Readings:
Zechariah 9:9-10
Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14
Romans 8:9, 11-13
Matthew 11:25-30
A Humble and Gentle Leader
Leadership demands a disposition to carry through the responsibility to inspire the feeling of self-worth in others that enhances wellbeing for individuals in relationship with one another in the society. Then, the multifaceted nature of human relationships in a social system makes the presence of a charismatic leader such a vital component of the experience of a harmonious and peaceful coexistence in a society. In the prophecy of Zechariah, the children of Israel lived in the joyous presence of a leader who saves and leads with humility thereby establishing the social structures of peace and ending hostilities (v 9). Such a humble and gentle leader leads everyone in the society to embrace their self-worth and the vitality that builds up a humane society of shared interests and respect for the human person. The prophet speaks of the virtuous life of such a leader to include a life of humility, meekness and conscious presence to everyone in the society (v 9; Matt 11:29).
The prophet further added to the character of this humble and gentle leader by naming the means with which he gets around the community, reaching the people he was chosen to lead. The leader rides on a donkey thereby showcasing the simplicity and humility with which he leads the people to experience peace and harmony with one another (v 9). His leadership qualities and his means of transportation show that a period of peace and harmony have been established and no more hostilities, conflict and warfare. This is evident in the leader’s commitment to banish chariots, horses and ammunition -the machineries of war- from the land (v 10).
We learn from the First Reading that leadership must be based on the vision to establish the rule of peace because peaceful existence allows for the encounter of transformation among one another. This is the model of leadership that engages what is best of the human spirit in order to grow and flourish. By destroying the machineries of war and bringing to an end the hostilities among nations and peoples, the leader in the First Reading is one whose reign promotes the goodness of humankind for the sake of a harmonious living experience among all.
In the Gospel Reading, Jesus Christ is identified with the same image of a humble and gentle leader as the evangelist presents the summons of Jesus Christ to believers to identify with his leadership for a peaceful life. By representing the model of leadership in the prophecy of Zechariah, Jesus Christ promises an easy and just workload for anyone who is burdened by the labors of daily life (v 28). Jesus Christ inaugurates a labor policy that places the human person over mass production while at the same time offering better labor conditions for efficiency. This labor policy recognizes that “work remains a fundamental dimension of human experience, for not only is it a means of sustenance, but it is also a context for expression, relationship and contributing to the community” as Pope Leo XIV notes in Maginifica Humanitas. Notice that just as in the prophecy of Zechariah, likewise in the Gospel of Matthew the words of Jesus Christ present a vision of human condition that eliminates the anxiety of daily living and the discrepancies in labor policies and workload (v 29).
To experience rest that Jesus Christ offers (v 29), and to live with the feeling of joy and happiness as a result of the leadership of the servant leader in the prophecy of Zechariah (v 9) remind us of the future promise of God in the everlasting kingdom which fulfillment believers await. However, the Readings for this Sunday invite us to promote in society today good leadership that creates the conditions for human progress and flourishing through enabling social policies that prioritize the development of the human person. This Sunday’s Readings enjoin leaders to shun what Pope Leo XIV in Magnifica Humanitas calls the culture of power that diminishes the dignity of the human person and the common good, but instead normalizes the tragedies of war and the collateral damage to human and social life. Today every good and transformative leader ought to heed the words of Pope Francis in Fratelii Tutti to embrace the model of leadership that leads others in the common pursuit of goodness, promotion of peaceful coexistence for all, just labor conditions and the elimination of inequalities. Indeed, let us remember from the Readings today that good leadership is a vocation that embraces the common good and social charity.
Rev. Ferdinand Okorie, CMF