A SERIOUS PROBLEM - A MOST PRESSING NEED

 

SOME THOUGHTS ON SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP

Rev. Ronald Knott

What matters is that one is being created anew.

Galatians 6:15

If you think “spiritual leadership” is about parish management techniques, you are wrong. Spiritual leadership is not the same as parish management, the focus of most Catholic books on the practice of ministry in recent years.

An e-mail I received from a woman friend in Massachusetts a few years ago says it all. “Our parish is going to have an opportunity for spiritual growth with (our new pastor) and I could not be happier. (The former pastor) was more of a businessman than a spiritual leader, which was good for building the big complex and paying off the mortgage, but it left so many (spiritually) dry. This change will be good.”  

Spiritual leadership operates on the emotional and spiritual resources of the organization, on its values, commitments, and aspirations. Management, by contrast, operates on the on the physical resources of the organization, on its capital, human skills, raw materials, and technology. As the management guru, Peter Drucker has said, “Management is doing things right; leadership is about doing the right thing.” If that is true, then it is much easier, for example, to balance a budget or build a gym than it is to lead people into a deeper level of discipleship. Leading people into a deeper level of discipleship is what spiritual leadership is all about.

It is not enough for a spiritual leader to be personally holy, even though a person responsible for leading others spiritually ought to possess it in the highest degree. Anyone who accepts responsibility for leading others to holiness should have already learned the self-discipline necessary for personal holiness. St. Bonaventure reminds us in his THE SIX WINGS OF THE SERAPH, that having already learned to live a holy life as an individual Christian, spiritual leaders must learn how to exercise authority over other Christians in a way that will be useful to them.  Certainly they need to have certain virtues in order to conduct their own lives without reproach, but they also need to have additional virtues as well: the ability to humbly obey those who exercise leadership over them as well as the ability to give worthwhile spiritual direction to the people under their care.

Neither is it enough for spiritual leaders to seek holiness, their own or others, as if it were simply quantitative, a set of calculated ascetical and devotional practices that will result in the desired outcome. Real spirituality is first and foremost about embracing the mystery of God in oneself and others. As Jesus taught the Scribes and Pharisees, real spirituality is about metanoia, a change of heart or a new way of thinking, not merely checking off a list of pious practices or simply following the established rules of the church. It has always been easier to count prayers and display religious conformity than it is to become a “new creation.” 

What, then, is “spiritual leadership?” Spiritual leadership is ultimately influence, the ability of one person to influence another through invitation, persuasion, example and the skillful use of the Church’s rite and rituals to move from where they are to where God wants them to be.

God is working throughout the world to achieve his purposes and to advance his kingdom. God’s concern is not to advance leaders’ dreams and goals nor to join in their agendas nor to bless their efforts. Neither do not try to satisfy the goals and ambitions of the people they lead, but rather those of the God they serve. Spiritual leaders seek God’s will and then marshal the people they lead to do his will. 

Leaders may entertain, impress or even motivate people, but if there is no spiritual growth in the people they lead, their leadership comes from the leader’s talent, but not necessarily from God. When spiritual leaders have done their jobs, people around them have encountered God and do his will.  The spiritual leader’s primary task is to work with God to encourage the faith of others. Spiritual leaders allow God to use them in his work to transform people into better disciples. When someone leads in the Spirit’s power, lives are changed. Spiritual leadership is about influence in helping make Christ real to others.

Unlike secular leadership, which is something to which people can aspire, spiritual leadership is assigned by God. Spiritual leaders are not elected, appointed, or created by personnel boards. God alone makes them. One does not become a spiritual leader by merely filling an office, taking course work on the subject or resolving in one’s own will to do this task. People do not become spiritual leaders unless God calls them to this role and equips them for it.

Spiritual leadership is far from magic because “grace builds on nature.” This means, in part, that a certain level of human effort is necessary in order for grace to do its work of transforming a person chosen by God into a skilled spiritual leader. The Parable of the Talents reminds us that even the gifts God bestows on us must be “invested.” God’s call to spiritual leadership may be instant, but developing spiritual leadership skills require years of focused attention and prayer. One does not become a spiritual leader by simply dabbling in it, but through a deliberate intention to master the skills needed. “Intention” comes from the Latin word “intendere,” means to “reach for” or “stretch toward.”

One of my favorite quotes on this kind of commitment is from W. H. Murray. “Until one of committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans” that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meeting and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would come his way.” (The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, J. M. Dent, London, 1951) Jesus calls and equips, but a spiritual leader must answer that call and be skillful in using the equipping that God offers. 

Natural leadership qualities are an important component of spiritual leadership. These natural talents may be God given, but they must be called forth, trained and used for spiritual leadership. In the area that seminaries call “human formation,” spiritual leaders must develop certain qualities that God can build on and work with. He must, among others things, be able to:

·         master his appetites

·         remain calm in crises and resilient in disappointment

·         think independently

·         handle criticism

·         triumph over set-backs

·         demonstrate strength, not power

·         reconcile differences

·         induce people to do something they would not otherwise do

·         take opposition without taking offense

·         trust people

·         say ‘thank you”

·         make and keep friends

·         have an ease in the presence of strangers and superiors

·         show and interest in, and a concern for, all types and races of people

·         be tactful and steady

·         demonstrate an ability to forgive

·         be optimistic

·         welcome responsibility

·         keep a secret

·         get over demanding perfection of self and others

·         adapt to various audiences

·         be above reproach

·         enjoy a good reputation

·         possess an unquestioned personal morality

·         teach

·         be actively considerate

·         manage his own affairs

·         be spiritually mature

·         possess a magnanimous spirit and broad vision

·         finish a job, especially a difficult job

 

Even though spiritual leadership is a gift, accepting such a gift it is hardly ever easy. “My son, if you wish to serve the Lord, be ready for a battle.” (Sirach 2:1-6) When God finds a person who is ready to lead, to commit to full discipleship and to take responsibility for others, that person is used to the limit. Because of that, spiritual leadership has always required strength and faith beyond the merely human. Gideon asked God, “How can I do what you have called me to do?” “I will be with you,” God answered. Psalm 80:18 says, “May your hand be on the one you have chosen, the one you have given your strength.”

Spiritual leadership may be difficult, but it is worth the sacrifice. One can find great comfort in the encouraging, yet challenging, words of George Bernard Shaw. “The true joy of life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are being thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” 

Spiritual leadership, since it is a gift, must neither be strident nor flamboyant. A real spiritual leader conducts a ministry that is self-effacing, encouraging, quiet, unobtrusive, sympathetic and merciful. A true spiritual leader lives the words written about Jesus, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.”

A true spiritual leader never gives into pessimism because he knows that God has already seen that the end will be victorious. The kingdom will come, not because of us, but in spite of us.

True spiritual leaders never abandon those they lead because they refuse to follow or blame them when they do not behave as they should behave. Rather, they step back and work on their skills to influence, induce and mobilize.  Rejection can be a sign that the leader is on the right path, but it can also be a sign of serious personality defects on the part of the leader.

Spiritual leaders in name only, people who make no difference in people’s lives, are not actually spiritual leaders. Spiritual leadership is ultimately not measured by position or title or even ordination, but results. The test of a spiritual leader is whether those under his care have grown in their discipleship.

As a reaction to the authoritarianism of the pre- Vatican II church, a style of spiritual leadership, leadership from the rear, became popular in the post-Vatican II church. Those who chaffed under too much control in the pre-Vatican II church wanted freedom.  As a result, a sort of abdication of leadership became popular. In reaction, those who crave order and fall apart in the presence of pluralism want to go back to the imagined security of the past.

Why should we have to choose between dictators and wimps? Why not leaders who exude strength and character? Consultation, consensus building and power sharing are good and even necessary, but a spiritual leader cannot lead from the rear. “If the trumpet is uncertain, who will prepare for war?” Spiritual leaders are called to be real leaders, not merely chairpersons.

Vision, and its communication through word and deed, is what pastoral leadership is all about. Pastoral leadership communicates the vision of the kingdom to come constantly: in preaching, in face-to-face conversation and personal example. The spiritual leader must convince people that he believes the Good News, is excited about it and personally puts it into practice.

The kingdom, here and to come, is the vision. A spiritual leader’s task is to inspire people to reach for it, through word and deed. His job is to hold the congregation, without wavering, to the vision of the God’s kingdom, here and to come. People naturally want to belong to, and support, a church that knows who it is and what God wants it to do.

People want to be challenged and encouraged, not condemned or belittled. As I heard a Baptist minister say, “Before you can correct, you have to connect.” People want their vision lifted to higher sights, their performance to a higher level, their personalities stretched beyond normal limitations. The reasons people leave the church are: not understanding, and being personally connected to, the central message of the gospel; not being treated with respect and dignity by church leaders; being prevented from offering their gifts and talents; not being listened to; and not being rewarded with more responsibility.

In reaction to an indiscriminate and uncritical acceptance of secular leadership theory by some church leaders, other church leaders, especially the younger ones, reject any and all secular leadership principles. This is a sad fact because many of the “modern’ leadership principles currently being espoused are, in fact, biblical principles. They must be read critically, but much can be learned from them.

Likewise, many young church leaders will not read “Protestant” leadership material. This too is a sad fact, because “some, even very many, of the most significant elements or endowments which together go to build up and give life to the Church herself can exist outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church. Whatever is wrought by the grace of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of our separated brethren can contribute to our own edification” (The Documents of Vatican II, Walter M. Abbott, S.J., general editor and Msgr. Joseph Gallagher, translation editor, Guild Press, New York, 1966,  “Document on Ecumenism,” chapter 1) A true spiritual leader will be open to learning from many sources. The truth is the truth no matter who speaks it. 

Where do priests begin when they want to improve their spiritual leadership skills? They begin with their own relationship with God. Spiritual leadership ability grows in direct proportion to one’s own spiritual growth. As spiritual leaders grow, they increase their capacity to lead. As they increase their capacity to lead, those they lead are empowered to grow proportionately. The best thing spiritual leaders can do for their people is to grow personally. As leaders commit to their own personal growth and learning, they become ever better vehicles for carrying out God’s work. Pope John Paul II said it well, “All formation, including priestly formation, is ultimately self-formation.”

 

 

 

A PAINFUL BREAKDOWN BEFORE A WELCOMED BREAKTHROUGH

 

With eyes downcast and hopes dashed, two disciples headed out of town for the

town of Emmaus, discussing among themselves all the things that had just happened.

Luke 24

This gospel story, by the way, is the gospel story that was read at my "First Mass." Fifty-three years later, it still speaks to me in a very powerful way. It still reminds me that things are not always as bad as they may appear on the surface. In fact, today's gospel is yet another version of the "empty tomb" story we read on Easter Sunday - another example of a great big breakdown preceding a big breakthrough. 

In this story, it is Sunday evening and two disciples are walking away from Jerusalem. With eyes cast down, they are dragging their feet in a depression toward a small town called Emmaus. Some commentators believe they may have been a married couple - the disciples Cleophas and his unnamed wife.  Jesus had died a humiliating death just three days before. Earlier that very morning, some women had returned from the tomb, claiming that the tomb was empty and that they had seen some angels who had told them that Jesus was alive! Obviously, these two either had not heard the "good news" about Jesus' resurrection or had dismissed such reports as just the wishful thinking of distraught women friends.

“We had hoped,” they told the mysterious stranger. “We had hoped that Jesus was going to be the Messiah, but obviously we were duped. It did not pan out as we were expecting. We were hoping and now we have no hope. We just had to get away from the whole scene. We are disappointed. We were badly misled. We are angry. We don’t have any idea what to do next, but we are certainly not going to be taken in again by this latest bit of crazy news. “Hurt me once, shame on you! Hurt me twice, shame on me!”

This story symbolizes all people who have had their hopes dashed. Just as our church has been doing for the last several years, these two demoralized disciples pour out their despair, their anger, their sadness and their resentment. This mysterious stranger listens and then begins to review the scriptures, reminding them that God has always intervened to save his people when they hit bottom.

As they walk along, Jesus goes over story after story from the scriptures and shows them how God had always come to their rescue and could even overcome the death of their master. As these two demoralized disciples listened, Jesus made his case. The fire in their hearts that had all but died out, was fanned into flame again. Little by little, their eyes were opened by the explanation of Scripture and in the breaking of the bread. They came to understand that this stranger was indeed Jesus himself! Having left the gathered disciples back in Jerusalem a few hours earlier, they rushed back to rejoin the faith community who had their own stories of restored hope to share.

We, as a church, are still in a depression. We are still sharing our anger, resentment and sadness at all that has happened to us in the last few years. This Easter, in the midst of all these dashed hopes, we 21st century disciples gather again to share the scriptures and break the bread, hoping that we will recognize the presence of Jesus and have our faith renewed and our hope restored. Renewed by this Easter faith, maybe some of those who have left our faith community will, like these two disciples, someday soon get up and come back to rejoin our faith community again. If they do, they may be surprised to find out that more than 150,000 new members a year have joined us each Easter across the country through baptism and profession of faith.

One of my favorite ways to explain the message of Easter is an image I discovered many years ago.  In that image, the church is pictured as a gigantic egg. We woke up a few years ago to realize that this egg was covered with fine cracks. Each year the cracks have seemed to get bigger and bigger. Some people have simply walked away from it as they would a hopeless case. Others have been hysterically running around with ropes and tape and ladders trying to glue it all back together.

Having raised chickens as a child, I know that there is a better response that we need to make! We can stand back and let it hatch! The cracking egg shell is not a sign of death, but a sign of new a chick being born!  I know from experience that the dumbest thing you can do in a hatching process is to tape the shell shut!  Easter reminds us that the church is not falling apart, but giving birth. The church is not dying, it is being reborn and renewed. Breakdown is a sign of an imminent breakthrough. There is no birth and renewal without pain. Ask any woman who has given birth!  

The Easter message is both simple and profound: in the long run, no matter what you are facing (cancer, addiction, divorce or even the loss of a loved one), there is absolutely no reason to lose hope when one puts one's trust in the one who conquered death and rose again! He promised us, in the process, that good will ultimately triumph over evil when all is said and done!  

I will end by quoting the words of one of those old gospel songs I heard a few weeks ago, entitled “Joy Comes in the Morning”

If you’ve knelt beside the rubble of an aching broken heart,

When the things you gave your life to fell apart,

You’re not the first to be acquainted with sorrow, grief or pain,

But the Master promised sunshine after rain.

Hold on my child! Hold on my child!

Weeping only lasts for the night.

Hold on my child! Hold on my child!

The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight!

"When the things you gave your life to fell apart?" "The Master promised sunshine after rain?" Yes, it is true, it is darkest right before the dawn.  There is always a great breakdown before a great breakthrough. There is no resurrection without a death!  That's why real Christians never give up! No matter what happens! They never give up!          

                          

                                 

FROM AN OVERLOAD OF TECHNOLOGY, DELIVER US O LORD!

 

A WELL-TRAINED DOG FOR SURE

after opening, click on full screen on bottom right

 

HELP GIVE YOUTH A LIFE-CHANGING RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE!

I announced a couple of years ago that I had finished my work in the Caribbean Missions of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). Because of COVID and their volcano eruption, I decided to end my trips down there so as to focus on building the Saint Theresa Family Life Center up here in my home parish which, for the most part, is now 99% successfully completed.  

One of the most effective projects we were able to sponsor in my years in the Caribbean Missions was sending several youth to World Youth Day in Poland. It was truly "life changing" for those who went. Many of them had never been off their island, flown on an airplane, seen a Pope from a distance or imagined meeting so many young Catholics. 

I know from my own early years as a priest just how "life changing" such events can be for young adults when I made four trips to Taize, France, where I got to meet thousands of young adults from all over the world during a similar religious experience. (That's me below standing among international students in Taize, France, fifty some years ago.) 

 

JULY 26-31, 2023 in LISBON, PORTUGAL

I was asked a month or two ago if I could help sponsor a few young adults from my beloved island nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines who wanted to go to this year's World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal. Even though I thought I had moved on from "island ministry," I weakened. Myself and three friends have so far worked toward sponsoring four young people from SVG. 

                   

FATHER ALANDO - Cathedral Rector SVG - partially-sponsored

KIMBERLEY - Works in the SVG Catholic Pastoral Centre Finance Office - fully sponsored

TADU - Youngest Son of the SVG Catholic Pastoral Center's Cook - fully sponsored

 

JELANI - SVG Diocesan Cathedral Musician -  fully sponsored

Because of the poverty in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, there are other youth who would like to go, but can only dream of being able to go to such a "life changing and personally uplifting" religious event. 

If you would like to join the four of us in helping with this amazing missionary effort and maybe sending one or two more island youth to World Youth Day 2023 (July 26-31), let me know. The cost is a minimum of $2,100.00 each, but any part of that would help. That includes fees, food, lodging and airfare from St. Vincent to the neighboring country of Saint Lucia, then on to London (England) and then on to Lisbon (Portugal) and then back home after their 6 day religious experience. It's a deal! They are certainly getting "a lot of bang for our bucks." It will be a life-changing, eye opening religious experience for some deserving youth who usually never have a chance for such opportunities. I am excited for them. I am helping to financially support this effort personally because I was one of them back in the 1970s when some generous people helped me go to youth gatherings in Taize, France! 

MAKE YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE CHECKS OUT TO:

St. Bartholomew Church SVG Mission Fund

(The Diocese of Kingstown SVG has a bank account at St. Bartholomew Church in Miramar, FL for US tax purposes.)

SEND YOUR CHECKS TO ME FOR DEPOSIT IN THEIR ACCOUNT:

I can make deposits in their account at any local TRUIST BANK. I have some of their deposit slips.

Rev. Ronald Knott

1271 Parkway Gardens Court #106

Louisville, KY 40217

HONEST DOUBT IS A PART OF FAITH

“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the 

nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

John 20:19-31

One of the things that happens when you read the Bible on a regular basis, like I am required to do, is that even familiar passages are always speaking to you in new ways. It happened again a couple of years ago when I read a text from the Gospel of Matthew, 28:16-20, that I had read many times. It was the story right before Jesus' ascention into heaven. That was the first time I noticed the words, “When the eleven remaining disciples saw Jesus after his resurrection, they worshiped even as they doubted.”

“They worshiped Jesus even when they doubted?” That’s pretty much the opposite of what we do. When we doubt, we quit worshiping. We assume that worshiping is only for believers. People, in our experience, who doubt quit worshiping! So why would these disciples worship Jesus, if they had doubts about Him? Why would the writer even include their doubts in the story?

The first thing many people assume about faith is that doubt is the opposite of faith. Not true! Honest doubt is not the opposite of faith. There is faith even in honest doubt.  Honest doubt is actually an integral part of faith. When Matthew tells us that the disciples “worshipped even when they doubted,” he wants us to know this basic principle: honest doubt was part of the faith, even for those who were closest to Jesus.

The Easter stories that we have been reading are a mixture of faith and doubt. The disciples are presented as very skeptical about Mary Magdalen’s report about seeing Jesus alive on that first Easter Sunday. Thomas, flat-out refused to believe until he saw Jesus with his own eyes and touched Jesus with his own hands.  On the road to Emmaus, other disciples were astounded by the report of Jesus being seen alive and did not recognize him walking right beside them on the road. Even after many reports, even after having seen him themselves, they worshipped, even as they doubted. Yes, the message is simple: faith is never black and white, all or nothing, but always mixed with a good measure of healthy doubt.  Doubt does not necessarily mean you don’t have faith. Doubt probably means that you do have faith!

“They worshiped, even as they doubted.”  The bigger question than whether doubt is part of faith, is what do you do when you doubt. Many, when they doubt, think they should absent themselves from prayer and worship until faith returns or becomes strong again. They say to themselves, “It is hypocritical for me to pretend to believe when I really don’t believe. When I start believing again, when my faith is strong again, then it will make sense for me to start praying and worshipping again.” That may sound good, even reasonable, but that’s not how it works! The story of the doubting St. Thomas has a lot to teach us. Thomas says in today's gospel, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Even in his doubt, Thomas did was pretty much the opposite of what we do when we have doubts. He kept going back to the community. When we doubt, we quit joining the community. We assume that joining the faith community is only for those who believe, for those without doubt. People, in our experience, who doubt quit joining the worshiping community! Not St. Thomas! He kept joining them, even when he doubted, until he believed!

As the doubting disciples teach us today, what really works is for us to worship even when we doubt, to worship until we believe.  Like a coal, pulled away from a heap of burning coals, that soon loses its heat, a doubter separated from the community of believers soon loses even more of his faith. A faith community strengthens faith and a doubting community strengthens doubt.

“They worshipped, even as they doubted.”  This may be yet another version of the great truth: “fake it till you make it.” Even though Alcoholics Anonymous made that idea famous, it actually goes back to the ancient Roman poet, Ovid who said, “Pretend to what is not, and then you’ll become in truth, what you are pretending to be.”  The great philosopher William James put it this way, “Act as if and the mind will produce your desire.” The idea is, if you take something that feels impossible, or at least completely unnatural, and pretend that it is the easiest, most natural things on the world for you to be doing, eventually, it will become as easy as you have been pretending it to be!

I practice this often in my own life. (1) As many of you know from me talking about my history, I grew up pretty much crippled by bashfulness. Bashful people find it painful to be in public situations. To cope, they are driven to avoid public situations as much as possible. This is a sure way to keep bashfulness going. The solution is to get out in public as much as possible, faking confidence, until one day you wake up and find out that you are no longer bashful.  The only way out of the fear of public speaking is to “fake it till you make it,” to do public speaking until you are no longer afraid to speak in front of crowds.  You cannot think your way out of bashfulness, you have to act your way out of bashfulness. (2) When I was sent to southeastern Kentucky as a newly ordained priest against my will, somehow I was able to open my mind to “faking it till I made it.” I decided, since I did not get what I wanted, I would act as if I wanted what I got until I was able to really want what I got. It worked. Those ten years were wonderful years in many, many ways. I “acted as if” it was a great assignment until it actually became a great assignment.        

"They worshiped, even as they doubted.”  My friends, all of us have a good measure of doubt, even as we believe. The secret to making sure that the scales do not tip too far to the doubt side, is to keep joining the community like St. Thomas, to act as if we believe until we believe, to pray our way out of doubt, to worship until we “feel like worshiping.” So, when you are tempted to drop out because “I don’t get anything out of it” or “I’m not into it today,” that is when you really need to get into it, that is when you really need to act as if you are getting something out of it until you get something out of it.  Yes, even believers sometimes have to “fake it till they make it.”