This Sunday’s readings seem to be about leadership and what good leadership does and does not look like. For example, it does not look like the priests described by the prophet Malachi in the First Reading: “You have turned aside from the way and have caused many to falter by your instruction; you have made void the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts.” Ouch. Good leadership also does not look like the Pharisees as Jesus sees them: “For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen.” Whoa. Jesus calls them out too.

So, what is good leadership? Well, it’s like Paul and his companions were with the community at Thessalonica. “We were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children. With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our very selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us.” When Paul was with the community, he worked hard so that he wouldn’t burden people, and he set an example of Gospel living. So, his leadership among people looked like presence and humility, compassion and love. His leadership looked like service.

In fact, it sounds a lot like how Jesus himself describes leadership: “As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all [siblings].... Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts [themselves] will be humbled; but whoever humbles [themselves] will be exalted.” Christ’s call to leaders may be a challenging one, but it’s pretty clear – lead by serving. Don’t be showy but humble yourself and keep it real. Lead by being one with people.

Also, I’m not sure that this call is reserved only for those who hold official positions of leadership; it’s actually a call for all of us who follow Christ. As disciples, we’re all called to lead in some way. If it’s not in church ministry, it’s as parents or caregivers, neighbors and community members. Each of us, in our own context, is called to witness God’s compassion and love through our care for people. We’re called to model ourselves after Jesus who, though he was divine, lived a simple, humble life in service to people. Service is a privilege, but it shouldn’t offer us the kind of privilege that elevates our status. When we lead through compassion and care, we’re humble, like Christ.

As I think about it, we have lots of examples of people who have shown us how to lead by serving. We just celebrated the feasts of All Saints and All Souls, and these occasions are such beautiful invitations to reflect on our spiritual role models. Maybe canonized saints or figures from Scripture come to mind. I know lots of people who love Francis, the little, humble man from Assisi, and his partner in faith, Clare. There are others who feel a certain kinship with the mystics, Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, or, a holy man from more recent times, Thomas Merton. We’re blessed with a legacy of leaders and servants of God and role models. Some of them make a life of faith look easy and some found God through circuitous routes and pitfalls, but there’s something about their journeys that can resonate with ours, something about them that we can look up to.

It’s not just famous names who make up our community of saints, but it’s also the people in our families and communities that have left lasting impacts on us, loved ones whom we may credit for our own faith. I think of my grandmas and aunts and great aunts who taught me a lot about how to live a life of faith. I think some of my grade school teachers who did the same. I was blessed with mentors in college who helped me to figure out a lot of life stuff and accompanied me as I discerned my vocation. I think of the sisters who loving (and patiently) helped me to grow into my vocation – and I still need them for sure! As a religious sister, I’m extra blessed to be part of a particular kind of legacy of faith, part of a movement that started hundreds of years ago in France when an obscure country priest heard a call and said yes. He invited a few women to come along with him, they said yes too.

But a movement isn’t built with the responses of just a few people; it takes each one of us, person by person, choice by choice, step by step, to build a legacy. It takes prayer and discernment and faith, yes, and it also takes relationships. Why did we grow into our faith? Because someone loved us enough to help us to grow, as someone helped that person in the same way, and the person before them, all the way back to Paul with the Thessalonians and, ultimately, back to Jesus telling his followers to serve people and then showing them how.

In the Northern Hemisphere it’s growing darker and colder each day, and that can make me feel a little pensive. I remember loved ones who have gone to God, and that’s a little bittersweet. My community has a prayer service each year to honor our deceased sisters and associates, and I always feel their loss along with all the others we’ve lost over the years, and that can bring some tears. But the other part of bittersweet is the sweetness that comes from knowing and loving and being loved by such holy people. The feasts of All Saints and All Souls can be thin places if we allow them to be. They can be spaces where earth and heaven are close and not divided by a chasm, and we hold our beloveds, the ones with us and the ones who have gone before us, with love and gratitude. And they hold us too.

As people of faith, we know we’re not alone; we belong to a wide and beautiful community, a communion of holy people. We know that, but we have to keep remembering. We have to remind each other, and maybe that’s what Christian leadership looks like. Maybe that’s part of why Christ calls us to service — to keep us aware of how much God loves and cares for us and to help us to know that we belong to each other.  

For reflection:

• Who are the people who have loved and cared for you, who have helped you to grow in your faith? What is it about them that drew you to them or them to you?

• What does serving in love and humility look like? Have you ever experienced that kind of leadership, either in someone else or in yourself? Where was God in that?

• How is God calling you to serve right now? And whom? Maybe you could just spend a little time listening for God’s call and seeing what unfolds.

By Sister Leslie Keener, CDP

Sister Leslie Keener, CDP is the director of God Space, a community-building spirituality ministry in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. She’s a Sister of Divine Providence with a Masters in Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and Retreats from Creighton University. She directs retreats, meets with people for spiritual direction, and serves as the vocation director for her community. She also serves on the Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International. She enjoys music, dancing, and meaningful conversations.