ST JOSEPH
Speaking to the crowd and to his disciples, Jesus declared: "You have only one Father" (Mt 23:9). There is but one fatherhood, that of God the Father, the one Creator of the world, "of all that is seen and unseen". Yet man, created in the image of God, has been granted a share in this one paternity of God (cf. Eph 3:15). Saint Joseph is a striking case of this, since he is a father, without fatherhood according to the flesh. He is not the biological father of Jesus, whose Father is God alone, and yet he lives his fatherhood fully and completely. To be a father means above all to be at the service of life and growth. Saint Joseph, in this sense, gave proof of great devotion. For the sake of Christ he experienced persecution, exile and the poverty which this entails. He had to settle far from his native town. His only reward was to be with Christ. His readiness to do all these things illustrates the words of Saint Paul: "It is Christ the Lord whom you serve" (Col 3:24).
What is important is not to be a useless servant, but rather a "faithful and wise servant". The pairing of the two adjectives is not by chance. It suggests that understanding without fidelity, and fidelity without wisdom, are insufficient. One quality alone, without the other, would not enable us to assume fully the responsibility which God entrusts to us.
Dear brother priests, you are called to live out this fatherhood in the daily tasks of your ministry. In the words of the conciliar Constitution Lumen Gentium: "As their fathers in Christ, priests should care for the faithful whom they have spiritually begotten by Baptism and instruction" (No. 28). If this is the case, how can we not continually return to the very foundation of our priesthood, the Lord Jesus Christ? Our personal relationship with Jesus is constitutive of the way we wish to live our lives. He has called us his friends because everything which he learned from the Father he has made known to us (cf. Jn 15:15). In living out this deep friendship with Christ you will discover true freedom and deep joy.
The ministerial priesthood entails a profound relationship with Christ who is given to us in the Eucharist. Let the celebration of the Eucharist be truly the centre of your priestly lives; in this way it will also be the centre of your ecclesial mission. Throughout our lives Christ calls us to share in his mission, to be his witnesses, so that his word may be proclaimed to all. In celebrating this sacrament in the Lord’s name and in his person, the person of the priest cannot occupy centre stage; he is a servant, a humble instrument pointing to Christ, who offers himself in sacrifice for the salvation of the world. As Jesus teaches us, "the leader must become as one who serves" (Lk 22:26).
Origen writes that "Joseph understood that Jesus was superior to him even as he submitted to him, and, knowing the superiority of his charge, he commanded him with respect and moderation. Everyone should reflect on this: frequently a lesser man is placed over people who are greater, and it happens at times that an inferior is more worthy than the one who appears to be set above him. If a person of greater dignity understands this, then he will not be puffed up with pride because of his higher rank; he will know that his inferior may well be superior to him, even as Jesus was subject to Joseph" (Homily on Saint Luke XX, 5; S.C. p. 287).
(Benedict XVI, Reflection on St Joseph, Vespers, Cameroon, 18 March 2009)
5 attributes of inspirational leaders
John Maxwell
The Sahara plays tricks on the eyes of its travelers. As the desert sun beats down on the sand, heat waves rise from the ground. Light bends as it passes through the superheated air, painting illusory pictures on the horizon. To thirsty travelers moving through the Sahara, it often appears as if an oasis looms in the distance. However, as the voyagers journey on, the oasis proves to be nothing more than a mirage.
Unfortunately, the ranks of leadership are inhabited by a host of mirages: People who look impressive from a distance, but end up being disappointments. After being fooled by a few mirages, followers become jaded about leadership. That seems as true now as it ever has been. Our trust in leaders has been shaken as politicians have reneged on promises, CEOs have squandered money entrusted to their firms and managers have advanced self-interests above all else.
To restore society’s confidence with those in power, leaders have to be able to inspire. I’m not talking about inspiring someone to buy into the corporate vision statement, to meet quarterly sales goals, or to work more efficiently. These aren’t bad things, but right now, people are looking for a leader attuned to their personal needs. They want leaders who will encourage them, believe in their potential and help them grow.
Attitude of service
To be an inspirational leader, you must adopt an attitude of service toward those you lead. This requires laying aside selfish interests to add value to another person. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” When you serve, you awaken something magnetic inside of you. People are drawn to follow you because they know you’ll find ways to make them better.
Affirmation
To inspire means to have a positive view of others. If we’re not careful, we become fault-finders, magnifying the flaws in everyone around us. Instead, leaders should emulate gold prospectors — always on the lookout for potential gold mines. When they find traces of ore, prospectors assume there’s a rich vein to unearth, and they start digging. In the same fashion, leaders ought to search for the best traits within a person and commit to uncovering them.
One of the best applications of this idea is expressed in what I call the 101-percent principle: Find the one thing that you believe is a person’s greatest asset, and then give 100-percent encouragement in that area. Focusing on a person’s strengths inspires them by promoting confidence, growth and success.
Attentiveness
Great inspirers know the desires of those they lead. As much as people respect the knowledge and ability of their leaders, these are secondary concerns for them. They don’t care how much their leaders know until they know how much their leaders care. When leaders attend to the deeply felt needs of their team, the determination and commitment of each team member skyrockets.
Availability
Leaders inspire by intentionally investing time in the people they lead. They make themselves available. People cannot be nurtured from a distance or by infrequent spurts of attention. They need a leader to spend time with them — planned time, not just a conversation in passing.
In our fast-paced and demanding world, time is a leader’s most precious commodity. While it feels costly to give up, nothing communicates that you value a person more than the gift of your time. In addition, investing time to develop others has a way of reaping dividends. As Ralph Waldo Emerson remarked, “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”
Authenticity
To inspire, leaders have to be genuine. More than anything else, followers want to believe in and trust their leaders. However, when leaders break promises or fail to honor commitments, they reveal themselves as being inauthentic and they lose credibility. Trust rests upon a foundation of authenticity. To gain trust, a leader must consistently align words and deeds, while showing a degree of transparency.
Summary
Inspirational leadership can be confused with momentary charisma. I prefer to think about inspiring as more of a process than an event. More than a brilliant speech, it is cultivating habits of brilliance that manifest themselves daily. By modeling the five attributes of an inspiring leader, I trust that you’ll win the respect of those you lead and earn the right to influence them.
Never be fond of playing the superior or the master. I do not agree with one who said to me, a few days ago, that in order to rule well and to maintain authority it is necessary to let everyone see that you are the master. Our Lord Jesus Christ never spoke in this way; He taught us quite the contrary, by word and example, telling us that He had come not to be served but to serve others and that he who would be master must be the servant of all. [p. 109]
(St Vincent de Paul. From Jacques Delarue, The Holiness of Vincent de Paul, Geoffrey Chapman Ltd, London 1960, 132 pp)
How to face the difficulties in one's assignment
St Vincent de Paul to a superior: “The difficulties that you find in your position of authority are not signs that it is not good; on the contrary, our Lord means to show that it is good, since He is putting it to the test. (…) If you had nothing to suffer as superior you would be very happy, but you will be happier still if you stand firm in times of tribulation, for the love of our Lord who set you in this position; and if your humility leads you to think that someone else could stand up to it better than you, your charity should persuade you that it is up to you to put up with it rather than throw the burden off onto another. I have already asked you to be patient, and I ask you again.” [p. 71]
(St Vincent de Paul. From Jacques Delarue, The Holiness of Vincent de Paul, Geoffrey Chapman Ltd, London 1960, 132 pp)
As for your insistence to be relieved of your position, you should reflect on how you began in it and how God has blessed you in it, and so (…) you should bear it with courage and when in difficulty, trust in Him. That is what I ask of you, until his divine goodness should arrange matters otherwise. [pp. 70-71]
(St Vincent de Paul. From Jacques Delarue, The Holiness of Vincent de Paul, Geoffrey Chapman Ltd, London 1960, 132 pp)
As for saying that you have a certain liking for superior, why, I hardly dare think such a thing! Alas! That is not the way to be happy. Those who are burdened with office groan under the load(…). You know, Monsieur, that God's gifts are various and that he shares them out as he sees fit; one man is a scholar, but not fit to govern; another is progressing towards holiness but is not good at leading others; and consequently it is for divine Providence to call us to the work for which he has given us the talent and not for us to feel inclined towards this or that (…). [pp. 69-70]
(St Vincent de Paul. From Jacques Delarue, The Holiness of Vincent de Paul, Geoffrey Chapman Ltd, London 1960, 132 pp)
You are there for your Sisters--the Sisters are not there for you. You must be ready for any sacrifice--so to say, to be eaten up by your Sisters. You may sometimes feel great loneliness--but this is one of the sacrifices you can make for your Sisters. It often happens that those who spend their time giving light to others remain in darkness themselves.
(Blessed Mother Teresa, Letter to superiors, Come Be My Light, p 248)