Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius May 7, 2017 Spiritual Ponderings 15th Diseases of Leadership
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
* he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist,
* others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood
* has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah. From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he
* must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” (Mathew 16:13:23)
The above passage from the Gospel of Mathew demonstrates that from the very beginning that leaders in our Church have a need to constantly examine their leadership decisions to make sure that they are in keeping with God’s will. A couple of years ago, Pope Francis came out with a list of what he called “diseases of leadership.” I would to reflect with you this month on these diseases so that we may all become better Christian leaders. The diseases will be in bold and my reflections will be in regular font.
1. THE DISEASE OF THINKING WE ARE IMMORTAL, IMMUNE, OR DOWNRIGHT INDISPENSABLE, [and therefore] neglecting the need for regular check-ups. A leadership team which is not self-critical, which does not keep up with things, which does not seek to be more fit, is a sick body. A simple visit to the cemetery might help us see the names of many people who thought they were immortal, immune, and indispensable! It is the disease of those who turn into lords and masters, who think of themselves as above others and not at their service. It is the pathology of power and comes from a superiority complex, from a narcissism which passionately gazes at its own image and does not see the face of others, especially the weakest and those most in need. The antidote to this plague is humility; to say heartily, “I am merely a servant. I have only done what was my duty.”
As I reflected upon this disease of leadership, I remembered this quote from Abraham Lincoln: “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.” It is important to remember that ultimately, we are not the ones in charge and we must make a report to God not only for our sins but also for how we used our gifts and talents.
2. ANOTHER DISEASE IS EXCESSIVE BUSYNESS. It is found in those who immerse themselves in work and inevitably neglect to “rest a while.” Neglecting needed rest leads to stress and agitation. A time of rest, for those who have completed their work, is necessary, obligatory and should be taken seriously: by spending time with one’s family and respecting holidays as moments for recharging.
This disease of leadership made me think about the following quote from Mother Teresa: “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.’”
The idea that relationships are more important than being busy also separates us from Communism. Cardinal Van Thuan who suffered greatly under Communism in Vietnam pointed out in his writings how Communists concern themselves only with the body of a person and took no time to help or care for the soul of a person.
3. THEN THERE IS THE DISEASE OF MENTAL AND [EMOTIONAL] “PETRIFICATION.” It is found in leaders who have a heart of stone, the “stiff-necked;” in those who in the course of time lose their interior serenity, alertness and daring, and hide under a pile of papers, turning into paper pushers and not men and women of compassion. It is dangerous to lose the human sensitivity that enables us to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice! Because as time goes on, our hearts grow hard and become incapable of loving all those around us. Being a humane leader means having the sentiments of humility and unselfishness, of detachment and generosity.
Catholics are always called to see positions of leaderships as opportunities to serve others and to make the world a better place. We must also realize that no one should be treated as a cog in a machine or as an economic agent for good or for bad. We should treat each person as we would Christ.