[stephenkhoo]

THE ATTITUDES AND HOLINESS OF A CHRISTIAN LEADER
SCRIPTURE READINGS: COL 3:1-11; LK 6:20-26

The task of a leader is to unite everyone into the one family of God. He is called to be the promoter of communion among men and with God. As St Paul says, “And in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.” This he does principally through the ministry of the word and healing. Like Jesus, he is called to preach and to heal. To do this well, he must found his ministry in Christ, be rooted in Him through a deep personal relationship with Him in a life of intimacy in constant prayer. However, although the prerequisite of a leader is that he must be a man of faith expressed through his prayer life, it must also be seen in the kind of attitudes he cultivates for himself and a life of holiness.

With regard to the attitudes demanded of Christian leadership, Jesus gave His disciples the beatitudes. What is the most important attitude of a leader? Namely, poverty of spirit! “How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God.” What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It must be noted that the blessedness that Jesus speaks about is not about being poor. Poverty itself is not a virtue. There are many who are poor and yearn to be rich, sometimes even trying to achieve their goal by using unscrupulous means. They are certainly not much happier than those who are wealthy. The poor therefore is qualified by those who are poor in spirit. It refers to those who are humble rather than lacking material goods. Being poor means those who recognize their limitations and conversely, their need for God and are dependent on Him. The poor in spirit never think highly of themselves even when they are well-off or talented. They recognize that all they have come from the providence of God. As a consequence, they remain grateful and humble towards God and their fellowmen. Only those who are poor in spirit will pray fervently and strengthen their relationship with God because they know that without God, they are nothing. Like St Paul, they realize that only in their weakness does the strength of God show. So even if one is rich materially, one possesses the poverty of spirit when one shares his/her resources with others and thinks of himself/herself no better than the rest.

The second quality of a leader is a thirst for the lasting things of life. “Happy you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied.” What is this hunger if not a hunger for truth, love and justice? It is not a hunger for food or for clothes. It is the hunger for truth which is found in the Word of God and a hunger for love which is in Christ Jesus. Every person is restless until he rests in God. Only the love of God can satisfy the restless heart of man. Only God, the eternal truth, can set us free. No one can be at rest until he finds the truth about life, about death, suffering, injustice and his identity, the meaning and purpose in life. A leader therefore seeks to foster truth and love. He is called to enlighten all men in the knowledge of the truth. He fights against agnosticism and relativism where no truth can be found. In a world where love is promoted without truth, the leader seeks to foster a love that is grounded in truth, otherwise we would be living a lie.

The third quality of a leader is one of empathy. Jesus said, “Happy you who weep now: you shall laugh.” This mourning is therefore different from that of the world when people lament over their situations. Rather, the mourning is for the injustices in the world and the consequences of sin for oneself and humanity. Contemplating on one’s sins and that of the world, the good leader seeks to put things in right order so that there will be truth and love in the world. He does this out of compassion for others. Aware of his own sins and suffering, he identifies with the poor and the innocent. Having discovered for himself the love and mercy of God, he desires to share the truth and love he has found with others. In showing mercy to others, he is but passing the mercy he has received from God. Mercy and compassion therefore is but an imitation of the heart of God who is mercy and grace. Unless a leader has a vision for a better future on account of the present situation, he will not have the capacity to move forward the people under his care.

The fourth quality of a Christian leader is one who has fortitude for the sake of Christ. Fortitude in itself is not sufficient to qualify one for Christian leadership. Many leaders have fortitude and fight unto death, but for the sake of their ego and pride. For the love of the world and their name, many in the world are ready to make sacrifices. Rather, a Christian leader has fortitude in seeking and proclaiming the truth for the sake of Christ. It is not for self but for others, especially for the love of Christ. “Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as a criminal, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets.” A Christian leader identifies with Christ His master and follows Him to the cross to save his fellow human beings. He is ready to die for the truth and for love of God and humanity.

Besides these attitudes, the Christian leader must have an eye towards the final goal whilst keeping an eye on this earth. St Paul says, “Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.” He must not be caught in this world even whilst he tries to make this world a better place. In the final analysis, our destiny is to be with God in heaven, sharing in the life and love of the Holy Trinity. What we seek in this life through our cooperation in creating better conditions for this earth is to grow in truth and love each day. For at the end of time, what will last are the fruits of charity.

So long as our mind is focused on God, we will never become discouraged in the face of difficulties. We know this is a passing world. As such we do not cling to the things of this world. Whilst using them for the service of love and charity, we know that these are the gifts of God. Hence, in the face of helplessness and unjust situations over which we have no control whatsoever, we will never take things into our own hands but will surrender to God as Jesus did at the cross. We know that God will be our victory in the end and will vindicate and liberate us. Only those who are focused beyond this earth will not fall into despair, no matter what happens.

Finally, a good Christian leader must live a life of holiness. Pope John Paul II in his apostolic letter, “Novo millennio inenunte” wrote that above all things and prior to anything engaging in any pastoral plan, we need to grow in holiness. This means fighting against sin and being faithful to our vocation in life, to become like Christ. St Paul says, “That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; all this is the sort of behaviour that makes God angry. And it is the way in which you used to live when you were surrounded by people doing the same thing, but now you, of all people, must give all these things up: getting angry, being bad-tempered, spitefulness, abusive language and dirty talk; and never tell each other lies. You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self, and you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator.”

A leader is one who must be exemplary in his Christian conduct and lifestyle, otherwise, regardless of what he does, no matter how successful he is, everything will be accomplished in vain. What we need today are not preachers or even doers but witnesses of love. Only through a life of holiness expressed by a commitment to his vocation and manifesting the Be-Attitudes of the blessed life as taught by Jesus, can such a Christian leader foster trust, confidence and credibility in his leadership. Jesus is believed because His message is identified with His person. He is the way, the truth and the life. In this way, when those we lead think of us, they too can praise God for working in us saying, “How good is the Lord to all. I will bless you day after day and praise your name for ever. The Lord is great, highly to be praised, his greatness cannot be measured. All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord, and your friends shall repeat their blessing. They shall speak of the glory of your reign and declare your might, O God. To make known to men your mighty deeds and the glorious splendour of your reign. Yours is an everlasting kingdom; your rule lasts from age to age.”