At the recent Cor meeting, on Feb. 22nd, I had the blessed opportunity to present on the theme of "Leadership", in particular, servant leadership, which our Lord Jesus Christ is the model par excellence. Below is a script of my presentation.
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Opening Prayer: St. Augustine’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.
Warm-Up Question: Who was (were) your role model(s) growing up? What about them did you admire most, and how do you think that impacted you?
HINT: Write down the qualit(ies) that you admire most in this person(s). Discuss with table members.
Dcn. Phúc: My role model growing up was my dad. He had the courage to leave his country of Vietnam with his wife and two young sons. He worked various jobs - from gas station attendant to a cook in a restaurant to an auto mechanic - to provide for his family. English was not his first language but he was able to make do because what other choice did he have. To this day, my dad is still my role model of quiet strength and courage.
Watch: "Leadership" video https://site-444741.bcvp0rtal.com/detail/videos/into-the-breach/video/6133457734001/leadership
Presentation: Servant Leadership
Our Jesus Christ: Servant Leader par excellence
Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, John, and James and at once they left their old lives behind and immediately followed Christ. There was something about Christ that drew these men to leave everything behind, pick up their crosses, and follow him. . . Matthew 4:18-22. . .
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.
The disciples saw Jesus as a leader so they followed him. They realize what kind of a leader he is - a servant leader who puts others before himself - in Matthew 20:25-28. . .
But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Jesus is the servant leader par excellence and he teaches his disciples (and us) to be the same when he washed their feet at the Last Supper in John 13:13-15. . .
You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.
At the Last Supper, the disciples once again argued who among them is the greatest. . . Luke 22:24. . .
Then an argument broke out among them about which of them should be regarded as the greatest.
to which Jesus replied in Luke 22:25-27. . .
He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them and those in authority over them are addressed as ‘Benefactors’; but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. For who is greater: the one seated at table or the one who serves? Is it not the one seated at table? I am among you as the one who serves.
Then Jesus spoke to Simon Peter in Luke 22:31-32. . .
"Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.”
Peter replied that he was prepared in Luke 22:33. . .
He said to him, “Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you.”
But. . . was he really? Are we? As we saw in video, we say that we are willing to die for Christ; however, are we willing to live for Christ? To live a life of virtue, to be servant-leaders and lead others to Christ, especially our families.
February 22nd is the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
Jesus entrusted his people to Peter and told Peter to “Feed my lambs”. . . “Tend my sheep”. . . “Feed my sheep”. . . and “Follow me”. . . (John 21:15-19)
Peter learned what it means to be a servant leader like Jesus and urged others to follow him, as he wrote in 1 Peter 5:2-3. . .
Tend the flock of God in your midst, overseeing not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Like the video tells us. . . eternity is forever. . . that is what we are preparing ourselves and our families for. . . “the unfading crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4)
Servant Leaders & KofC
Let us be the “rock” foundation for our family and our community. . . by honoring Jesus first in our lives. . . “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. . . and leading others to Christ (Matthew 16:16)
Let us be the reason why the “gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against” our families and our Church (Luke 16:18). This is the purpose of Bishop Olmsted's apostolic exhortation to men that inspired the "Into the Breach" series for men by the Knights of Columbus.
"Into the Breach" https://www.archspm.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/INTO-THE-BREACH-ROMAN-CATHOLIC-DIOCESE-OF-PHOENIX.pdf
Let us be servant leaders (excerpt from Robert K. Greenleaf) https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/
The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader. . . The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?. . . A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. . . The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.
“Call to Battle” small group discussion Strive for great things. If the virtue of magnanimity involves striving for great things, work to develop this virtue in your own life by examining what you are striving for. Are the true aims of your life things like money, pleasure, “down time,” watching sports and avoiding “hassle”? Or do you have nobler goals such as growing in virtue, fighting injustice, serving your community and leading your family? Identify one “great thing” you would like to strive for in your life and write down specific ways you can move toward that goal.
How can I be a servant leader at home? At the parish?
Dcn. Phúc: How can us men form and train young men so that they can replace us in ministry work at the parish? How can we we inspire young men to become a Knights of Columbus, to serve Holy Mother Church, and to be the right-hand men of our priests and help them care for the parish and fellow parishioners? This is what servant-leaders must do and we look to our Lord Jesus Christ as the servant-leader par excellence.
Closing Prayer: St. Michael the Archangel Prayer
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God,
cast into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
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