Perhaps the mortifying humiliation of the “Spanishflygate” can shine a light on God’s chagrin and also on today’s Gospel message. In an effort to tame this tiger of a terrible torment, the batch of leaders foisted upon a broken country is a sad reflexion of a dying man’s grip on power. In our case, the scourge of this pandemic should not be construed as God’s punishment[2] as we are trapped in a mode of governance in which plundering politicians and their patrons and proponents are keen to protect their provinces and prerogatives. We are also surrounded by commercial interests that are focused on profiting even if from human miseries.[3] And, on a larger scale, we are enveloped by an environment in which some are convinced that they have the wherewithal to mould and reshape society without reference to God. In each of these cases, a common assumption held that any voice that dared to speak against a certain orthodoxy will need to be silenced. For example, the establishment elite is “threatened” by political satire and none of them seems to recognise that at the core of power lies the principle of accountability.
Into this helplessness, the Prophet Jeremiah, in the 1st Reading, gives an assurance that God will judge the leaders; one may add, if not in this world, then in the next. We can be sure of that. But more than judgement, God promises to save His people. How wonderful to hear that the Lord Himself will shepherd His people. The days will come when God raises a virtuous Branch for David whose reign can only be true and wise. In Jesus, we have the Good Shepherd.
The day has indeed arrived. We are in the Messianic age and in the Gospel, Jesus proposes a kind of leadership for our consideration—a model of delegated stewardship. He sends the Apostles out in two and when they return, each pair gives an account of their actions. Coded into leadership are the qualities of transparency and accountability because their authority is derived from the one who gives the power. From above, power cannot be exercised in a manner authoritarian or tyrannical. From below, it is accountability. They were successful, according to their own excited retelling as they gave an account of their ministry.
We may be blessed children of the Messianic age but, sadly, we are not that different from the age of Jeremiah or the Prophets. The misery inflicted by the pandemic is testing us to the point of breaking. What aggravates our gloom is the common knowledge that many of the leaders are no better than wolves in sheep’s clothing—they only care for themselves whilst keeping the appearance of concern for the citizens. What then is left for us to do?
Apart from praying, there is a need to step up and embrace the custody of stewardship. We are servants with Christ as the model. The grace is to grow in the humility of Christ by imitating His example of ministry and service. Just this week past we marked two memorials—St Henry and St Camillus. Henry was the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. He used his political powers for the good of the Church as well to improve the administration of his realm. St Camillus founded a Religious Order dedicated to the care of sick. In the case of St Henry, even kings must know that they rule in the name of the King. In the case of St Camillus, medicine sees Christ in the face of every sick person—healing is more than just the body. It also restores the soul.
Even though rest is necessary to rejuvenate the spirit, we still find Jesus responding to human needs at every turn—like the Good Shepherd that He is. There is a sacrificial component in the service that each baptised is called to, even to the point of laying down one’s life in the service of others. Interestingly, members of the Order of St Camillus take a 4th vow of service to the sick even at the risk of one’s own life.
The dearth of servant leadership, especially amongst our political ruling class makes the examples of Ss Henry and Camillus even more captivating. They follow the footsteps of Jesus. Like them, how can we mature in true transparency and self-effacing service especially when the situation is demanding? The dilemma is we are accustomed to measure the world calculatedly. For example, all our professional standards are derived from quantifiable performance indices. Nothing is wrong with that. But, when the Apostles got back, they spoke about their work but more than that, their sharing was about God working through them. All they did was to participate in the work of Christ, in the “opus Dei”. Thus, the measures we have are not indices even if they were important. What is central to service is to embrace the world with the Heart of Christ.
It makes sense that Jesus instructs them to leave work behind, no matter how pressing, and to search for a time and space to commune with God, the author of all good works. The context for Christ’s own withdrawal to pray is not to “separate” Himself from the people. Instead, He tapped into the Father, the source of His power and strength to heal and to restore to life those who are sick in body and soul. Jesus’ action reveals that rest belongs to the rhythm of creation. In fact, the term “recreation” is evocative because we return to the Creator in order to be renewed by Him.[4]
In rest, God is acknowledged as the Saviour. The compelling challenge we face in mitigating the wretched condition of mankind is to believe that the world is “ours” to save. A “white knight syndrome” or a “saviour complex” remains the temptation of the apostle today because he or she is engaged in a world in which God is absent, not by His choice but by our banishment. It is ironical that modernity tries to shape this Messianic age into a God-free zone. But no one, except Jesus, is the Saviour of the world. Thus, the true servant follows Him. To serve Him and to be able to see Him especially in the poor and the sick would require that we spend time with Him. To know Him is to love Him, especially in those whom we serve. Thus, the higher one is in leadership, the greater the need to connect with God. The more we desire “opus Dei”, the more we need to stay close to Him.
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[1] So chimed DS Dr Adham Baba, no less, during a book launch at a university. In reference to the present pandemic, he contrasted Covid-19 with the deadly sweep of the H1N1 influenza A virus, otherwise known as the “Spanish Flu”, which resulted in deaths estimated to be between 17-100 million (according to Wikipedia). One cannot fault leaders like him as he could have been preoccupied with raging thoughts that even a porn-star would blush if they were publicly revealed. One could be charitable. Perhaps Dr Adham was hopeful because one kills (i.e., Spanish Flu), whereas the other brings the “dead” back to life (i.e., Spanish Fly).
[2] Even though God may permit this as a purification for humanity. A statement such as this sounds truly alien to our ears because we have come to believe that God’s permissive will does not harmonise with the accepted notion of a God who is benevolent. In short, a good God cannot permit such a pestilence to afflict humanity. There is no mystery left in Him.
[3] We do not know the reasons for the rejection of the AZ vaccines manufactured in India, Japan, Korea and Thailand. If they were sub-standard, why, in the first place, were they even allowed to mass-produce them? If it were just substandard manufacturing, since this is a global pandemic, why can it not be solved by stepping up? If it is not about “prejudice”, then maybe, it is plain pure profit margin that dictates whether a vaccine is “effective/acceptable” or not.
[4] We are accustomed to thinking that God created the world in 6 days, and He rested on the 7th. It may help us appreciate “rest” better to rethink that He created the world in 7 days and that rest is part of His creation. The non-utilitarian or non-functional nature of rest allows us to recognise that God is the ground of everything. Our “Sunday obligation” conceived of as a reminder of God’s centrality, sadly, in a utilitarian mindset, has become a chore or as merely on of the “duties” we have.
