Readings:
Isaiah 22:19-23
Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8
Romans 11:33-36
Matthew 16:13-20
I remember the times when I was in the crowd at a swearing in ceremony or an installation of a new leader and the oath of office was administered as the one entrusted with leadership publicly invoked divine assistance. At these ceremonies, it is common to hear the invocation of divine help in this or similar words: So help me God. Such an utterance is in fact a conscious invocation of divine assistance by one taking the oath of office or celebrating the ritual of installation into an office. It reveals the conviction that God is the inspiration behind every successful leadership. There are situations when God played a significant role in the choice of a leader; and the first reading is one of such occasions. God shows divine commitment to appoint competent leaders for God’s people, and to remove a leader who has lost the support to lead. Obviously, the change in leadership happened because the incumbent was ineffective in leading God’s people. God called the successor a servant leader, emphasizing the important place service occupies in every successful leadership (Isaiah 22:19).
The opportunity to lead is the same as the invitation to serve for the good and wellbeing of those directly impacted by the actions of a leader. This is because good leadership manifests in the flourishing of the people. Just as Eliakam in the first reading, likewise in the gospel, Elijah was a servant of God who defended the voiceless and powerless, and the religious tradition of the people of God against coercive policy to embrace a foreign religion (I Kings 21:17-19; 18:36). Also, Jeremiah, whose leadership qualities were compared with that of Jesus, stood up against false prophecy and misinformation (Jer 28:15). He spoke truth to power, refusing to cower for fear of persecution (Jer 38:6). He eventually joined the people into exile in Egypt (Jer 43:6-7). Similarly, John the Baptist was a servant of God who gave voice to the excessive use of power and coercion by anyone in authority (Matt 3:7-8). He earned the admiration of everyone who looked up to him for the values that build up one’s character in the society.
It is for these reasons that the expectations of the people that Jesus’ leadership will mimic the leadership of Elijah or Jeremiah or John the Baptist is not without merit. They have noticed in the ministry of Jesus the same charismatic leadership that these leaders before him possessed. But as a leader Jesus offers much more by giving his life on the cross for humanity. By directing a personal question to his disciples, Jesus invites them to name their experience of him because they have followed him in his ministry (Matt 16:15). Peter’s profession of Jesus’ identity was in character. Upon naming Jesus’ identity, Peter consequently received the mandate to lead: to be the rock upon which the Church stands (v 18). Peter remained an ardent and steady leader of the Church, living up to his pledge of an unconditional love for Jesus Christ as a shepherd of Jesus’ flock (John 21:15-17).
The response of Peter teaches us that to gain knowledge of Jesus’s identity would certainly lead to the invitation to replicate in one’s life the same leadership qualities that Jesus possessed. In fact, our relationship with Christ demands that we follow him to build a world for the wellbeing of all and establish a relationship with one another on the basis of service of love. This Sunday’s readings invite us to discern how Christ is calling us to be authentically present in the world, bringing our gifts and experiences to support the growth and development of every child of God. This is because our closeness to Christ like Peter’s invites us to reproduce “in our lives the various aspects of Christ earthly life” as Pope Francis said in Gaudete et Exsultate. Those aspects of Christ’s earthly life include to be visibly present and contribute to a better social life for all, to be closer and attentive to the needs of others, especially those in a challenging social condition, and to lead others to attain the goodness of human life.
When our vision of leadership is grounded on our closeness to Christ then we can recognize in our actions the summons to act as Jesus expects from his disciples. Therefore, let us see the roles we occupy in the lives of others as an invitation to lead them to be in touch with their own agency in our collective work of building a humane society.
Ferdinand Okorie, CMF