We come to appreciate that there is no genuine leadership without dedicated followership first. Even a leader needs to know where he or she is going. That requires a map, a star, a compass—or a Higher Power the leader must consult and to whom he or she must finally consent to bow. The leader who refuses to follow any authority higher than himself or herself has a fool for a guide. Sirach reminds us of the interdependence of generations: First, elders lead children and later are led by them in the natural order of things (another reason to teach the children well!). The Letter to the Colossians offers love as the best needle pointing in the right direction. Those who walk the path of love will not be lost. Related scripture links Fourth Commandment: Exod. 20:12; Deut. 5:16; Mark 10:19; Matt. 19:19; Luke 18:20; Rom. 13:9 Paul and subordination: Rom. 13:1-10; 1 Cor. 7:3-4, but also 11:3-12; Eph. 4:11-16, 5:21-6:9 Subordination in creation: Gen. 1:26-31, 3:14-19 Catechism links Jesus' early life: CCC 525-534 Binding virtues: CCC 1827-1829 Family: CCC 2197-2233 Adapted from a previously published Exploring the word.

Authors Alice Camille

Leadership followers discipleship joseph

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