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Exploring the word

10 Apr 2022 - Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Cycle C

When someone shouts, “Follow the leader!” most of us know instinctively what to do. We get behind the person who’s ahead of the pack. Generally speaking, the leader is the dominant one, perhaps the fastest or smartest among us, but not necessarily so. Often, the leader is simply the one with the most power, money, chutzpah, or the greatest amount of celebrity. Much of the time, we end up following a leader who is not morally superior or ahead of us in any meaningful sense. The person in command may wind up in that position mostly for having claimed it. Leadership—whether it’s exercised in families, government, business, or religious institutions—is largely wielded from the top down. We expect that parents will administer authority over their children, just as lawmakers govern their constituencies, employers make decisions for their employees, bishops instruct their priests, and priests run their parishes. Leadership is about big people controlling the fate of little people, in a nutshell. Is there any other way of envisioning this? There is. At the Last Supper, the disciples of Jesus are still arguing about leadership and authority in terms of who gets to be on top. They are trying to define greatness as the capacity to lord it over their peers, to be granted distinguishing titles and special powers of authority. Meanwhile Jesus, contemplating the hour of his death, asks them to consider leadership from the bottom up—from the viewpoint of service. From the servant’s perspective, leadership is not about control but about surrender. This kind of leadership doesn’t concern itself with honors and titles but remains focused on smaller, immediate details like serving at table, washing feet, and breaking bread. The servant leader does not get out in front of the crowd but leads by example at its feet. Such leadership doesn’t require special skills or even charisma. Humility and love will suffice. The cross is the way How does Jesus lead? By exercising what the church calls works of mercy, which are the paramount acts of service. Throughout his ministry, Jesus instructs the ignorant, forgives the sinner, heals the sick, feeds the hungry. Even during the excruciating hours of his final Passion, we find Jesus still teaching his disciples, praying for Peter’s repentance before his denial, warning the arresting elders of their wrongdoing, and comforting the sorrowful women on the way of the cross. In Luke’s account of the Crucifixion, Jesus’ three last acts are to forgive his persecutors, encourage a sinner, and surrender his spirit to God. When the prevailing attitude is mercy, every act is one of gentle concern for the well-being of others. How often did Jesus say that the least are the greatest and the last will be first? His final act of service on the cross is to demonstrate what that looks like. Needless to say, not many people are rushing forward to assume this kind of leadership. The servant who does not shield his face from spitting is a far cry from the contemporary mogul who organizes a press conference to “spin” the latest accusation in his favor. Jesus, before high priest and governor alike, is mostly silent when others testify falsely against him. If the Lord God is his help, the faithful servant cannot be disgraced by human testimony. The one who refused to lord it over others will one day be confessed as Lord by every creature on bended knee in heaven, on Earth, and under the Earth. Humility is the only way to genuine exaltation. Worldly leaders won’t get it Obviously, Judas didn’t comprehend this most basic of Jesus’ teachings. He thought he alone was the true leader among sheeplike disciples, capable of changing the course of this runaway mission by his own initiative. Peter shared this same obtuseness about the direction things were taking. When his teacher talked about suffering and death, Peter heartily objected. When Jesus was actually on trial, Peter publicly disassociated himself from the danger. Certainly the high priest thought his own authority—compromised by his association with the Romans yet still privileged—was a more practical application of leadership than what Jesus was up to. Herod was even more of a figurehead than Caiaphas, enjoying only the veneer of authority and yet preferring not to disturb that with an authentic exercise of judgment. Pilate did not seem particularly challenged by Jesus or his alleged authority. But that’s because he was so firmly convinced of the absolute power of the empire behind him. Those who equate leadership with control will find it impossible to appreciate the one who leads by the example of service. It would seem that the only true leaders of the day were the ones who escaped the public eye. Joseph of Arimathea, who refused to be a yes-man for an unjust council, took it upon himself to bury a condemned and executed criminal. The women from Galilee noted the place of the tomb and resolved to prepare the body properly. By exercising these final corporal works of mercy, these disciples proved that they had been paying attention when Jesus demonstrated servant leadership all along the way. Applying the word The way of surrender What happens when leaders serve others rather than seeking to control them? Without the age-old pattern of dominance and submission, the very nature of society changes. Family members are no longer divided into categories of powerful and powerless, the generations pitted against each other in a contest for survival. Hierarchies melt and become genuine communities. Warring classes become allies. The ancient struggle for control dissolves into a mutual desire for cooperation. When power is viewed as the necessary tool for enabling the last and the least, not for gaining and consolidating wealth and control for the few, we will have different leaders and a different kind of society. Related scripture links Leading by serving: Matt. 9:35-38; 10:5-10, 24-31; 23:1-12; John 13:1-20 Greatest is the least: Mark 9:33-37; 10:35-45; Matt. 18:1-5; 20:20-28 Peter’s objection: Matt. 16:21-23 Catechism links Works of mercy: CCC 2447-2449 Least is greatest: CCC 526; 894; 1570

Authors Alice Camille

Authority servant leaders Humility servant leadership control

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Homily stories

24 Nov 2024 - Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Cycle B

Calling Christ a king has always been problematic, particularly for Jesus, himself. Yes, Jesus was a leader, who wanted people to follow him. But Jesus was a servant leader whose main mission was to bring truth and show people the way to love. He used all of his power, all of his knowledge, all of his access to lift others up—out of their despair, poverty, fear, and isolation. Humility was his signature style. Hardly what comes to mind when one thinks of a king. To this day, leaders who lead with humility find it surfaces truth. Take the example of Jungkiu Choi, who in the early 2000s served as head of consumer banking at Standard Chartered in China. As Dan Cable tells the story in Harvard Business Review, Choi learned that his new job entailed visiting branches and putting pressure on managers to cut costs. Knowing that these visits instilled much anxiety in branch staff, Choi chose a different tack. He would visit branches unannounced and offer breakfast to the employees before the doors opened. Then he would hold huddles and solicit ideas from employees. These visits to branches across the country surfaced small obstacles that Choi could easily help address with improved training and upgraded technology. In addition, the visits yielded many new and innovative ideas, which Choi allowed managers to act on. This accessible, respectful, humble management style proved to be a winning approach. Within two years customer satisfaction increased by 54 percent and employee attrition was reduced to the lowest among all foreign banks in China.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

Chirst the King servant leadership servant leaders Humility power

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Take Five for Faith Daily

Thursday
March 13

Mercy begets mercy

“By welcoming a marginalized person whose body is wounded and by welcoming the sinner whose soul is wounded,” says Pope Francis, “we put our credibility as Christians on the line.” Our God is a God of mercy. Not only must we emulate that mercy as followers of Christ, but we ourselves are benefactors of it. As Saint John Chrysostom said, “Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave.” Turn to Christ when you seek to be made whole. He will respond with love time and again. And that is the least you can do for others seeking mercy from you.

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