Reflection for Saturday, February 4, 2012: 4th week in Ordinary Time.
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Hamm, Dennis, S.J.
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2012-02-04
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en_US
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Today's readings give us two powerful images of great leadership. The first reading shows a young Solomon, overwhelmed with the vast number of people he has been asked to rule, praying to the Lord God appearing to him in a dream. He asks for "an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong." And the Lord responds, "Because you have asked for this-and not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right-I do as you requested. I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now." As we scan the behavior of rulers around the world, what a contrasting image of leadership we have here in the prayer of Solomon. He asks for wisdom to guide, not power to overwhelm. He looks not for ways of dominating but a heart to understand.|Those of us who have chosen to try to follow the teaching of Jesus do so because we have found in him the shepherd who has healed us and gives us a sense of direction. Most of us have found in many Christian leaders-popes, bishops, priests, parents, teachers-people who somehow mirror and mediate the servant leadership of Jesus. But we are not only members of a church; we are citizens of a country. And those of us in the US are entering a season of presidential and congressional campaigns. It may seem like an unreasonable leap to go from the topic of spiritual leadership to the domain of electoral politics. But it is a fact that, even in the secular realm of public office, we seek leaders to will look to the needs of the people and for whom the prayer of Solomon and the compassion of Jesus would not be out of place. That is why our U.S. Catholic bishops have reissued the message they published four years ago, "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship." They tell us, once again, to look for candidates who themselves demonstrate consciences attentive to the common good and whose sense of right and wrong hold up well when measured against the full spectrum of Catholic social teaching. The bishops remind us: "Unfortunately, politics in our country often can be a context of powerful interests, partisan attacks, sound bites and media hype. The Church calls for a different kind of political engagement: one shaped by the moral convictions of well-formed consciences and focused on the dignity of every human being, the pursuit of the common good, and the protection of the weak and the vulnerable." Just quoting that last sentence is enough to remind us that the current talk of campaigners and their TV ads generally strike another tone than the prayer of Solomon and the words of Jesus. It is time to read the bishops' letter again. Putting the title in a search engine-"Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship"--will take us there.
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University Ministry, Creighton University.
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These reflections may not be sold or used commercially without permission. Personal or parish use is permitted.
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Lectionary Number: 328