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Think about it guys: one of the benefits of priestly celibacy has to do with my television “clicker.” I can watch television and switch channels at my every whim. No one complains! I put my television clicker down and it’s right there the next day...in the very same place I left it. I haven’t had to hunt for my television clicker once! On Friday evening, I was channel surfing through the cable news stations. It didn’t matter which station I clicked on to, FOX News Channel, CNN, or MSNBC. Each featured interviews with the three leading Republican candidates for President of the United States. One stated emphatically that he was a true “leader,” accusing his opponent of being nothing more than a mere “manager.” That opponent, in turn, said his real-world management experience and leadership as the chief executive officer of a state prepared him best to lead our nation. The third candidate, who is trailing the other two candidates—that is, if the pollsters’ findings are accurate, and who among us can be sure they are accurate—claimed he alone has the demonstrated leadership and management experience required to be a successful President of the United States in our post-9/11 world. And, that’s to say nothing about a fourth Republican candidate for President of the United States whose campaign ran a commercial in Iowa a few weeks back calling him “A Christian Leader.” Listening to all of this chatter from the perspective of today’s gospel passage where Jesus calls complete strangers to “Come, follow me,” all of this talk about being a “leader” and/or a “manager” misses the point entirely. Why? Because leading and managing any organization—from the smallest organization—a marriage and family—to the largest of all organizations—a multi-national corporation—is not about knowledge and experience. No, it’s first about virtue and living a virtuous life. Then, as Christians, responding in the affirmative to Jesus’ call, “Come, follow me.” Virtue isn’t enough. It’s only the beginning because the area lying between virtue and discipleship requires repentance. In Greek, repentance is “metanoia,” which means allowing virtue to change how we think about ourselves, our lives, our work, and our world so we are able to leave everything behind—as did Simon and Andrew as well as James and John—to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. In short, Christian leaders are virtuous people, something that is learned and earned, whose virtue makes it possible for them to follow the Lord in every aspect of their lives. Christian leaders aren’t beholden to any idea, to any political group or part, or to any person. In his recent book, Virtuous Leadership: An Agenda for Personal Excellence, Alexandre Havard argues that the more deeply we live the virtues, the more likely we will change our culture. Leadership isn’t lording over others, Havard says. No, we exhibit leadership as we make virtue the basis of personal excellence. But, that’s only the beginning. We then must leave behind everything that would hold us back and follow Christ. For example, as Catholics this means that we need to stop thinking leaders are “born” or “bred” or leadership is a power especially reserved to a ruling elite whose members believe they are especially suited or privileged to provide leadership. Rather, we need repent from and to change that mindset—to engage in metanoia—by recognizing that leadership is our vocation and is accessible to each and every one of us as we shape, mold, and strengthen our character so that we respond fully to the Lord’s call, “Come, follow me,” and so, effect the transformation of our culture in Christ. When we strengthen our character through the habitual practice of virtue—when we allow virtue to make its “home” in us (in Latin, habitus)—we make the first decision to become Christian leaders. Or, as Havard writes, “Virtues are qualities of the mind, the will, and the heart. We acquire them through our own efforts. The very effort to acquire them is an act of leadership.” To lead begins not with changing how others think, but by changing how we think and, in particular, how we think about ourselves. Of course, all of us have character “flaws,” but many of us are our own worst enemy because we believe we don’t possess the “right stuff” needed if we are to lead and effect change in our culture. Quite the opposite! We need to realize that our character flaws, while—yes—they are defects, can be overcome and converted into the strength provided by virtue. Remember what St. Paul wrote in this regard: About this person I will boast, but about myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses. 6 Although if I should wish to boast, I would not be foolish, for I would be telling the truth. But I refrain, so that no one may think more of me than what he sees in me or hears from me 7 because of the abundance of the revelations. Therefore, that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,
9
but he said
to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in
weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in
order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. (1 Corinthians
12) Instead of defining ourselves as tragic victims utterly incapable of overcoming our personal flaws, defects, and vices, we can change how we think about ourselves. How? We need to become more keenly aware about our need to engage more fitfully in the struggle to overcome those flaws, defects, and vices, always aware that only God’s grace is sufficient to the task. As St. Paul reminded the Corinthians, it is through our strength that “the cross of Christ is emptied of its meaning.” But, it is in our weakness that the full meaning of the cross reveals itself in our lives (1 Corinthians 1:17). People who don’t struggle to overcome their flaws, defects, and vices ultimately become enslaved not only by those things but also by a very restricted sense of self. Ultimately, they fail to become what God has created all of us to be: leaders. The real obstacle is not those flaws, defects, and vices but the freely-chosen lack of character which leaves us drained of the energy it takes to lead others, first, by changing how we think about ourselves, our lives, our work, and our world, and second, by leaving everything behind by following the Lord. All of us—as spouses, parents, and children—are capable of being leaders. After all, don’t we fully expect one another to do the right thing, to be people of character and virtue, as well as to be motivated by love of God and neighbor which makes it possible for these “authentic characters” to provide leadership? So, why don’t we provide leadership? After all, isn’t one of the greatest disappointments in life a spouse, parents, and children can experience is, as challenging circumstances arise, we expect others to provide leadership and they don’t? Reflecting upon this concept of leadership, it becomes apparent that virtues aren’t “things.” Instead, virtue (in Latin, virtus) is a dynamic force—a power—that, when habitually practiced, progressively makes it possible to act virtuously. Consider the following six virtues: · magnanimity (that is, “being of large soul”): challenging myself and others to strive for great things; · humility: deciding to overcome my selfishness by serving others; · prudence: making decisions based upon what is good, right, proper, and just; · courage: staying the course as this is defined by virtue and resisting all kinds of pressure both external and internal; · self-control: subordinating the desire to acquire everything I want to the desire for what virtue requires of me; and,
·
justice:
giving every person his or her due. These virtues become a dynamic force that can inspire dreams, vision, and a sense of mission. These virtues can become a dynamic force that stirs up hope, confidence, and daring. These virtues can become a dynamic force that energizes the enthusiasm it will take to devote effort to bring one’s work to a successful conclusion, to use all necessary means to meet one’s goals, and to challenge oneself and others to do what is necessary in service to others, whether that happens to mean challenging one’s spouse, family members, friends, and associates or one’s country or, even, the entire human family. Because virtue is an acquired habit, leadership excludes none of us. We acquire virtue by repetition and nowhere is this more important than during the teenage years. Parents play a truly vital role in this regard. Think about it: these are the women and men who influence their children to discern good from evil and to choose the former. But, upbringing along doesn’t determine one’s character. Freedom determines character. How each of us chooses to exercise our freedom is what enables us to grow, even after we have become adults. Even adults realize (that is, they experience a metanoia, a “change of mind”) they need to live virtuously and will decide to acquire and make their own the virtues they didn’t inculcate during their growing up years. Culture also can help or hinder the development of virtue. In a culture whose members have sold their souls to materialism and consumerism, it is extremely difficult for young people to recognize any value in cultivating the virtues of courage and self-control. In a culture whose members believe that truth is defined by taking a poll, it is extremely difficult for young people to stand for something. Instead, they’re willing to stand for anything, that is, anything that the majority (called the “peer group”) asserts. This lack of leadership is debilitating, not only for young people who fail to mature in virtue and are, thus, incapable of following Christ, but for our culture as well as it fails to mature in virtue and is rendered incapable of following Christ. Sure, it’s very difficult to live virtuously today, but that doesn’t mean it is impossible to live virtuously. Each of us possesses the freedom to decide the extent to which we are going to allow our parents and our culture to define us. If we are going to choose freely to be virtuous so that we will be able to follow Christ, it is we—not our parents or our culture—who develop the dynamic power to act upon what is good and to reject what is bad. We begin to become leaders by learning to say that awful word “No.” “No,” we say, “our parents and our culture don’t define us.” “No,” we say, “other people, peer groups, neighborhoods, business associates, and political parties, don’t define us.” “No,” we say, “possessions don’t define us.” “No,” we say, “we define ourselves as we freely chose to be virtuous. We alone chose to be who we are. It’s entirely up to us.” Virtue implies and depends upon freedom, Alexandre Havard reminds us. It is something freely chosen. When we embrace virtue, practice it, and allow virtue to make its home in us, that’s how we become leaders. Leadership, then, begins when we use our freedom responsibly by uniting the reason with will. But, that’s only the beginning. As Catholics, there is more if we are to respond unreservedly to Jesus’ call, “Come, follow me.” To “do this in memory of me,” we must first change how we think by assessing our character flaws, defects, and vices. By assessing these honestly, we can then envision the road we will need to travel if we are to leave everything behind, to follow the Lord unreservedly, and to be that light shining upon the people who walk in darkness, who dwell in the land of gloom, who carry a yoke that burdens them like a pole on their should and the rod of their taskmaster, as Isaiah the prophet noted in today’s first reading. Only as we follow that pathway—as we follow the Lord—will we improve tomorrow what we failed to do well today. This is how we weed out those flaw, defects, and vices. Then, we need to pray and meditate. That is how leaders purify their motives and affirm their values. They pray and meditate upon the life of Christ which sets the pattern for their own life. In Christ—who says, “Come, follow me”—we develop a deeper awareness of our strengths and weaknesses, we discover our destiny and vocation, and fulfill our ordinary responsibilities. If we think about this, living virtuously means living each day heroically in very small things which can mean: · rising punctually in the morning by saying “No” to lingering in bed after the alarm goes off; · working conscientiously without daydreaming and wasting time by saying “No” to putting off until tomorrow what needs to be done today; · being friendly to people we are not terribly fond of, smiling when it’s the last thing we feel like doing, correcting others charitably, putting up cheerfully with setbacks great and small, as well as playing with and being interested in your children when you get home by saying “No” to yourself and how you feel; and,
·
fulfilling the responsibility to pray and worship God by saying “No”
even when we believe we are getting nothing out of it. When we learn to practice the virtues evidencing themselves in these small ways, we’ve achieved a very great victory indeed. We provide leadership to others as our characters exemplify the light of Christ shining in the darkness of the world. Leave the darkness behind. Look to the light of Christ and follow him. Don’t be afraid when you become or are made aware of your flaws, defects, and vices. Instead, realize in this discovery what is really a privileged moment, a time to choose to let go of the past, to embrace virtue, and to begin living out our vocation by following Christ and leading others to Christ. In those interviews on the cable television networks last Friday evening and that one campaign’s commercial, the question not being asked in light of today’s scripture readings is: Just what do those politicians want to do? To “lord” over others or to “lead” them? Christ led by the example of his character. His words, “Come follow me,” challenged others—like Peter and Andrew, James and John—to change how they thought about themselves, their lives, their work, and their world. Jesus led by the example of his character, bringing his words to life by his actions and inspired others to do the same. We also are capable of leading others as we allow the dynamic force of the virtue present in our character to be unleashed as we change how we think about ourselves, our lives, our work, and our world as we allow virtue to define our character and as we respond wholeheartedly to the Lord call, “Come, follow me.” This is how we—as Catholic leaders—will change our culture.
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HOMILY
