LEADERSHIP: MAKING THE RIGHT DECISIONS

In just a few more days, we will be celebrating Christmas Day, the birth of Our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.  Today, this Fourth Sunday of Advent, we pay attention to the saving “Yes” of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the saving “Yes” of Joseph, the foster father of Jesus.  Their “Yes” to God’s invitation has positively influenced generations of people down through the centuries.

In today’s first reading, Isaiah the Prophet tells King Ahaz, the leader of the people of Israel, that God was going to give the people a very special gift.  God was going to raise up a true leader of Israel who was to be named “Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.”  From this prophecy of Isaiah, we are cautioned not to allow anything to block us from hearing and obeying our God.

Then in the second reading, Saint Paul is telling the people of Rome that by the grace of God they all belong to God, that is, they are all God’s children.  Paul knows he has a special apostolic mission of sharing this good news and strengthening the faith of the people.

We know that Jesus came into the world because of the “Yes” of Mary, as we are told in the first chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke.  But in the Gospel for today, from St. Matthew, we hear about the “Yes” of Joseph.  The Gospel invites us to ponder very prayerfully and very carefully the human qualities of the leadership of Joseph.  He was a faithful Jewish man – “a man of honour” is how the Gospel describes him – and understood well the Jewish law concerning marriage.  So when he discovered that Mary was pregnant before they were married, he decided to divorce her, but make this divorce privately so as not to embarrass here through bad publicity.

 And then when Joseph learned from the angel that Mary’s child was conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit and would be the one to save Israel, he immediately changed his plans.  In looking at his priorities, his fundamental priority was to do God’s will.  If we were to list the qualities of Joseph, they would include at least the following five:

1. He had his priorities in order
2. He was able to make the right decisions, even if they were difficult
3. He was listening and obedient to God
4. He was sensitive to the needs of others
5. He was self-disciplined

Could we ask ourselves whether these are the qualities of leadership that are needed today here in Zambia, in our Small Christian Communities, in our parishes and dioceses, in our Parliament and our State House?  To be honest, sometimes we don’t know the priorities of many of our political leaders or of the parties that they belong to.  We might even think that their priority is to become very rich and powerful rather than be very sensitive to the needs of the people.

Some of our leaders seem reluctant to enter into a culture of dialogue.  They are always right.  They are not open to other views or to constructive criticism.  And so we read in the daily newspapers a politics of personalities and not a politics of policies.  This means we are in a very difficult time, because if leaders don’t believe in dialogue and consultation, then they promote that spirit among others below them.  Remember the proverbial wisdom of the Ngumbo people of Luapula:  “Isabi ukubola libalila kumutwe” – the fish always begins to rot from the head!  In any community where you have bad leadership, you always have bad consequences throughout the community.

As we journey into the New Year of 2005, let’s ask ourselves about our leaders in public life.  We should scrutinise them carefully and see if they have the good qualities of Joseph.  Is our vote, and their “Yes” to our vote, going to make a difference in our communities?  Are their priorities good?  Are they sensitive to the needs of others?  Do they seek to do the will of God in their leading of the people?

But we should also ask questions like this in our families.  Those of you who are parents like Mary and Joseph should ask yourselves: how accountable are we to our families?  Do the daily decisions we make influence our families positively?  What are our priorities?  Saint Joseph and Mary the Mother of Jesus were people of integrity because of their great love of God and their continual search to love others.  Pope John Paul II has said:  “Responsible parents keep a right order of priorities, recognise their own duties towards God, themselves, their families and human society.”  (The Theology of the Body)

So as we move closer to Christmas Day, let us be inspired by the leadership of Mary and Joseph.  Let us in our Small Christian Communities look to the Bible for guidance, knowing that the Bible is the “book of life.”

SKETCH

Let there be one man acting like a politician seeking votes from the people, talking on and on, promising all kinds of things, avoiding to answer any questions.  Several people are listening to him and then they turn to each other and reject him since he has no qualities of a good leader.  They walk away disgusted, while the politician keeps on talking and talking.

COMMUNITY PRAYERS

·         Lord Jesus, give us good leaders in Zambia these days, leaders who are sensitive especially to the cries of the poor.  Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us!

·         Lord Jesus, give your people here in Zambia the spirit of wisdom to be able to choose leaders who are honest in their dealing with the people.  Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us!

·         Loving God, may the life-giving “Yes” of Saint Joseph help us to make the right decisions in all aspects of our life.  Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us!

[Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, 10101 Lusaka, Zambia]